A month after defeating Michael Bisping for the UFC middleweight title; Georges St-Pierre(GSP) was forced to vacate the championship due to health issues. Who looks worse in this situation: the UFC or GSP?
FRANK HYDEN, MMATorch Columnist
I think the UFC looks worse. Just because someone asks for something doesn’t mean you have to give it to them. Kids ask for ice cream for dinner, that doesn’t mean you have to give it to them. I can only blame somebody so much when it comes to trying to boost themselves and make money. How many guys ask for title shots when they clearly don’t deserve them? Yeah, sometimes they’re granted (sadly) but usually the UFC ignores them. You can blame GSP for being greedy or spotlight-seeking, but it’s not his job to look after the well-being of the UFC.
There’s only two possibilities here with regards to the way the UFC looks. One, they knew that if GSP won he wouldn’t fight at middleweight again and didn’t care. That makes them look like complete frauds who took a big dump all over the sport. Or two, they didn’t know that GSP wouldn’t fight at middleweight again if he won. That makes them look like complete idiots who didn’t think to include it in the fight contract that GSP would be required to defend the belt if he won. Both of those make the UFC look really bad, and worse than GSP, who still had to go in there and fight.
RAFFAEL IGLESIAS, MMATorch Contributor
I think he may be the greatest fighter of all time. I will say this as an openly biased Canadian. However, GSP looks horrible vacating the title. If you believe Dana White; GSP was promised the Michael Bisping title fight with the caveat that he defend the championship. White had always made it very clear that these were the circumstances going into GSP’s championship fight. On the surface, this looks like the Canadian hero said what he needed to say, to get what he wanted.
RICK MONSEY, MMATorch Contributor
I think GSP looks worse. He seems to have had no interest in defending the middleweight title. He wanted to fight Michael Bisping and make a big payday, mission accomplished. UFC made out like bandits at UFC 217 as well. I’m sure they’d love to have GSP continue to fight and make them money.
ROBERT VALLEJOS, MMATorch Contributor
I find it hard to blame a fighter for taking a lucrative right. The issue really revolves around the UFC’s prolonged commitment to this fight. If this fight had not held up the division for over a year, the sting of these events would be decreased. With that said, this is one example of an interim title working out great for a division. Unlike in other situations, the middleweight division does not need to shoehorn a title fight, in order to keep a division solvent.
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