Following The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale on Friday in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC president Dana White took part in a scrum and provided an update on a couple of the promotion’s champions.
According to White, he was supposed to talk to middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre earlier in the week to discuss his future, but it turns out the fighter is dealing with an illness and his status remains uncertain for now.
White did not specify how severe St-Pierre’s symptoms were. Colitis is an illness that affects the colon and its effects can include, minor inflammation and pain, shortness of breath, fevers, and various complications with the gastrointestinal system.
The 36-year-old St-Pierre recently made a successful comeback from a four-year hiatus at UFC 217, where he defeated Michael Bisping to capture the middleweight title for the first time. He has not committed to defending the belt against interim champion Robert Whittaker or moving back down to the 170-lb division, where he had previously competed.
White was also asked about a key heavyweight matchup at UFC 218 on Saturday in Detroit between Francis Ngannou and Alistair Overeem. There has been speculation that the winner could be next in line to challenge divisional champion Stipe Miocic and White confirmed that it was a strong possibility.
“Whoever wins is going to fight Stipe,” White said.
Miocic is currently working on negotiating a new deal with the UFC and White sounded confident that a contract will be worked out.
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