Georges St-Pierre taking indefinite leave from UFC, vacating title belt

Georges St-Pierre announced on Friday that he will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the UFC and vacating his welterweight championship belt, according to various media outlets.

St-Pierre won a controversial split decision over Johnny Hendricks at UFC 167 last month. He then caused panic and speculation among fans when he said that he needed to take a break from fighting to deal with personal issues.

“I have a bunch of stuff in my life happening,” St-Pierre said at the time. “I need to hang up my gloves for a little bit.”

UFC president Dana White later insisted that St-Pierre was simply “in a rage” when he made his comments and that a rematch between St-Pierre and Hendricks would be announced in the near future.

The 32-year-old gave no indication of when he might return.