It’s one of the most-talked about “dream fights” in UFC history, and perhaps in all of MMA history. It would be an epic encounter between two of the most dominant UFC champions ever. Of course, I’m talking about UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre taking on UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. People have been debating this topic and all its many facets for months, and recently, George St. Pierre made some interesting comments about the potential match-up that has caused some cynics to already claim that GSP is afraid of “The Spider”. So what exactly was said? Let’s find out.
Courtesy of Bloody Elbow, George St. Pierre recently said the following: “I don’t know (about fighting Anderson Silva)… Right now I’m focusing just on Jake Shields… It would take a long time (to add the size). Anderson Silva is a huge guy… He’s very big… I don’t know if I’m going to go up (to) 185… It’s a complete reorientation of my career. I have a lot to lose and I haven’t thought about it, I haven’t sat down to talk about it.”
I’d like to start out by saying one thing plainly and clearly: I don’t think Georges St. Pierre is afraid of Anderson Silva.
I think George St. Pierre respects Anderson Silva, and I think GSP is smart enough to know just how much he could lose if he were to come out on the wrong end of this mega-match.
It is not a sign of weakness to give Anderson Silva the credit he deserves. Anderson Silva has looked human in the UFC on one occasion: when he fought Chael Sonnen. And he won that bout. And every other time he’s stepped inside the Octagon, Silva has schooled, dismantled, destroyed, and even clowned his opponents. Even Georges St. Pierre cannot say that: he’s lost twice inside the Octagon, although those two losses were the only losses of his professional MMA career.
In a way, I’m honestly glad that GSP is focusing solely on his upcoming opponent and not a match-up with Anderson Silva that may or may not ever materialize. I think St. Pierre learned to never look past his next opponent when Matt Serra shocked the world and beat him, and ever since that loss St. Pierre has been unstoppable. I firmly believe that Georges St. Pierre will beat Jake Shields, but only because I believe Georges when he says that he’s fully committed to this upcoming fight and solely focusing on how he’s going to beat the former Strikeforce and EliteXC Champion.
In the end, this is one topic that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. So I say: let’s let GSP focus on Jake Shields, because that’s the fight that helped sell out the Rogers Centre with over 55,000 tickets sold. That’s the fight that helped the UFC sell out a stadium, shattering both their attendance record and their gate receipt records. That’s the fight that has to take precedence and priority, even if everyone wants to see the champion vs. champion dream fight. And that’s not fear talking: it’s common sense.
And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of GSP’s recent comments?
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GSP is the best wrestler in the UFC. Anderson’s weakness is wrestling. hmmmm
Middleweight is nothing compared to the competition at welterweight. GSP would dominate middleweight too.
Anderson should move up if he wants to test himself, but if superfight happens he will get taken down immediatly, and beaten up.
GSP hasn’t lost a single round since his first fight with Koscheck. No GSP can’t fight.
I agree i mean Anderson Silva maybe not perfect but if there is anyone or any UFC fighter truly on their way to becoming invicincible it would have to be Anderson Silva. Ok he has his weaknesses which he is the first to admit and even the four losses before he gained and won his bouts or even entered UFC and the Octogon, which to say he has never ever lost any of his bouts once he had gained them! His frame of mind is one where he is so bent on improving and perfecting his art and he is the only one i know of that is on his way to becoming Invincible although he is not at that stage yet, but in time if he goes and keeps jumping levels of heightened awarenesses and skill, ability and talent of Martial arts then indeed he will reach that extreme optimum stage. I am not even a fan of silva or anyone for that matter but i do recognize the same refining spirit like that of the late great Bruce Lee which is also in Anderson Silva and i am not trying to compare him with Bruce Lee. But from what i have seen and with his improvements and progression of his art, i have to say that Anderson Silva does have that same Spirit as Bruce Lee to one degree or another
@edd
Hi, Edd. With regard to: “Anderson, while having exceptional striking, is a monkey in the ring. dances around to the point it’s getting ridiculous….”
I recommend you fight a more ecclectic range of fighters than the same martial art you’re learning in your dojo. You’re not recognizing Anderson’s style as traditional martial arts with actual purpose. You don’t even see Anderson’s feints as attack setup.
For the sake of simplicity at the risk of repeating myself on this web site, have you ever fought someone who uses kung fu or variations of ninjitsu and noticed they wave their hands up high without seeming to be part of anything useful? That hand waving is intended to get your attention up high so they can attack from low without being noticed.
Have you ever fought other traditional martial arts such as fencing? Again it’s essential in martial arts to distract the opponent from where the attack will actually come. In fact, the whole point is to make it so when the opponent sees the attack it’s physically impossible to react to it.
You and many other people think of Anderson Silva’s strikes as lucky. But what you’re actually failing to see is that they’re not lucky nor being a clown nor being a “monkey.” They’re set up by everything that came before them and precisely timed and executed.
I’m not speaking as a fan of Anderson. I’m speaking as a student and fan of skilled martial arts and tactics.
ok, the blind nut-hugging has to stop.
both fighters have their good set of skills, but GSP is so tactical that it’s becoming boring and basically goes to decision too much and Anderson, while having exceptional striking, is a monkey in the ring. dances around to the point it’s getting ridiculous and then maybe takes a lucky shot. and as much as I hate Sonnen, being an exceptional wrestler and douche, he would have taken a unanimous decisions by manhandling Silva.
thats just stupid. if there is a catchweight silva would easily be overpowerd. and the reason silva doesn’t get much hype to you is because you havnt talked to people from brazil. only reason i respect gsp is because he is canadian and ranked within the top 3 fighters of ufc. anderson silva, and jose aldo have more exciting fights. and more people enjoy watching anderson silva and jose aldo then gsp, gsp vs koscheck was the best stand up we saw from gsp in a long time.
Jones vs Silva would be more exciting and a super fight to watch! don’t push GSP to move up, but push SILVA instead to move up to light heavyweight wherein we have a lot of great strikers that can stand up with him and has a good chin!
I’d eventually like to see Jon Jones fight Silva, too. But I don’t think Jon is ready yet. Maybe in a year or so.
As for GSP fighting Silva, I’ve said it before. I don’t want to see that fight. I don’t see why fighters should have to change weight class to something at which they’re not comfortable.
If GSP likes his weight, UFC needs to find him fighters in his weight class, not the other way around. Same goes for Silva. They’re fine like they are.
That said, if GSP gets paid enough to make it worth his while to move up in weight, more power to GSP for getting the money.
F@(K IT! I WANT TO SEE A REMATCH SILVA VS SONNEN OR THROW BONES JONES AT THE SPIDER LET THE SPARKS FLY!
GSP is the better overall fighter??? And he’s all hype??? Hype is what Chael Sonnen did before the fight, and class is what Silva did to his face while getting the win, all while being on the botton for most of the fight. Do you understand fighting?? I think not! The only advantage GSP has over Silva would be his wrestling, and Silva is much too good at BJJ for GSP to feel he can control him on the ground. Ask the other bad ass wrestler that fought Silva, Sonnen! Also, every fight starts standing up, and no fighter in the world can stand with Silva, without exeption. GSP is world class though, but I believe he doesn’t have the tools required to defeat Silva.
MMA Genius, How is Anderson Silva more “hype” than reality? He has brought about some of the most unorthodox and skillfull KO’s you could ever imagine. And even in his Thales Leites and Demian Maia fights, he annihilated them, to the point where he could literally just dance around them. Who else and go dance around Demian Maia and still win a fight? Anderson Silva is no hype, he is the real deal who is marketed as just that.
I gotta say I do think GSP is scared of the SITUATION. GSP isn’t a fighter, he’s a highly trained athlete who competes in MMA. THere’s a huge difference. He is very smart and wants to make a career outta the sport. And to say he’s the better fighter overall is laughable. And then there’s the ugly fact that he’s decisioned every challenger to his title, he didn’t finish them. I’m really not interested in seeing this fight, it’s obvious who’s gonna win. And by the way I’m not a huge Silva fan, but I do believe he is the best fighter in the world right now. Dunno why people don’t wanna give him credit. Even when he’s getting smashed he holds on and submits his opponent (like he said he was going to do by the way).
I think it is what Georges said. He has a lot to lose. I don’t believe this is the superfight everyone thinks. Anderson is bigger….much bigger. In fact he should be in the light heavyweight division fighting guys like Jon Jones. That is what I’d like to see happen.
Whether you like it or not GSP is definitely scared to fight Anderson Silva. Realizing how much he has to lose is the same damn thing as being scared. Hes scared to lose his belt which is why he lies on fighters for 5 rounds to pull off decisions. Sure he didnt fight on the ground for the Koscheck fight but he could have finished Koscheck any time in that fight but never even tried. He just sat back and threw that same jab. “As a fighter, George is no doubt the better fighter overall” get real man, Anderson Silva is so much better than GSP that your statement is laughable. GSP stands with Silva and gets KO’d. He tries to grapple with him on the floor, hes getting submitted. GSP is not a finisher and Anderson will not loose via decision. Face the facts George is scared.
If GSP doesn’t want to move up to 185 lbs, that’s his right. He’s currently the best mma welterweight in the world and he might just want to stay at 170 lbs and add to his legacy. However, the facts are that GSP bulks up to about 190 lbs before he cuts weight to 170 lbs. He might even be slightly more than 190 lbs before he cuts weight. On fight night rest assured that GSP has re-hydrated to around 190 lbs. When Anderson Silva’s not training for a fight he balloons up to 230 lbs. When Silva got in better shape and trained for Demian Maia at UFC 112 he told Joe Rogan he was down to 192 lbs before his weight cut down to 185 lbs.
The weight difference is not as massive as many make it out to be. Both their fight night weights are usually within five pounds of each other. GSP has said he would add more muscle mass bulk before he competed at 185 lbs. Silva weighed in at 174.5 lbs in 2006 at Rumble on the Rock 8. Silva has completed at 170 lbs before 2003. Silva’s in his mid 30s now but he still might be able to get down to 170 lbs with a brutal weight cut. However, there is a solution staring everyone in the face: A 177.5 lbs 5-round non-title catch weight bout. This is as fair as it gets. GSP doesn’t have to add so much bulk and Silva doesn’t have to cut all the way down to 170 lbs. Both champs keep their belts no matter the outcome. The UFC makes the most PPV money ever in front of the largest mma crowd ever. If both fighter are willing, this could eclipse boxing’s proposed Pacquiao vs Mayweather match up. GSP has to get past a dangerous Jake Shields but I see no reason for this match up not to take place before 2012. The question becomes: Why not?
I’m sorry but I’m so sick of this whole debate. Why is all the pressure on GSP? Why should he move up to fight a man who is capable of easily knocking out light heavyweights? It’s just too big of a gap to bridge…even for GSP. I’m one of his biggest fans, I’ve got tattoo’s, t-shirts, everything – and as a fan, i do not want him to fight Anderson Silva. If he does, sure I’ll be backing him all of the way. But as a logical fight analysist, i believe it would be a bad move for him. And it is not that GSP is SCARED of Silva – he is a fighter for f*** sake – he’s fought some of the meanest dudes out there…it’s just that he is a clever fighter who knows when and who not to fight. I appreciate Silva’s abilities and wish him well, but i do not wish to see this superfight everyone else does. Because it is too unrealistic.
I have to agree with you. Im not an Anderson Silva fan either. Actually hes more hype than much of anything else. What he has going over GSP is his size. And yes size does matter when your both on top of your game. As a fighter, George is no doubt the better fighter overall however in order to compete with not just a much larger man, but the champ he would have to gain muscle mass and that takes time. Will there be a catchweight? I sure hope so, as I want to see George dismantle the lb for lb king of arrogance and become a legend.
Silva V GsP.
Super-Fight.
Would I love to see it happen? Hell yes. But, is it realistic? In order for it to happen, GsP would have to jump up some weight and fight him. Perhaps not INSTANTLY when he makes the transition, and if thats the case, fine, if GSP wants to Class-Up, then ill stand behind him 100%.
Im not much of a fan of Silva. Yea, I said it, what?
Not that I don’t respect the fighter, he is VERY entertaining, and a great champion, but…
I just dont get as excited about a Silva fight as I do a GsP fight.
GsP = Sandy Ravage.
Silva = ZzirGrizZ.
Its a plethora of possibilites. Not to mention a Nuketown of hype.
Total CoD references. Sorry.