Former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre says he has legally terminated his contract with the UFC, after negotiations for a comeback fight stalled in 2016.
During an appearance on "The MMA Hour" on Monday, St-Pierre -- who vacated his UFC title and stepped away from professional fighting in late 2013 -- said the UFC did not meet a recent deadline he and attorney James Quinn gave the promotion to book his next fight.
As a result, St-Pierre (25-2) said he considers himself a free agent.
"Right now, I'm a free agent," St-Pierre said. "You heard it right, I'm a free agent. My lawyer terminated the contract with the UFC."
In a statement, the UFC said it still considers St-Pierre a rostered athlete: "Georges St-Pierre remains under an existing agreement with [UFC parent company] Zuffa, LLC as his MMA promoter. Zuffa intends to honor its agreement with St-Pierre and reserves its rights under the law to have St-Pierre do the same."
It's well-known that the two sides have been in negotiations regarding St-Pierre's potential return, but UFC president Dana White has repeatedly stated in the media that he doesn't think St-Pierre truly wants to fight again.
According to St-Pierre, who fights out of Montreal, negotiations began in February. St-Pierre's previous contract made a return somewhat complicated because that deal was signed before the UFC entered an exclusive apparel agreement with Reebok in 2014. St-Pierre said the negotiations were back and forth, adding that what he asked for was "reasonable."
The nine-time defending champion said a deal was close earlier this year, prior to the UFC's announcement of a $4 billion sale to California-based talent agency WME-IMG in July. The change in ownership threw off the deal, which had been negotiated by previous owner Lorenzo Fertitta.
"I think we were close to agreement towards the end, until the big news arrived," St-Pierre said. "News was the UFC got sold, and we were told everything was put on ice until the new owners took charge. So we waited for weeks without any news from the new owners. They said Lorenzo's offer was off the table."
Negotiations had been targeting a return at UFC 206 on Dec. 10 in Toronto. St-Pierre said he even entered the UFC's anti-doping program in August in order to meet a required four-month testing window before returning to active competition.
Once new ownership took over, St-Pierre says he was told the UFC would need to invest a large amount of money to reintroduce him to the promotion's new fan base -- which St-Pierre found odd. St-Pierre is one of the UFC's biggest stars ever, and his fight against Jake Shields at UFC 129 in April 2011 generated $12.1 million in Toronto.
"I find it a little funny, to tell you the truth," St-Pierre said. "I know it's a lie, but sometimes I really believe -- I start asking myself, 'Do they believe what they are saying? Are they so caught up in what they're saying, they believe it?' I'm pretty confident if I would have fought in Toronto, I would have sold out the Toronto stadium in a few minutes. I'm that confident. I'm sure the fans have not forgot about me."
Despite multiple ACL surgeries in his past, St-Pierre said he "feels at [his] best" after the long layoff. He hasn't fought since a successful title defense against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November 2013.
St-Pierre offered no plans for his immediate future. He admitted he did not know whether the UFC would attempt to intervene if he signs with another promotion.
"I really don't know," St-Pierre said. "I enter really unknown territory right now. I've never been in this situation before. I'm going to listen to my team of advisers and see what they believe is the best move, and we'll go from there.
"I have never been afraid to stand up for what I believe is right."