Georges St-Pierre defended his UFC Welterweight Championship for a seventh consecutive time at UFC 154 with a unanimous decision victory over Carlos Condit.
GSP, however, was not the only winner on Saturday night. The UFC also won.
First and foremost, let’s get the superfight out of the way.
The victory by GSP made the superfight a possibility. Sure, GSP can still turn the fight down, but Anderson Silva and the UFC are interested. Should that fight happen, it has the opportunity to be the biggest UFC event in company history.
That is a big win for the UFC. The fight would undoubtedly happen in a stadium. Quite possibly Texas Stadium. The superfight would be a spectacle. A high grossing spectacle.
Even if GSP turns down the fight, it was a win for the UFC.
At the UFC 152 post-fight press conference, Dana White reiterated that GSP was the UFC’s biggest PPV draw. He said, “The top five pay-per-view draws in this company are Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen makes the list now, Jon Jones and Rashad Evans.”
Keeping his name at the top of the marquee with the championship belt will continue to pay off for the company. Especially in a division that is deep on talent, but not on stars.
Carlos Condit is a spectacular fighter and one of the division’s best, but he is not a top draw. After his thrilling performance against GSP, it is likely he gained even more fans.
Johny Hendricks is another who benefits from GSP headlining the card. The quick KO made him an exciting challenger for GSP‘s crown.
When the casual fans gather around the water cooler to talk about UFC 154 on Monday morning, there will be plenty of talk about the guy with an amazing beard who won by KO in under a minute. The talk will continue about how maybe he is a threat to the champion.
When GSP headlines the next card, against Silva or Hendricks, the UFC can use the undercard to help try and build other fighters. GSP brings fans to the table and gives the UFC the opportunity to promote lesser known stars rather than stacking the event to make it more enticing.
GSP‘s drawing effect helps everyone. When the UFC puts together an undercard with mid-level fighters, the competitors are likely to get more money from sponsorships and have a better opportunity to gain fans. The more fans fighters get, the better it is for the UFC.
It gives Dana White and company a lot of wiggle room in their booking. Knowing GSP will bring in a sizable audience for any PPV is a great ace up the UFC’s sleeve.
A GSP fight is an event onto itself. There is no need to put together a card with three to four high-profile fights.
A promoter’s job is tough, but having a star such as GSP makes it a whole lot easier.
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