Nov 16, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Georges St-Pierre (red gloves) and Johny Hendricks (blue gloves) hug after their welterweight championship bout during UFC 167 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

This past Saturday night at UFC 167, Georges St-Pierre won a very controversial split decision over Johny Hendricks to retain his championship belt. After the fight, GSP explained his need to leave the sport for some time. Many fans and media members were expecting some sort of retirement, but not on the heels of such controversy. After the fight, fans, media members, and Dana White expressed their disapproval of the decision. Dana, never one to mince words, said that GSP owes fans, Johny Hendricks, and the sport of MMA a rematch. At first, Dana’s point seemed logical. It is only fair that in such a razor close fight with controversy that the champion would offer a rematch to the challenger. This circumstance, however, is much different.

Personally, I scored the fight 3-2 in favor of Johny Hendricks. I too believed that GSP should take an immediate rematch. However, after the initial storm of ‘how could they?’ and ‘robbery!’ subsided, I realized that GSP’s issues are far beyond the spectrum of the sport of MMA. It became a personal attack on GSP, and not truly a call for a rematch. When a man who has given everything to this sport asks to step away, the president of the company and it’s fans should support him 100%. Instead, Dana said he is certain GSP will take the rematch he ‘owes’ to Hendricks, and that GSP’s issues are not as big as he believes.

In Saturday night’s post fight press conference, GSP was prodded by media to divulge his personal problems. GSP, clearly shaken from the war he had just been involved in, was very hesitant to provide any details. After multiple questions about his issues, GSP begrudgingly stated that he is having trouble sleeping, memory loss, and is dealing with other personal issues. At that point, Dana White called an end to the questions regarding GSP’s problems. If the greatest Welterweight champion to ever set foot inside the Octagon is having those problems, than he does not owe anything to anyone.

GSP is the greatest Welterweight champion the UFC has ever had, and one of the three biggest draws in the company’s history. He has made an unbelievable amount of money for the UFC and himself. What else does he have to prove? What else does the man who has put his body on the line for the entertainment of fans have to do to be left alone?

Do not allow one controversial split decision to skew your thoughts on Georges. GSP has done everything the UFC has ever asked him to do and more. He has put on countless shows for thousands and thousands of fans, left trails of challengers in his wake, and put in his blood, sweat, and tears in that Octagon. When Georges says he gives everything to the sport, including his soul, he means it. Who are we to tell him that he ‘owes’ us, or the sport anything? There should be no poking or prodding necessary to find out what issues he has, or what problems he is dealing with. In fact, we are the ones who owe him something. We owe GSP his privacy; he deserves that much after all these years.

GSP said it best in the post-fight press conference:

There is stuff going on in my life, and I need to make a point in my life. This is my personal life and I can not speak to you about this. I know you are a reporter, and your job is to make everything public, but I have a personal life and I keep some of my stuff personal.

For a sport that is all about respect and admiration of the Martial Arts, let us recognize that GSP has given us so much, and has been nothing but a pristine example of what a Martial Artist is. If he needs time to settle his personal problems, then we as a community should let him be.

In the end, it may not be the storybook ending we all hoped, but when is it ever in MMA? Instead of demanding a rematch, let us remember the amazing performances GSP has put on his career and celebrate a man that has brought the sport to a new level.