5 Reasons Georges St. Pierre Could Beat Anderson Silva

Hello again fans and friends and welcome back to my take on the much-talked-about “dream fight” between UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. Earlier I gave and elaborated on five reasons why Silva could beat GSP, but as a big fan of both men, I have no problem admitting that the reverse is also very true and quite possible. So let’s take a look at the second part of today’s two-parter, five reasons why Georges St. Pierre could beat Anderson Silva.

5. If complacency on the part of Anderson Silva ever sets in, GSP will be there to make him pay for it.

Much like GSP having problems making the jump to 185, this is a “never say never” reason that doesn’t look likely but does stand a chance of happening. Anderson Silva has been the UFC Middleweight Champion for over four years. Has complacency set in yet? Some would say yes, others staunchly deny this accusation. But if it happens, or if it has happened, it’s a huge weakness that GSP will know how to exploit.

4. There’s “dominant wrestlers”, and then there’s GSP.

I said it was coming, and here it is: “dominant wrestler” doesn’t do GSP justice. St. Pierre is able to take anyone down, at virtually any time, from virtually any position. From strikers to fellow high-level wrestlers, no one has been able to mount a defense against his takedowns for long. This is the kind of skill that transcends any weight limit: if GSP grabs hold of Anderson Silva, Anderson Silva is going down. And that’s GSP’s world, even when you take Silva’s submission skills into account.

3. While Silva’s ducking and dodging abilities are unquestionably great, people seem to forget that GSP took down and beat up the toughest strikers in the Welterweight division with barely a scratch on him.

Dan Hardy and Thiago Alves are both known for their fierce one-hit KO power… and they couldn’t land a single good, clean strike on GSP despite the fact that both those fights went to a full five-round decision. Josh Koscheck had begun tapping into the serious power in his hands when he fought GSP for the second time, and again GSP walked away from a five-round decision with barely a scratch. The same could be said for BJ Penn, Jon Fitch… the list goes on and on. No matter who he fights or what their striking level is, no one has been able to land a single significant shot on GSP since Matt Serra beat him in 2007. It’s very possible that Anderson Silva will be able to dodge GSP’s strikes, but it’s equally as possible that GSP will be able to dodge Silva’s.

2. GSP’s record has been a series of flawless, dominating performances ever since he won back the title.

Ever since he beat Matt Hughes for the Interim Championship and then beat Matt Serra to unify the titles, George St. Pierre has posted up a series of virtually-flawless victories. He’s faced legends, he’s faced veterans, he’s faced guys with very long win-streaks, he’s faced guys famous for knocking people senseless. He’s fought the best for the last several years running, and every single time he makes them look like virtual amateurs. There truly is only one GSP, and since GSP somehow manages to keep finding ways to improve himself, he’ll be a real threat to Anderson Silva whenever this fight finally happens.

And the number one reason why GSP could conceivably beat Anderson Silva is because…

1. Lately, Silva’s performances have been all kinds of hit-and-miss depending on who he’s facing.

People have been critical of Silva for years now, ever since Silva’s first bizarre championship defense against Patrick Cote at UFC 90. Silva followed that up with a performance against Thales Leites that is practically reviled, then a fantastic performance against Forrest Griffin, followed by another bizarre outing against Demian Maia, and finally, a fight with Chael Sonnen that saw the contender dominate the champion for nearly five straight rounds. All of this and more has been leading up to one simple point: Anderson Silva can be beaten. And if anyone can do it, it’s definitely GSP.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? In the battle of GSP vs. Silva, who’ve you got and why?