Former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre says that his involvement with the recently-launched MMA Athletes Association would have happened even if his return to the octagon had come to fruition.

Speaking to MMAjunkie Radio prior to Saturday’s UFC 206 in Toronto – which could have seen the ex-champ’s comeback had negotiations panned out – St-Pierre said even if his ties with the promotion had been restored, bringing better conditions to MMA fighters was too pressing of a cause.

“Yes, I would (have moved forward with the association),” St-Pierre said. “It’s important for me. It’s been a long time and I think it’s not a question of if it would happen, it’s a question of when.

“I’m not paid to do this. I do it because, to tell you the truth, I wish when I first started my career that someone, a bigger name, would have done it. But at the time, the infrastructure was not in place, and it was not possible to do that.”

A longtime advocate for more strict anti-doping measures, a problem he thinks the UFC took too long to acknowledge, the former welterweight kingpin says given the high risks of long-term damage, demanding greater protections for fighters is an even more important cause.

“We talk about something that will change people’s lives,” St-Pierre said. “Some guy that one day starts fighting, they start their career, and when they finish they’re not even the same person. Some will suffer of dementia – look in football what is going on. Now we’re talking about fighting.

“Fighting, you cannot play fighting. Every time you step out there, you can go back home not the same person. You can go back home with irreparable damage – damage that will stay with you for the rest of your life.”

Without citing names, St-Pierre also addressed other existing associations – two examples are the Professional Fighters Association (PFA) and the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association (MMAFA) – saying that, rather than compete among themselves, they should “make an alliance” around their common goals.

“I think together we can put all our ideas together and be stronger united, instead of being separated,” St-Pierre said. “Because in the bottom we all want the same thing. We want better conditions, we want a better fair share of salary and it’s the same thing – we want the same thing.”

MMAAA’s current board also includes former UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, UFC welterweight and former title challenger Donald Cerrone, UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy and former UFC bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw.

So far, the association’s most controversial name is certainly that of former Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney – a not particularly well-liked figure among managers and fighters. Although he reiterated the relevance of Rebney’s role, St-Pierre says that he is indeed the subject of inquiries by some of the athletes who reach out.

“A lot of people are scared, because they’ve been intimidated and they are afraid,” St-Pierre said. “And some of them, they ask me about Bjorn. I tell them that Bjorn is our technical strategy, he’s our technical adviser.

“Because I think it’s important to mention – Bjorn is important for us because he’s been on the other side. He was a promoter before. So he knows the game very well, his knowledge is very, very important for us. And that’s what he brings.”

Asked about how the UFC will ultimately react as the association progresses, St-Pierre said he believes that, while the promotion may try to maintain an understanding exterior, it will push back and try to discourage fighters from joining.

Still, the former welterweight champion asks fellow fighters to adhere to the cause.

“The way I read this, in public they’ll make it seem like, ‘Yeah, we welcome that thing to happen because we want what fighters really want and try to help them,’” St-Pierre said. “But I think that underneath, they will call some guys and make them understand and try to intimidate.

“This has been done before. And some guys, what I can say is: As you’re a fighter in the octagon, be a fighter in life. Don’t be afraid to stand up for something that is right, for the virtue, because this is something very important, and it’s a game-changer.

“If we do it all united, if we unite and we do it all together, it will be a game-changer for everybody.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM Ch. 93, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.