UFC champion Georges St-Pierre wants “Anderson Silva money” for a superfight with Brazil’s middleweight titan.
Recently, the welterweight kingpin has drawn some media scrutiny for agreeing with claims from hosts on Radio-Canada’s “Tout Le Monde en Parle” that he makes roughly $15 million a year in fight purses and sponsorships.
But according to MMA journalist Mike Straka, GSP wants to make over three years’ worth of his income for fighting Silva, quoting an estimate of $50 million during The MMA Beat (segment at 3:30):
I was told by somebody very close to Georges that Georges today makes close to eight million dollars a fight. So, to fight Anderson Silva, he’s going to ask for 50 million dollars. Five-zero. Because he said that Georges has 10 fights left in his career at eight million a fight.
But he believes that Anderson could actually hurt him, could physically hurt him and end his career. So, to take that chance, he wants $50 million, and that’s exactly the number he’s going to go to Dana White with.
UFC president Dana White has been campaigning heavily for a superfight between the sport’s top two pound-for-pound fighters, hinting that the potential matchup would be a lock if GSP defeated former interim champion Carlos Condit at UFC 154.
However, the biggest problem regarding the bout is an agreed-upon weight limit.
GSP’s head trainer, Firas Zahabi, has stated that anything above 170 pounds—GSP’s natural fighting weight—would be unfair. He also suggested that Silva should be “weakened” to compensate for the difference in size.
Silva’s conditioning coach responded in kind to Fighters Only Magazine, stating that while Silva could possibly make the cut down to 170 pounds, the massive physical drain on the UFC middleweight champion would be a crime.
Moreover, both fighters’ camps have been unwilling to compromise on any sort of catchweight limit. Regardless of the breakdown in negotiations, early betting odds had previously listed Silva has a slight favorite over St-Pierre, making the Canadian star a rare underdog.
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