By Nathan Smith
At the conclusion of the UFC 154 main event, I fully anticipate Bruce Buffer to get on the microphone and begin his enthusiastic spiel:
“At the end of five rounds we have a unanimous decision. All three judges score the bout 50-45 for your winner and the undisputed UFC welterweight champion of the woooooorld – Georges “RUSH” St. Pieeeeeeeerre!”
The Canadian crowd will erupt; Molson will be sprayed about and empty Poutine containers will be trampled as the joyous celebration begins. Dana White will put the championship belt around GSP’s waist and then Joe Rogan will approach for the post fight interview. It is at this point that Bizzaro Georges will snatch the microphone out of Rogan’s hand and jump into a tirade while speaking in his native French language. The only two words we will understand during his entire outburst will be “Anderson” and “Silva” as he walks to the edge of the octagon and points directly at The Spider, who will be mocking him all the while from cageside.
The fluent crowd will become increasingly thunderous during the 90 second diatribe until there is a crescendo when GSP finally walks back to Rogan and says in English, “I just told Anderson that he is a pussy and instead of talking about me, he should get in here and fight me!” Then GSP drops the mic and Joe Rogan’s head turns into Danga’s favorite youtube clip live on PPV.
Awesome, right? Well not so fast, because it has come to light within the past few days that Anderson Silva does not plan on competing again until the latter part of 2013 because he is in a “comfort zone.” By comfort zone, I assume that means he is really really rich and would rather participate in feature films and open training academies instead of spending countless hours preparing for combat. There is nothing wrong with that because he has earned every right to take, in Silva’s own words, a “vacation from fighting.” But if that is the case, why has his smug manager, Ed Soares, been making so much noise about naming GSP as the next opponent Silva wants to face?
Is it for the money? Sure.
Is it because general consensus is that GSP poses minimal danger? Maybe.
Is it because Silva does not want to fight the larger opponent in Jon Jones? Probably.
I am sure that all of these questions factor into the equation but I don’t think that the Silva camp is giving the proper amount of respect to GSP by nonchalantly naming him as Silva’s next perceived victim. In fact, I propose that GSP not only holds his own but completely dominates the Spider the same way Chael P. Sonnen did during their first meeting. The only difference is that it would be Silva tapping near the end of the 5th round. Before you lunatics blow steam out of your ears, give your monitor the Stockton “Hey Buddy,” and scroll down to the comment section and call me a “fuck-tard” or “floor turd” at least hear me out.
Carlos Condit is the same height (6’2”) as Silva and if GSP is able to embarrass “The Natural Born Killer” the same way he has every other fighter he has faced, then the size discrepancy should not be an issue. Although Silva appears to have the same length arms as Plastic Man, there is only a 1.6” difference between his and GSP’s. Then there is the all important weight cut argument that will undoubtedly favor the welterweight champion.
The last time Silva fought below the 185 pound limit was in January of 2006 which coincidentally was the last time a loss was etched on his career record. Sure, it was a DQ loss for an illegal up-kick that almost sent Yushin Okami’s head into the fourth row, but a loss is a loss. Since then, he has rattled off 17 straight victories, but I don’t think that anybody would be surprised if cutting an extra eight pounds would adversely affect a guy that is pushing 40 years old. With a more extreme weight cut comes the propensity for Silva to be a little sluggish and cardio has never been a problem for St. Pierre. In fact, his gas tank has been his second greatest attribute inside the octagon.
GSP’s supreme characteristic as a fighter has always been his wrestling even though he does not have an amateur or collegiate grappling pedigree. He is just athletic as hell. The guy is a freak of nature when it comes to his ability to put his opponent on their back and keep them there while he ground and pounds his way into passing guard. We all know that as dynamic as the Spider is standing, he is equally unimpressive on his back (heroic triangle aside) and when he finds himself with St. Pierre in top position, the only way he is getting up is when the round ends or the fight is stopped.
Greg Jackson and Firas Zhiabi should watch the first Silva vs. Sonnen fight (and round 1 of Silva vs. Sonnen 2) until their eyeballs pop out of their heads to come up with a proper game plan for GSP. Once said game plan is in place, nobody is better at following instructions than St. Pierre. To win, GSP must quickly push forward at the start of every round before Silva is set. He needs to close the distance, weather the storm, get the take down and then spend the next 4:55 softening him up for the start of the next round. What Sonnen lacks in punching power and submission offense/defense from the top position, GSP has made a career out of. Once the fifth round comes, a 177 pound Silva will be tired of getting hit and will have nothing left in the tank. GSP will get the take down early and Silva will give up his back so the beating would finally end. I will then wipe a tear from my eye and tell all of my GSP-hating friends to “Suck it” as Carmen Valentina will undoubtedly take to Twitter to express her undying affection for St. Pierre.
So I beg you, Mr. St. Pierre. You are the classiest man in the UFC but please do all of us a favor. After your fight this Saturday, grab that microphone from Joe Rogan and let it rip. Give Anderson Silva what he wants: a fight with you. Otherwise, your next opponent will be another good (but not great) fighter (Kampman/Hendricks) and the middleweight division will be put on hold. After a less than stellar year for the sport, us MMA fans deserve it.