Georges St-Pierre is on the hot seat once again after the former UFC welterweight champion said that he decided to stay away from the game last month because of his disappointment about the promotions' stance on PED testing.
St-Pierre, who is coming off a split-decision victory over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 on November 16 last year, told reporters that his decision to give up his welterweight title stemmed from what he deemed as lack of support from UFC when it comes to battling use of illegal substances.
The 32-year-old former champion said that he tried to make the sport cleaner by involving the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association in all UFC fight cards, but he did not succeed.
"It bothered me greatly," St-Pierre said as reported by ESPN. "It was one of the reasons I decided to step aside. I tried to change things and unfortunately -- maybe for money reasons, maybe for image -- they were not ready to do that. I tried in a very diplomatic way and it didn't work, so it's unfortunate."
St-Pierre underwent several tests conducted by VADA before his title defense against Hendricks. The Canadian MMA star convinced Hendricks to undergo VADA testing as well, but his opponent's camp eventually turned down the proposal due to the fees involved in the procedure.
St-Pierre and Hendricks were also tested by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and both fighters tested negative for performance-enhancing drugs.
Dana White Hits Back At St-Pierre
Meanwhile, UFC President Dana White responded to St-Pierre criticism on the promotion's stance on drug testing.
White said that he doesn't know where St-Pierre is coming, calling the recent tirades of the former undisputed champion "insane."
"This whole Georges St-Pierre thing is shocking, weird and it's insane," White said.
White added that he is wondering why St-Pierre is questioning their stance against illegal drugs when in fact they just recently suspended Antonio Silva after testing positive for high levels of testosterone after a company-mandated event in December.
Silva, who went up against Mark Hunt in a fight card in Brisbane that ended up in a five-round draw, was handed a nine-month ban from all UFC events and his $50,000 bonus from a recent bout was also taken back by the promotional outfit.
"We buried 'Bigfoot' Silva. We literally buried him for it," said White on Silva's testosterone-level violation.
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