A superfight with Anderson Silva would’ve been great for everyone but Georges St-Pierre.
The hopes of millions of MMA fans was let down on Thursday when it was revealed St-Pierre would not be facing Silva in his next fight.
According to UFC President Dana White, the French Canadian will likely defend his welterweight title against Nick Diaz.
For years, fans have salivated over the possibility of St-Pierre fighting Silva. Who wouldn’t want to see the two top pound-for-pound fighters in the world compete against one another at a major venue?
The bout would’ve created a media buzz unlike anything MMA fans have ever seen and possibly even taken the sport to new heights.
At 37 years of age, the window is closing on Silva’s illustrious career. He wants to put on the biggest fights possible, and it doesn’t get any bigger than a superfight with St-Pierre, who White claims to be the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view draw.
For White, it’s fairly obvious why he’s adamant about St-Pierre fighting Silva. He can give the fans the fight they want to see while simultaneously break the bank with blockbuster ticket and pay-per-view sales.
The superfight makes sense for everyone else involved, but what about St-Pierre? Does fighting Silva make sense for him?
The timing isn’t the greatest.
St-Pierre was out of action for well over a year after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL in 2011. He looked fantastic in his UFC return against Carlos Condit at UFC 154, but after the fight, St-Pierre admitted that he felt a little rusty.
Silva is the last opponent anyone wants to face if they’re not 100 percent back in the swing of things.
The other obvious discrepancy is Silva’s size advantage. People often talk about how Silva would be dwarfed in a superfight with Jon Jones. Well, the same thing would apply to St-Pierre in a bout with Silva.
The mantra in MMA is that a fighter is only as good as his or her last fight.
Unfortunately, this holds true amongst most fans, who typically alienate fighters after a loss. St-Pierre has a great thing going at welterweight with sponsorships and large pay-per-view paydays.
A bout against Silva might have been the biggest mistake of his career. How many times have we seen fighters get knocked out and become a shell of their former selves?
It makes little sense for St-Pierre to risk his career and livelihood by stepping into the Octagon against a larger fighter who also happens to be the greatest knockout artist in the history of the sport.
Perhaps MMA fans have become spoiled by fighters like Silva, BJ Penn and Randy Couture. All three of these legends were willing to move up and down in weight, but this is what makes them special.
Fighters shouldn’t be pressured into taking fights at heavier or lighter weight classes. They should be able to compete where they feel most comfortable.
Luckily, there are plenty of great fights left for St-Pierre at welterweight to keep him occupied. As for Silva, he doesn’t need to beat up on a smaller guy to further his all-time status.
He could just fight Jones.
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