Georges St-Pierre is planning on taking an indefinite leave of absence from the USC, or if you’re feeling bold, you can just say that he’s quitting the UFC – for now. TMZ had a report earlier today about George being in low spirits after his win last weekend, and the reason for that being his impending break from the sport. He was overheard telling a colleague that he was having nightmares and couldn’t sleep because he was so stressed out.
According to TMZ, the reasons for his stress are twofold – one, his father is reportedly dying, and a debilitating illness of a close family member is sure to cripple any top-notch athlete. Or any person, for that matter. And two, Georges has reportedly gotten a woman pregnant, but doesn’t want her to have the kid despite her wishes. He’s currently demanding an abortion, but in the end, it’ll remain her choice – obviously. I mean, of course he doesn’t want her to have the baby, he’ll end up paying millions in child support and it’ll create a lot of media interest in his personal life.
Of course, the implications of Georges quitting UFC will be felt more in the actual sport itself. He’s one of the biggest stars in the UFC and reportedly makes close to $12 million a year, not counting extra commission from his extracurricular endeavors. His teammates may want rematches, but it’s likely that they won’t get them anytime soon, especially if Georges is serious about walking away. And why wouldn’t he? Quitting the sport is nothing to joke about, and not getting sleep and being constantly stressed will eventually take a toll on his body, leading to issues with his performance. It’s better to walk away at the top of your game and with your reputation untouched than to publicly mess up and have to crawl away in embarrassment.