Georges St-Pierre Previously Left the UFC After Being ‘Disgusted’ By Drug Testing

Georges St-Pierre is undoubtedly one of the most popular and legendary fighters in the entire MMA world. The UFC Hall Of Famer was at the top of his game back in 2013, but would leave the company for a few years, which shocked many.

Georges St-Pierre made his return to the UFC back in 2016 where he faced off against Michael Bisping in a different weight class.

While speaking to Wealthsimple Magazine, Georges St-Pierre talked about his departure from the UFC back in 2013. St-Pierre revealed that he was so disgusted with the rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs by his colleagues in the UFC, that he simply couldn’t stay anymore.

At that time, the UFC did not have a procedure to test athletes and punish them for using banned substances. That would change after the UFC hired the United States Anti-Doping Agency to regularly test their fighters. After this, St-Pierre returned to the company.

“I left the UFC in 2013 because I was disgusted with the performance-enhancing drug problem in my sport. I saw the organization sometimes wanted to protect their athletes instead of going for the truth. I only came back when the UFC hired an organization called USADA to test their athletes. And as I expected, a lot of their champions failed their drug tests. So, when I saw that, I was like, ‘Finally, the corruption is over.’ And I was happy to come back in 2016. But I didn’t want to come back to fight for the same title. I wanted to make history and do something different. So I challenged Michael Bisping, the champion in a heavier weight class.”

Georges St-Pierre would hang up his gloves for good in 2019, bringing an end to a legendary career. He remains one of the few UFC fighters to have retired while still being on the top.