Manager: George St-Pierre's 2015 plans, for now, don't include return to octagon

[NineDoubleM]

TweetThe UFC has ranged from very confident to hopeful for the return of Georges St-Pierre, but according to the former welterweight champ’s manager, expectations should be lowered.

Asked of St-Pierre’s (25-2 MMA, 19-2 UFC) plans for 2015, manager Rodolphe Beaulieu wrote in an email to MMAjunkie, “There is no plan for 2015. We are working on a few projects but nothing related for him coming back in the octagon.”

Beaulieu’s statement comes one day after a shakeup in the welterweight title picture, which left champ Robbie Lawler without an opponent. The UFC announced Tuesday that his rubber match with Johny Hendricks was scratched for March’s UFC 185 with Matt Brown stepping in as the ex-champ’s replacement.

Lawler’s rep told MMAjunkie on Tuesday that the fighter needed time off after a busy 2014 and wished to return to the cage no earlier than May. It’s unclear, though, whether Hendricks will get a title shot if he’s successful against Brown, or whether the winner of a fight between standouts Rory MacDonald and Hector Lombard will step in front of him.

In any event, Beaulieu indicated St-Pierre’s priority is not to step back into a crowded field of welterweights more than a year after he vacated the belt and took a hiatus from the sport following his ninth title defense against Hendricks.

St-Pierre began training again after his recovery from that fight, where he sustained perhaps the most significant damage of his career. But his return to the gym was stalled by a torn ACL, the second time he suffered such an injury. Although he was cleared to train this past October, he dismissed the idea that a return was imminent.

“Whether I retire or not or come back or not, I’m always going to be training,” he said. “I like to feel in shape and feel good in my own skin. That’s why I’m training.”

Meanwhile, UFC President Dana White’s optimism of St-Pierre’s return has moved through peaks and plateaus. This past month, he hoped the now ex-champ would come back to fight along with ex-heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar, who was one of the promotion’s top moneymakers besides St-Pierre.

This past October, White and UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta met with St-Pierre in Montreal to discuss a potential comeback. The meeting did not produce a definitive timeline. With Beaulieu’s words, perhaps we now know why.

Undoubtedly, though, the UFC will try to lure St-Pierre back into the promotion’s octagon.

[jipped genes]

Tweethe is scared to loose. he came close and that terrified him. he would rather not compete than take that chance.

plus he is worth $25 million and has no need to compete.

[NineDoubleM]

TweetGSP is my favorite mma fighter, in fact i'm probably a bigger gsp fan than i am a broncos fan. i've followed basically his entire career and having said that i would hate for him to come back and get his ass kicked. he said during the hendricks fight he wondered to himself who would enjoy winning the belt more and to him he thought Hendricks would be more excited about it than he would. it was at that time he decided to walk away because he knew his heart wasn't in it. even w/ two blown acl's i think if his heart is in it he can compete with anyone today. ultimately though, i hope he calls it a career. nothing more to prove, made more money in mma than anyone else, he's earned his chance to train, relax, and enjoy life.