When Dana White went berserk on then-UFC champ Georges St-Pierre for going on hiatus: "You owe it to that belt"

Dana White once erupted in frustration over Georges St-Pierre’s decision to step away from active competition. At UFC 167 in November 2013, St-Pierre earned a controversial split-decision win over Johny Hendricks to successfully defend his welterweight title for a record-setting ninth consecutive time.

In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, 'Rush' shocked the MMA community by announcing that he would be taking an indefinite break from competition due to personal reasons. However, his decision to take a hiatus from fighting did not sit well with White.

Check out Georges St-Pierre's comments below (2:30):

At the UFC 167 post-fight press conference, White made his displeasure clear, insisting that St-Pierre was obligated to give both the fans and the promotion a rematch with Hendricks:

"Did he say he wants to retire? He didn't say 'I'm gonna retire, I'm hanging it up. It's been great everybody. Thanks a lot for all the years. See you later.' He said 'I'm gonna take some time off.' First off, that decision that happens, you don't just say, 'Oh I'm going to take a while time off. Maybe I'll be back, maybe I won't.' ... You owe it to the fans, you owe it to the belt, you owe it to this company, and you owe it to Johny Hendricks give him that opportunity for him to fight again, unless you’re going to retire."

Check out Dana White's comments below (3:30):

'Rush' officially vacated his welterweight title in December 2013 and remained absent from the octagon for four years. He made a triumphant return at UFC 217 in November 2017, securing a technical submission victory over Michael Bisping to claim the middleweight championship, which also marked the last fight of his professional career.

St-Pierre boasts a near-perfect UFC record of 20-2, including victories over high-profile opponents such as Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, B.J. Penn, and Matt Serra, to name a few.

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When Georges St-Pierre's coach claimed Dana White apologized for his UFC 167 reaction

During an interview with the Quebec Journal in November 2013, Georges St-Pierre’s longtime trainer, Kristof Midoux, claimed that Dana White personally reached out to 'Rush' to apologize for his harsh remarks following UFC 167.

Midoux also claimed that after rewatching the bout, White acknowledged that the judges made the right call in awarding St-Pierre the decision victory over Johny Hendricks:

"Few people know it, but the next morning he [White] called George and told him, 'I'm sorry, I watched the fight again and you have indeed won. I spoke under the influence of emotion.'"