When Anderson Silva knocked Stephan Bonnar into retirement in early October, it was believed that the UFC had bypassed a key hurdle on the way to a Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre super fight. The last obstacle will come on Nov. 17, when GSP faces Carlos Condit. With a St-Pierre win, there would be no major contender issues, and talk could finally turn to financial matters in putting together what would clearly be one of the biggest money fights in mixed martial arts history.
But in the final days before St-Pierre vs. Condit, expectations may have to be tempered. In a Monday interview with Tatame, Silva said that he has no plans to challenge St-Pierre after the completion of UFC 154, and furthermore said that he did not expect to fight again until the end of 2013.
The undisputed middleweight champion did confirm that he would be in Montreal to watch the longtime champ battle the interim belt-holder, but said it is “not in my character” to challenge anyone in the cage, as UFC president Dana White suggested he would do.
Moreover, he said he would take time off from the octagon to attend to some of his personal business projects, including the construction of a new gym and a movie role. With so much on his plate, he said he would likely return at “the end of next year.”
A one-year layoff would be the longest break from action he’s taken since his arrival in the UFC. With St-Pierre already having missed the last 19 months of action due to injuries, it’s unlikely that if he won, he’d want to spend another year of his career on the sidelines while chasing a fight that may never happen.
Also noteworthy about the Silva situation is that the 37-year-old has two fights left on his current contract and could be angling for a lucrative extension, especially with a huge-money fight a possibility.