A superfight between UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and middleweight champion Anderson Silva has long been the holy grail to fight fans, with the hype stretching as far back as 2007. Both men have reigned supreme over their respective divisions for years, yet a myriad of complications have prevented the match-up from ever coming to fruition.
Only now it seems like we’re closer than ever. Not only have St-Pierre and Silva each voiced their desire to fight one another in recent weeks, yesterday afternoon UFC President Dana White let loose a tidbit that could settle one of the longest-running sticking points: the weight at which the superfight would be contested.
“I think that if we do the fight with (Anderson Silva) and Georges St-Pierre, it would be at a catchweight,” White revealed on Las Vegas’ Dave & Mahoney Show. “Probably like 178 (pounds), something like that.”
White went on to say that St-Pierre strongly wants the Silva fight, but before anything can be set in stone, “Rush” must first defeat interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit this November.
Finally, the big question was put to White: if St-Pierre successfully unifies the 170-pound titles, is Anderson Silva the next man in line? And though he often plays coy in these situations, this time Dana was surprisingly upfront with his answer.
“Probably. He’s got to beat Condit first though.”
5 MUST-READ STORIES
White says Silva superfight ‘probably’ next for GSP. In an interview on the Dave and Mahoney Show, UFC President Dana White said a potential Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre superfight could be held at a catchweight of 178 pounds and would “probably” take place if St. Pierre emerges victorious against Carlos Condit.
Edgar moving to featherweight. Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar confirmed that he will drop down to the featherweight division. Edgar hopes to make his 145-pound debut sometime before the end of 2012.
Sonnen ‘long way away’ from Jones title shot. When asked if Chael Sonnen would be given a title shot should he defeat Forrest Griffin, Dana White adamantly shot down the idea, saying Sonnen was a “long way away” from fighting for the light heavyweight belt (via Dave and Mahoney Show).
Jones talks Henderson TRT use. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones disagreed with the idea that his 41-year-old opponent, Dan Henderson, should be allowed an exemption for TRT use. Jones also shot back at Henderson’s recent trash talk, saying the legend was really just an older, slower version of Rashad Evans.
Torres cut from UFC. Former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres was apparently cut from the UFC in April following his first-round loss to Michael McDonald. Torres is currently scheduled to fight for Titan Fighting Championships on November 2, 2012 in Hammond, Indiana.
MEDIA STEW
Yesterday we led with a story about Ross Miller, the Nevada Secretary of State who fulfilled a lifelong dream by smashing Jamal Williams via second-round TKO in an amateur MMA match last weekend. Well, CNN picked up the story and ran with it. (Plus, it looks like video from the pugilistic politician’s debut finally made it to YouTube.)
(HT: CagePotato)
It’s not everyday you get to see a three-second KO. Well done, Poland. (Impatient people, skip to 1:50 for the goods.)
(HT: MiddleEasy)
Biggest takeaway from yesterday’s Metro PCS live chat: Dana White wants to add a ninth division to the UFC.
(HT: Bloody Elbow)
Remember this? Yeah, of course you do. Speaking hypothetically, how quickly does the world implode if Hendo-Jones plays out just like this?
THE FIRST GLIMPSE
#Nike only made 80 signature T-shirts for UFC 151, I absolutely cannot wait to bless my fans, talk about#exclusive twitter.com/JonnyBones/sta…— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) August 21, 2012
YES, PLEASE
Dana White: Yes, I could see
@rondarousey vs. Cyborg as a co-main or main event for a@ufc pay per view. Rousey is incredible.— Dave Farra (@DaveFarra) August 21, 2012
NICE EARRINGS
Here’s what the inside of my lip looks like today after that gnarly elbow off the cage
@jules_kfighter lande instagr.am/p/Oj5ifECkir/— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) August 20, 2012
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Tuesday, August 21, 2012):
UFC 154: Johny Hendricks (13-1) vs. Martin Kampmann (20-5) confirmed
UFC on FOX 5 booked for Key Arena in Seattle, WA on December 8, 2012
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day is an extremely articulate piece courtesy of Motmaitre: The Armbar Chronicles: In Defense of the One-trick Pony
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” –Bruce Lee
The most common error in business or statistical forecasting happens because as Neils Bohr said, “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” So we lazily and simply look at the past or present, and extrapolate it into the future. It is usually a flawed way to predict markets, profits, or MMA fight outcomes- except of course, if you’re predicting the outcome of a Ronda Rousey fight.
‘Rousey by armbar’. It is the laziest prediction imaginable, but one that has a surprisingly high statistical likelihood of being correct. Similar predictions with a high probability of accuracy are ‘Rousimar Palhares by leglock’, ‘Junior Dos Santos by knockout punch’, and ‘Chael will take him down with a double leg.’ These trademark techniques are so dangerous because these fighters devoted disproportionate amounts of training time to mastering them.
Since training time is a constraint, this shows that the key to being a truly lethal fighter is making a deliberate choice NOT to master a wide range of techniques. Anderson Silva is a Judo black belt, but almost never attempts any sort of takedown from the clinch. He does however, almost always attempt a Thai plum, knee strikes and elbows from the clinch. He has deliberately chosen to make these his instinctive clinch techniques, to the exclusion of the hundred other techniques applicable in that situation.
Ronda Rousey of course, has made a completely different choice: in the clinch, she will almost never try to knee or elbow you, but will instinctively attempt to Judo throw you. This ability to make deliberate choices to excel in only a few key skills is not just a good idea, it is a necessary one. The human brain is wired to master or memorise only a few things very well. Polymaths are an aberrant mutation in nature. Also, under the stress and pressure of a fight, with no time to think we reflexively rely on the techniques we have drilled so many times that we can take their effectiveness for granted. And there just aren’t enough hours in one lifetime to master that many.
I had a dear friend who was a Taekwondo black belt. A lifetime of kicking had mutated his thighs into mighty knots of corded muscle. Being kicked by him during sparring was like being whacked with a baseball bat. His legs were as dexterous as a normal man’s arms, and he once decimated a gang of assailants in a street fight with only his feet. By dedicating himself to mastering kicks (and the footwork to get into position to use them) he had overcome the constraints of a limited skillset to become a truly devastating fighter.
Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.