GSP vs Hendricks: St-Pierre Stepping Away After Near Defeat Is Huge Blow for UFC

Georges St-Pierre scored a controversial split-decision victory over Johny Hendricks to retain the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 167. After his latest title defense, the longtime champion left his future very much up in the air.

Brett Okamoto of ESPN reports UFC president Dana White is hoping to set up a rematch between St-Pierre and Hendricks after Saturday night's encounter went right down to the wire. But comments made by the title holder make it unclear if that will happen anytime soon:

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There was a lot of talk about what was going to happen [after this fight], ... I have a bunch of stuff in my life happening. I need to hang up my gloves for a little bit.

I will make a point on that a little later, but for right now, I've got to go away for a little bit.

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He didn't say he was officially retiring, and the outside "stuff" he's dealing with is unknown, but losing St-Pierre for any longer than a usual layoff would be a huge setback for the UFC. He's one of the company's top draws and most complete fighters.

Later in the ESPN report, White is quoted on the situation and, while he wouldn't go into specifics, he believes they will be able to work everything out in time:

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"He wants to fight," said White, following a brief closed-door meeting with St. Pierre. "This isn't about fighting. It really isn't about fighting or retiring. It's a personal problem that has him very, very upset right now and I'm very confident we can work it out."

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If the task of getting St-Pierre back in the Octagon is tougher than expected, it will be a major blow to the UFC, which must continue to produce top-end fights to attract an audience. The welterweight champion is one of the few fighters with a boatload of star power.

Moreover, a rematch between St-Pierre and Hendricks would likely generate a lot of hype because the challenger was able to make serious inroads and nearly walked out with the title. The scorecards passed along by the UFC show exactly how close he came:

With a better showing in the final round, Hendricks would have been the new champion. A debate will rage on about whether he should have won anyway, but it was a close, hard-fought battle, and a rematch could be a big draw for the UFC.

Of course, that's only if they are able to schedule it quickly after normal rest for both fighters. The longer the wait, the more a rematch will begin to lose its luster, which is why St-Pierre's apparent decision to walk away for a while comes at a bad time.

As the UFC continues its efforts to grow, it can't afford to let potential big fights slip away. St-Pierre-Hendricks certainly falls in that category after the No. 1 contender proved worthy, not only of the opportunity but also of becoming champion.

If St-Pierre ultimately decides to take an extended period of time off, the hype for a rematch will fade and the future of one of the promotion's top fighters will come into question. So it's easy to understand why White is hoping to figure out everything in short order.

Whether that will actually happen is a major question mark. The UFC has more events to hold and other fighters to worry about, but St-Pierre will remain a central focus until his next step is determined.

The UFC hopes it's a rematch with Hendricks, but only time will tell.