Joe Rogan calls for Georges St. Pierre to retire, cites memory loss and alien abduction

If it was up to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) color commentator Joe Rogan, welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre would surrender his title to Johny Hendricks, give a ceremonial bow and ride off into the sunset while he still has the ability to think (somewhat) clearly.

If it was up to UFC President Dana White, "Rush" would give "Bigg Rigg" an immediate rematch.

Rogan became concerned about the champ's long-term health following the UFC 167 pay-per-view (PPV) event, in which St-Pierre squeaked past Hendricks with a controversial split decision (details). Once the dust settled and the smoke cleared, "GSP" told the part-time comic he was a hot mess.

This could be why.

Or, it could be the physical punishment St-Pierre has endured over the past couple of years, which may or may not be responsible for the French-Canadian's memory loss, as well as his paralyzing fear of alien abduction (see more on that here).

Rogan explains his position to Opie & Anthony (via MMA Fighting):

"I think Georges should retire. One of the reasons I think Georges should retire is he was on my podcast and he was talking about being abducted by aliens. I was going, 'you think you've been abducted by aliens?' He starts talking about missing time. He started talking about driving his car and all of a sudden he's at home and he has no idea [how] he got there. I think it's head kicks. That fight he had some serious memory loss (at UFC 167). I think he's taken too many shots. An interesting statistic is that Georges has taken more punches and kicks in the last three fights than any of his fights, ever. In fact, 50-percent of the shots he's taken his entire career were in the last three fights. I think he should get out. I know the UFC probably doesn't want to hear me say that. I know that could be a huge rematch. I think they should just give Johny Hendricks the belt. I think Johny Hendricks won that fight. I think there's real problems with judging and I don't think there should be a way for a guy to win a fight, but yet lose a fight."

But hey, UFC is safer than NFL! AMIRITE?

St-Pierre has now spent 5:28:12 inside the cage, according to Deadspin, in addition to absorbing 875 strikes in competition, with nearly half (412) coming in his previous three fights. And take into consideration how hard a guy like Hendricks hits, coupled with the fact that Carlos Condit floored him back at UFC 154.

"Rush" is just 32 years old.

Naturally, a fighter should be in a position to leave because they want to, not because they have to. The former may not be the most popular decision, but the latter could lead to a life where adult diapers and pureed food become part and parcel of their daily existence.

Now, about that immediate rematch...