Count Steven Seagal among those who believe a superfight between UFC titleholders Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre should take place.
Appearing this week’s edition of The MMA Hour, the Hollywood actor and habitual friend of Silva threw his support behind the hot-button match-up. And while Seagal prefaced his comments by saying it would undoubtedly be a “great fight,” he is confident Silva would ultimately crush the welterweight champion.
“I think in this situation size matters,” said Seagal. “And I think that Anderson has the distinct advantage not only in size and weight, but also in his skill and his ability. I don’t want to say [Anderson would] run right though him, but I think he will decisively win.”
Seagal is not alone in his sentiments. Thus far the size discrepancy between the two fighters is both an issue of division amongst fans and a crucial sticking point for St-Pierre’s camp.
However, when asked to elaborate on why Silva would win “decisively,” Seagal offered a surprising response.
“One of the things that a master looks at when they look at a fighter is the history of the fighter,” he explained. “When you look at the history of the fighter, you look at their very best fights, their best work, and their worst. If you look at Anderson’s worst fights, they’re not bad. He still looks pretty good. If you look at GSP’s worst fight, you look at the thing he did with (Jake) Shields in Canada, that was atrocious.
“I just didn’t think the technique and the fighting skill was there in that instance. I also saw him after the fight and he wasn’t looking or feeling very well either, which does have some meaning. I think he got hurt in that fight and whether he dominated him or not, I just didn’t think he looked good.”
The fight at the center of Seagal’s criticism is the main event of UFC 129, where St-Pierre handily defeated former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields via unanimous decision in the most attended event in UFC history. The win marked St-Pierre’s sixth consecutive defense of his welterweight title, however it was not enough to convince Seagal of St-Pierre’s status as a “great” martial artist.
“I think he’s a really nice guy. I think he’s a good fighter and good martial artist. Would I call him great? In my words, no. I just think he’s a wonderful, very good martial artist and good guy,” mused Seagal.
“You know, some people are born with greatness, and some people sort of acquire it. But I think that with time, he will become better and better.”
While Seagal’s friendship with Silva is well-noted — Silva will even play a role in the action star’s next Hollywood film — Seagal admits that if he were in St-Pierre’s camp, he would advise the Canadian to turn down a fight against Silva due to the inherent size disadvantages.
Not surprisingly, for this very reason Seagal also believes Silva should never accept the other heavily discussed superfight on his plate — the one that matches “The Spider” up against UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
“Jones is really a heavyweight,” Seagal explained. “He’s almost 6-foot-5. I think he’s probably, and I’m guessing, walking around at 230, 235 (pounds). I think he cuts down to make that weight and then by the time he gets into the Octagon he’s put on a tremendous amount of weight, and he’s got all that size, all that strength. His arms are almost twice as long as Anderson’s.
“I think that Anderson is at a tremendous disadvantage physically. Whether he would win or not, I don’t know, but I just think it would be a very difficult fight.”