Georges St-Pierre sister debunks ailing father rumor, says he is 'doing very well,' not reason behind his 'step away' from UFC

Georges St-Pierre is not stepping away from mixed martial arts (MMA) "for a little bit" because his father is near death despite a report to the contrary that surfaced earlier this afternoon.

The sister of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight champion, Myriam St-Pierre, put a halt to the "painful" speculation shortly after it emerged, declaring that St-Pierre Sr. is "very well" and even cares for her children when needed.

Check out her comments to Gabriel Lebland of Le Presse (courtesy of Google translate):

"My father is doing very well. We get lots of calls and this rumor has to stop. It makes us pain. My father keeps my children. He would not keep them if he was about to die. I do not know where this rumor came from, but this is wrong."

SB Nation's Ariel Helwani -- who is fluent in French -- also deciphered the message himself on "The MMA Hour:"

"The father of Georges St. Pierre, is doing well. Despite the rumors, he is not at all dying. He is taking care of my kids."

And what about the other half of the TMZ-fueled rumor that "Rush" had "knocked up a woman" and did not want to carry through with the pregnancy? Myriam declined comment, according to Beland, which is neither an admission nor a denial that it is even remotely accurate.

"Rush" made the abrupt decision to step away from the sport shortly after defeating Johny Hendricks last Saturday night (Nov. 16, 2013) at UFC 167, a controversial decision win that marked the French-Canadian's ninth consecutive record-setting 170-pound title defense.

While most of the MMA community, including company president Dana White, felt the decision should have gone the other way, two of the three ringside judges felt otherwise, denying "Bigg Rigg" the chance to become the promotion's new 170-pound champion.

While St-Pierre takes the time to take care of the personal issues that are driving him "crazy," it's clear that we won't get the full story until he is ready to share details ... if ever. TMZ, meanwhile, seems to have a lot of explaining -- and most likely some apologizing -- to do to the St. Pierre family.