Noncommittal About Return, Georges St. Pierre ‘Taking It Slow’ In Training

With his fighting future uncertain as he nears a year-and-a-half out of the Octagon, legendary UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre participated in a fan Q&A session with his good friend and training partner Rory MacDonald today (Fri., April 24, 2015) from their hometown of Montreal, Quebec prior to UFC 186.

A lot of the talk understandably centered on St. Pierre’s fighting status and whether or not he would actually return from the hiatus he supposedly took to deal with personal issues that he later revealed as a loss of motivation and desire.

But since then, the biggest factor in his return (or lack thereof) would have to be the UFC’s ongoing fight against performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), which includes a massive overhaul of the random testing program set to begin this summer. They’ve also brought in famed anti-doping specialist Jeff Novitzky to spearhead the movement, and that’s something St. Pierre said he recently discussed with the UFC during a media scrum at the Q&A (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“We had a meeting with the UFC yesterday. They hired someone for anti-doping testing, so it looked pretty good. I don’t have much to tell about it, they didn’t tell enough about the program about what they want to do, but [Novitzky] is a very reliable man in the business. He’s the one that caught [Olympic medalist] Marion Jones. So it looked really good so far, but like I said, I don’t have enough to tell right now, and I’m not a specialist. I need to see and ask a specialist what they think about it.”

That sounds like his fighting future is still very much up in the air for the time being. “GSP” could be waiting to see the lasting effects of the testing program before he returns, something that might be a good idea if he’s truly worried about PEDs.

Even though St. Pierre’s manager believes he’ll return for ‘one more fight,’ he also tore his ACL in March 2014, the second time he’s suffered that debilitating injury.

At only 33, he’s not all that old, but coupled with his admitted lack of motivation, the injury could potentially present a problem for a return where he’d be facing with the absolute top welterweights in the world. According to him, however, he’s gotten a full approval from his doctor and is back in the gym training. He’s taking it much slower this time around, as well:

“I got the go from the doctor. The last time I got an ACL surgery on my right leg I was in a rush when I was fighting Carlos Condit. This time I’m taking my time. I’m not in a rush, and I don’t have any fights scheduled. It was more relaxed, so I was able to breath a little bit more. And yeah, I’m back training the gym on a regular basis.”

So “Rush” isn’t in a rush, yet he has foregone almost two years of his prime to find some piece of mind. With the record for most consecutive welterweight title defense in tow with nine, St. Pierre truly has nothing left to prove.

Should he risk tarnishing his legacy by returning to the 170-pound shark tank?