UFC president Dana White announces at a news conference in Calgary, Alta., Wednesday, March 21, 2012, that the city will host a UFC event number 149 on July 21, 2012.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
UFC president Dana White has dismissed Georges St-Pierre's concerns about drug testing, calling them ridiculous and "a little kooky."
White, speaking after Wednesday night's fight card at the Arena at Gwinnett Center outside of Atlanta, had harsh words for his former pay-per-view king who announced he was taking a hiatus from the sport after a controversial win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November.
"What I heard is Georges St-Pierre is upset about some of the things I said at the (UFC 167) press conference and he's upset that I said that he didn't win the fight, that I thought Johny Hendricks won the fight," White said when asked about GSP's drug-testing comments earlier this week.
"But if that's the case, call me man-to-man. Let's talk on the phone, let's sit down face-to-face. I talked to him after the fight face-to-face, he didn't say any of that to me. So the whole thing is a little weird."
"Everything Georges St-Pierre says is a little kooky," White added.
St-Pierre spoke his mind Tuesday in his native Montreal when asked by a reporter about the UFC not supporting him when he proposed drug testing in the weeks preceding the Hendricks fight.
White said deals for such extra testing never come to fruition.
"You see it in boxing all the time. One guy comes out and says 'I want to do extra drug testing because I'm worried about this guy and I want to see what's going on.' They never come to an agreement. This guy says 'I want to use this one,' this guy says 'I want to use that one.'
"The Nevada State Athletic Commission is going to test them, OK?"
The Nevada commission routinely tests all fighters on its cards for performance-enhancing and illegal street drugs. The commission also does random testing (heavyweight Alistair Overeem tested positive for elevated testosterone on a random test).
The UFC boss also pointed out that St-Pierre asked for the extra tests to prove that he wasn't cheating, not because he thought Hendricks was taking anything.
St-Pierre, he said, had been accused of cheating for years but had never tested positive for anything.
White also defending the sport's drug-testing policies, saying both heavyweight Josh Barnett and opponent Travis Browne were tested before their recent fight because of Barnett's drug history.
"We paid for that drug testing. Also, for him (St-Pierre) to say we're very lenient on drug testing, when we go out of the country and we regulate ourselves we test everybody on the card, not just the main event, not just the co-main event."
White pointed to the Antonio (Bigfoot) Silva-Mark Hunt fight in Australia, where the UFC had tested Silva for testosterone levels.
"So we tested him again after and his levels were through the roof and he got destroyed. Lost the win money that we gave him, lost the bonus money that we gave him, and obviously he's not getting an extra bonus. The guy got smashed, and he's suspended for a year. So if that's lenient on drugs I guess we're lenient then. I mean, I don't even know what to say to it."
White also dumped on St-Pierre for not reaching out with his complaints directly.
"I've been on planes, and doing all this stuff. Lorenzo (UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta) reached out to him and Lorenzo still hasn't heard from him yet. If Georges St-Pierre wants to talk like a man he can pick up the phone and call us or come see us face-to-face, but everything that he said is ridiculous."