Two weeks after UFC 167 ignited a firestorm in Las Vegas, Georges St-Pierre's status within the sport remains in limbo. Although St-Pierre is currently on vacation, members of his inner circle have continued to speculate about his potential retirement, while UFC President Dana White remains bullish on the fact that the welterweight champ won't retire just yet.

And for what it's worth, St-Pierre's teammate and protégé Rory MacDonald tends to side with White.

"I don't think he's gone for good," MacDonald said of St-Pierre on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "But maybe he needs some time."

MacDonald hasn't yet watched St-Pierre's controversial title defense against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167, but he, along with St-Pierre, has been deluged with questions regarding a fight between the two Tristar teammates for some time now.

The topic finally reached a fever pitch in the lead-up to UFC 167, and that alone proved to be frustrating enough for the 24-year-old. So to that end, MacDonald understands completely St-Pierre's need to take some time away from mixed martial arts.

"People have no idea the kind of pressure it is to fight, and I have no idea what kind of pressure it to hold the belt for (six years)," MacDonald said.

"Before that he was headlining cards since he was younger than I am right now. That's a lot of pressure. That's a lot of interviews. That's a lot of work, and the guy, he's a machine. For someone to be able to do that, to carry a belt for that long, and to be a headliner for that long, it wears on you. He needs a break."