– The UFC announced Thursday that middleweight champion Georges St. Pierre has vacated his title, effective immediately. St. Pierre had won the title at UFC 217, defeating Michael Bisping via third-round submission to become just the fourth man in UFC history to win championships in two different divisions.
In a statement provided by the UFC, St. Pierre pointed to his recent diagnosis of ulcerative colitis as the reason for giving up his title:
“My fight at UFC 217 was one of the greatest nights of my life but I now need to take some time to focus on my health. Out of respect to the athletes and the sport, I don’t want to hold up the division. I will be giving up my belt and once I’m healthy I look forward to working with the UFC to determine what’s next in my career.”
As a result, interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has been elevated to undisputed champion, and the UFC announced that he will defend his title against former middleweight champ Luke Rockhold in the main event of UFC 221 in Whittaker’s home of Australia on Feb. 10.
🇦🇺 Perth, we've got a main event!!
GSP vacates, 🏆 @RobWhittakerMMA defends the title against @LukeRockhold at #UFC221 Feb. 10!
FULL STORY ➡️ https://t.co/LeaXU08tsa
Pre-register ➡️ https://t.co/CWkOKi23qs pic.twitter.com/MALbQbkD0w— UFC (@ufc) December 8, 2017
