UFC President Dana White: Georges St. Pierre ‘Out for a Minute’ with Colitis

There hasn’t been any recent progress regarding newly crowned middleweight champion Georges St. Pierre’s next move, and there might not be for a while.

UFC President Dana White addressed the topic while speaking with reporters during a scrum following “The Ultimate Fighter 26” finale on Friday in Las Vegas. White revealed that a meeting with St. Pierre’s team was scrapped this past week.

“So they didn’t talk Monday. They actually called me yesterday, and I think it’s out that he has colitis,” White said. “So he’s out for a minute.”

According to medicinenet.com, colitis “refers to inflammation of the inner lining of the colon.” Symptoms associated with the condition can include abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, fever, chills, fatigue and dehydration, among other things.

John Danaher, St. Pierre’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach, recently revealed that the fighter dealt with severe stomach pains and vomiting leading up to UFC as he attempted to put on extra weight to move up to 185 pounds. Danaher said that all tests “come back negative,” but St. Pierre was unable to train for two weeks during his camp as a result.

On Saturday, St. Pierre provided an update on his condition via Facebook:

“I now understand the health issues that I had during my last training camp... I hoped my condition would improve after the fight but unfortunately it got worse and I had to go straight to the hospital for a colonoscopy when I came back from vacation last Wednesday,” he wrote. “The diagnosis is ulcerative colitis and I am now taking medication that will hopefully appease the symptoms. My health is my #1 priority right now, I’m still a very happy man, thanks for your support!!!”



St. Pierre captured the middleweight title with a third round submission of Michael Bisping in the UFC 217 headliner on Nov. 4. He confirmed after the fight that he was contractually obligated to defend the 185-pound belt if he chooses to compete again. White referenced that agreement as well during a media session earlier this week, and said he would be “super pissed” if St. Pierre didn’t live up his contract to defend the middleweight title. Should St. Pierre remain at middleweight, he would be paired with interim 185-pound titlist Robert Whittaker. Whittaker took to Twitter to wish St. Pierre a healthy recovery:

Get well soon champ! @GeorgesStPierre @danawhite @ufc Take your time and get healthy looking forward to sharing the octagon with you #unify #anywhere

— Robert Whittaker (@robwhittakermma) December 2, 2017