(“Here we are with Ake Jellenberger, you did an awesome job, getting some awesome trash-talk in there, I want to tell me what you see, let’s go ahead and see by the tweets, what you saw, in the computer.” / Photo via Getty)
The war of words heated up between The Juggernaut and The Waterboy — aka Ares, or the Canadian Psycho…too bad Uncle Creepy was already taken — via Twitter this past week, leading up to their UFC on FOX 8 showdown on July 27 from the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. Because Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman is on the horizon, many have forgotten that the #3 and #4 ranked welterweights will be squaring off a few weeks after. The latest beef started off as a seemingly harmless question thrown out by Jake Ellenberger to his followers, but apparently Rory MacDonald did not take kindly to it and he made his 140 characters count like they were punches.
Though it is not exactly the magnitude of Twitter beef that Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen engaged in when the American Gangster was trying to goad the LHW champ into accepting his short-notice challenge at the now infamously cancelled UFC 151, but it was still a pretty good shot across the bow by MacDonald even though it took a couple previous Twitter-jabs from Ellenberger to get us to this point.
Awesome.
(“Here we are with Ake Jellenberger, you did an awesome job, getting some awesome trash-talk in there, I want to tell me what you see, let’s go ahead and see by the tweets, what you saw, in the computer.” / Photo via Getty)
The war of words heated up between The Juggernaut and The Waterboy — aka Ares, or the Canadian Psycho…too bad Uncle Creepy was already taken — via Twitter this past week, leading up to their UFC on FOX 8 showdown on July 27 from the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. Because Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman is on the horizon, many have forgotten that the #3 and #4 ranked welterweights will be squaring off a few weeks after. The latest beef started off as a seemingly harmless question thrown out by Jake Ellenberger to his followers, but apparently Rory MacDonald did not take kindly to it and he made his 140 characters count like they were punches.
Though it is not exactly the magnitude of Twitter beef that Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen engaged in when the American Gangster was trying to goad the LHW champ into accepting his short-notice challenge at the now infamously cancelled UFC 151, but it was still a pretty good shot across the bow by MacDonald even though it took a couple previous Twitter-jabs from Ellenberger to get us to this point.
Awesome.
But this begs the question; since MacDonald is a fellow Tristar teammate of Georges St. Pierre and the champ has already said that he has no desire to fight his perceived heir apparent, what happens if Ellenberger beats (and Molson forbid, KOs) The Waterboy? Since he flattened Nate Marquardt at UFC 158 that would make 2 prominent Tristar guys that The Juggernaut has beaten in a row and then it may become personal for GSP regardless of the outcome of his upcoming WW title defense against Johny Hendricks. We have already seen GSP ask Dana White and the UFC for an opponent (Nick Diaz) once he felt personally disrespected. So what if he feels compelled to defend the name of Firas Zahabi, his defeated training partners and the gym he calls home?
Betting lines say that GSP (-225) and MacDonald (-235) are favored but neither of those figures are King Mo vs Petruzelli-esque. Both Hendricks and Ellenberger have the punching power to upset their foe, but for the sake of argument (and my own sanity), let’s pretend that GSP wins (AMEN!) and Ellenberger wins AND Carlos Condit beats Martin Kampmann in late August. Who gets the next shot at the title?
If you take into account the official UFC rankings [Ed. note: LMAO], Condit (#2) should be next in line but we’ve already seen how that movie ends. So, if Ellenberger is able to get past MacDonald while mixing in a nice “I guess you can call me the Tristar Hunter” post fight interview with Joe Rogan, something tells me that a potential super-fight with Anderson Silva will be put on hold while GSP tries to avenge his cohorts.
Georges St-Pierre’s new book The Way of the Fight is a smashing success as a representation of all of St-Pierre’s ideals, both as a fighter and as a human being. Meshing the genres of biography, philosophy, and self-help, the resulting story yields an enjoyable read that is greater than the sum of its parts. Even more remarkable — the book is devoid of any trace of a bitter or vindictive tone that could taint what is essentially a book about one man overcoming adversity at every turn.
Still, this book is not a comprehensive biography of St-Pierre. As Jacob McArthur Mooney of The National Post notes, “The Way of the Fight is an account of the GSP brand…and the book’s occasional head-feints to the ‘real Georges’ are never more than teases.”
There are critical reasons why any UFC fighter should tread carefully when publishing a book. Look no further than the debacle that ensued between BJ Penn and UFC president Dana White when Penn released his own autobiography Why I Fight in 2010. Or Anderson Silva’s autobiography being pulled off the shelves in Brazil after his former manager Chute Boxe founder Rudimar Fedrigo engaged him in legal action.
But what was so controversial that it was left out of The Way of the Fight? Here’s a primer with four aspects of St-Pierre’s life and career that weren’t touched upon.
PAST MANAGERS
The Way of the Fight is divided into five sections, each focusing on a critical figure in GSP’s development. The last section is called “Conscience” and is centered on Rodolphe Beaulieu, St-Pierre’s current manager, with his other co-manager Philippe Lepage being given a brief mention.
Two names that never come up in this book are Stephane Patry, St-Pierre’s first manager and the promoter of the (now defunct) Quebec-based promotion TKO, and Shari Spencer, St-Pierre’s second manager. Why omit the two most critical people to St-Pierre’s business relationships who played a role in bringing him to superstardom?
Said GSP to YA Magazine of the time period when Patry was managing him, “In my entourage and my management, I got screwed. A lot of people were stealing money from me.”
Georges St-Pierre’s new book The Way of the Fight is a smashing success as a representation of all of St-Pierre’s ideals, both as a fighter and as a human being. Meshing the genres of biography, philosophy, and self-help, the resulting story yields an enjoyable read that is greater than the sum of its parts. Even more remarkable — the book is devoid of any trace of a bitter or vindictive tone that could taint what is essentially a book about one man overcoming adversity at every turn.
Still, this book is not a comprehensive biography of St-Pierre. As Jacob McArthur Mooney of The National Post notes, “The Way of the Fight is an account of the GSP brand…and the book’s occasional head-feints to the ‘real Georges’ are never more than teases.”
There are critical reasons why any UFC fighter should tread carefully when publishing a book. Look no further than the debacle that ensued between BJ Penn and UFC president Dana White when Penn released his own autobiography Why I Fight in 2010. Or Anderson Silva’s autobiography being pulled off the shelves in Brazil after his former manager Chute Boxe founder Rudimar Fedrigo engaged him in legal action.
But what was so controversial that it was left out of The Way of the Fight? Here’s a primer with four aspects of St-Pierre’s life and career that weren’t touched upon.
PAST MANAGERS
The Way of the Fight is divided into five sections, each focusing on a critical figure in GSP’s development. The last section is called “Conscience” and is centered on Rodolphe Beaulieu, St-Pierre’s current manager, with his other co-manager Philippe Lepage being given a brief mention.
Two names that never come up in this book are Stephane Patry, St-Pierre’s first manager and the promoter of the (now defunct) Quebec-based promotion TKO, and Shari Spencer, St-Pierre’s second manager. Why omit the two most critical people to St-Pierre’s business relationships who played a role in bringing him to superstardom?
Said GSP to YA Magazine of the time period when Patry was managing him, “In my entourage and my management, I got screwed. A lot of people were stealing money from me.”
When Patry was unceremoniously dumped as St-Pierre’s manager in 2007 after St-Pierre’s shocking upset-loss to Matt Serra, Patry still held a valid management contract over St-Pierre that extended for multiple years. Patry sued and St-Pierre eventually settled the matter outside of court. The legal settlement with Patry most likely involved a clause making St-Pierre unable to comment on their business arrangements.
Shari Spencer, who took over from Patry, was supposed to be an improvement. While St-Pierre acquired several brand-name sponsors, he was also paying out a hefty commission to certain agencies. Spencer also had free use of an expense account. Like with Patry, any legal settlement would have precluded St-Pierre from really explaining why he rid himself of Spencer in January 2011.
Not being able to discuss the ways in which Patry and Spencer hurt St-Pierre — personally or financially — made erasing their contributions from his narrative an easy choice.
KEY TRAINERS
Virtually all credit for the GSP we see today is ascribed to French fighter Kristof Midoux for his early mentoring of the young St-Pierre, Tristar coach Firas Zahabi for becoming GSP’s coach after the devastating Matt Serra loss in April 2007, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace John Danaher whom GSP learned from on his frequent trips to New York City. Without any doubt, Midoux, Zahabi, and Danaher were the cornerstones that helped GSP build the skills that make him legendary today, but The Way of the Fight entirely omits several people who were also critical in St-Pierre’s development as a mixed martial artist.
Kickboxing coach Victor Vargotsky helped strengthen St-Pierre mentally after GSP’s first loss via first-round armbar to Matt Hughes in 2004. Yet there isn’t even a mention of his name in GSP’s book.
“If it wasn’t for the way Victor broke Georges down after the Matt Hughes fight, and built him back the way that he did, he would never have become Georges St-Pierre the way people know him today,” said Alexandre Choko, former owner of the Tristar Gym in Montreal.
Wagnney Fabiano was St-Pierre’s first BJJ coach; Fabio Holanda came next, with both Fabiano and Holanda teaching St-Pierre in his native city of Montreal. Neither rated a mention in The Way of the Fight, with John Danaher getting exclusive credit for GSP’s BJJ skills. It’s hard to believe that St-Pierre spent more time on the mat anywhere besides Montreal, especially during the early days of his career when he struggled to pay the bills.
While St-Pierre fell out with Vargotsky and Holanda, their omission from the narrative is partially to do with crafting a concise book about St-Pierre and partially due to the revisionist history St-Pierre wants to craft about himself.
Anderson Silva, who fell out with his first Muay Thai trainer Fabio Noguchi, and Rudimar Fedrigo’s Chute Boxe academy, still mentioned both men and their gyms in his autobiography. Whether Noguchi and Chute Boxe were more positive or negative for Silva’s career is a matter for spirited debate, but that those coaches and trainers influenced Anderson Silva cannot ever be denied.
On the next page: GSP’s sex life and the UFC’s business practices — a gentleman never tells.
(“Yeah homie, I’m looking at your cup. Really? Seriously bro? You are super rich, you’re pampered, you’re in all the magazines AND you’re hung like a horse! This sh*t ain’t fair and I’m callin’ total bullsh*t bro!” Photo via CagedInsider.)
I can’t believe I am about to type this: A Nick Diaz victory over Georges St. Pierre would be the best thing for the UFC Welterweight division. As an unabashed, almost stalkerish fanboy of GSP, I should not have to tell you how difficult that was to write. But God Damn, that was not easy to write.
With the exception of the 378 days that were the Matt Serra Era (or the Matt Serra Terror Era), GSP has ruled the welterweight division dating back to November of 2006. Let that sink in for just a second. Serra’s reign withstanding, St. Pierre has been the champ since Borat was in theaters and Justin Timberlake was on the top of the Billboard charts. Let me put it another way: In November of 2006, Tim “The Diet Machine” Sylvia was the Heavyweight Champion and Sean Sherk was the lightweight title holder. Are those guys even still alive? There is no way of knowing. Needless to say, St. Pierre has had a pretty damn good run thus far and it might be time for a temporary change of pace, even though he has been an excellent ambassador for the sport of MMA.
Some say that “Rush’s” style is the epitome of dominance while others say he is a lay-n-pray specialist. Is GSP careful to a fault in his fights? Probably, but he has only lost 2 of the 41 rounds he has fought during his current 10-fight win streak. That is fucking insane. Even the almighty Anderson Silva lost 5 rounds to Chael Sonnen in their two meetings, and Anderson Silva once beat Mars in a game of Risk. GSP is athletic as hell and imposes his will with technique and tremendous cardio, but for the very first time in his career, he is fighting a guy with a gas tank better than his own. Diaz is a machine (<– follow this link for immediate proof) when it comes to his cardio and frequently competes in triathlons, which makes him an absolute freak even when compared to that of his fellow athletes.
But this post isn’t about the stylistic differences between Diaz and St. Pierre. It isn’t a breakdown of the fight or a tale of the tape. It’s about the fact that a Nick Diaz victory on Saturday night would be the greatest thing the UFC could possibly ask for. Here are three scenarios explaining why. I’m going to go throw up.
(“Yeah homie, I’m looking at your cup. Really? Seriously bro? You are super rich, you’re pampered, you’re in all the magazines AND you’re hung like a horse! This sh*t ain’t fair and I’m callin’ total bullsh*t bro!” Photo via CagedInsider.)
I can’t believe I am about to type this: A Nick Diaz victory over Georges St. Pierre would be the best thing for the UFC Welterweight division. As an unabashed, almost stalkerish fanboy of GSP, I should not have to tell you how difficult that was to write. But God Damn, that was not easy to write.
With the exception of the 378 days that were the Matt Serra Era (or the Matt Serra Terror Era), GSP has ruled the welterweight division dating back to November of 2006. Let that sink in for just a second. Serra’s reign withstanding, St. Pierre has been the champ since Borat was in theaters and Justin Timberlake was on the top of the Billboard charts. Let me put it another way: In November of 2006, Tim “The Diet Machine” Sylvia was the Heavyweight Champion and Sean Sherk was the lightweight title holder. Are those guys even still alive? There is no way of knowing. Needless to say, St. Pierre has had a pretty damn good run thus far and it might be time for a temporary change of pace, even though he has been an excellent ambassador for the sport of MMA.
Some say that “Rush’s” style is the epitome of dominance while others say he is a lay-n-pray specialist. Is GSP careful to a fault in his fights? Probably, but he has only lost 2 of the 41 rounds he has fought during his current 10-fight win streak. That is fucking insane. Even the almighty Anderson Silva lost 5 rounds to Chael Sonnen in their two meetings, and Anderson Silva once beat Mars in a game of Risk. GSP is athletic as hell and imposes his will with technique and tremendous cardio, but for the very first time in his career, he is fighting a guy with a gas tank better than his own. Diaz is a machine (<– follow this link for immediate proof) when it comes to his cardio and frequently competes in triathlons, which makes him an absolute freak even when compared to that of his fellow athletes.
But this post isn’t about the stylistic differences between Diaz and St. Pierre. It isn’t a breakdown of the fight or a tale of the tape. It’s about the fact that a Nick Diaz victory on Saturday night would be the greatest thing the UFC could possibly ask for. Here are three scenarios explaining why. I’m going to go throw up.
Scenario #1
If Carlos Condit manages to beat Johny Hendricks and St. Pierre pummels Diaz, is anybody really excited about seeing a GSP vs “The Natural Born Killer” rematch?” Even though their first meeting was an entertaining 25 minutes, there is no reason to think that the outcome will be any different the second time around. I can see the promos now…the Hail Mary kick that Condit landed to GSP’s melon over and over and over and over again, because that is all the UFC marketing machine could do to make anybody believe that this will NOT essentially be a repeat of their first scrap. Let’s all be honest: Condit won 90 seconds of that 25 minute affair and there isn’t one person not named Carlos Condit or Greg Jackson that has any desire to see it happen again.
Scenario #2
“Bigg Rigg” (why two G’s? Because fuck you, that’s why.) splatters Condit’s face and GSP beats Diaz. Yet again we are in a situation that is a little dicey. Are fans ready to embrace Hendricks as a legitimate contender? He has that country bumpkin charm and one hell of a left hand but he just doesn’t move the needle when it comes to overall fan appeal. With another victory, Hendricks absolutely deserves a shot at GSP, and his decorated collegiate wrestling pedigree could pose some issues in a potential fight with the reigning champ, but we have seen St. Pierre manhandle credentialed wrestlers before (ie. Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck). GSP is more of a Glass Joe than an Arturo Gatti in the chin category but that fact alone doesn’t exactly mean must see TV.
Scenario #3
Diaz shocks the world and beats GSP. At this point, the Condit vs. Hendricks winner is irrelevant because Diaz would more-than-welcome a rematch with Condit, and during the greatest conference call in the history of the universe, Nick had less than flattering things to say about Hendricks as well (I know, hold your shock). This is a win-win-win for the UFC, the fans, and the entertainment factor pertaining to the sport of MMA for the next 18 months. It would take at least a year for Diaz, St. Pierre, Condit, Hendricks, Marquardt, Ellenberger and MacDonald to figure out who fights each other, who is ranked where and what the hell is going to happen next. The match-ups are not exactly defined for Joe Silva and that is exciting for the welterweight division, but more importantly, it is invigorating for the fans that have seen GSP dominate a division for the better part of a decade. GSP may be the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view draw now, but a trash-talking antihero sociopath as a champion? Fans would shell out big money for a chance to see a ticking time bomb like Diaz finally implode.
Since Koscheck is a shell of his former self and Chael Sonnen is a mixed bag of hate and love, there really isn’t a true “Bad Guy” in the UFC. Diaz would be the perfect outlaw, riding into town wearing his black (presumably hemp) hat, chain smoking what we can only assume are cowboy killers. Diaz is a self-proclaimed slayer of all things bullshit and would wage war against boring fights. Clearly Diaz is a tortured soul, and if he were to take the welterweight title from one of the most beloved champions in UFC history (and God forbid if he managed to finish him), it would thrust the despised recluse into the mainstream, which he probably isn’t emotionally ready for. Can you imagine Diaz surviving a live ESPN interview without drawing the ire of the masses? Sure, it puts a momentary black eye on our sport but it also brings eyeballs to boob-tubes and gives the casual fan somebody to root against.
It all plays out perfectly for rubbernecking MMA fans that always enjoy slowing down to check out the car wreck on the freeway. It would be an absolutely beautiful disaster…until GSP reclaims the welterweight title during the compulsory UFC New Year’s PPV in 2014, of course.
At that point, all will be right in the world again.
But on Saturday, a Nick Diaz victory would make the predictable welterweight division a case of art imitating life imitating bumper cars and that is a good thing that a stagnant division desperately needs. However, this is all contingent upon the fact that Diaz does NOT piss straight sticky-icky THC into his sample cup during the post fight drug test.
Don’t let this (fist-posing d-bag of a) GSP fan down, Nick.
At the conclusion of the UFC 154 main event, I fully anticipate Bruce Buffer to get on the microphone and begin his enthusiastic spiel:
“At the end of five rounds we have a unanimous decision. All three judges score the bout 50-45 for your winner and the undisputed UFC welterweight champion of the woooooorld – Georges “RUSH” St. Pieeeeeeeerre!”
The Canadian crowd will erupt; Molson will be sprayed about and empty Poutine containers will be trampled as the joyous celebration begins. Dana White will put the championship belt around GSP’s waist and then Joe Rogan will approach for the post fight interview. It is at this point that Bizzaro Georges will snatch the microphone out of Rogan’s hand and jump into a tirade while speaking in his native French language. The only two words we will understand during his entire outburst will be “Anderson” and “Silva” as he walks to the edge of the octagon and points directly at The Spider, who will be mocking him all the while from cageside.
At the conclusion of the UFC 154 main event, I fully anticipate Bruce Buffer to get on the microphone and begin his enthusiastic spiel:
“At the end of five rounds we have a unanimous decision. All three judges score the bout 50-45 for your winner and the undisputed UFC welterweight champion of the woooooorld – Georges “RUSH” St. Pieeeeeeeerre!”
The Canadian crowd will erupt; Molson will be sprayed about and empty Poutine containers will be trampled as the joyous celebration begins. Dana White will put the championship belt around GSP’s waist and then Joe Rogan will approach for the post fight interview. It is at this point that Bizzaro Georges will snatch the microphone out of Rogan’s hand and jump into a tirade while speaking in his native French language. The only two words we will understand during his entire outburst will be “Anderson” and “Silva” as he walks to the edge of the octagon and points directly at The Spider, who will be mocking him all the while from cageside.
The fluent crowd will become increasingly thunderous during the 90 second diatribe until there is a crescendo when GSP finally walks back to Rogan and says in English, “I just told Anderson that he is a pussy and instead of talking about me, he should get in here and fight me!” Then GSP drops the mic and Joe Rogan’s head turns into Danga’s favorite youtube clip live on PPV.
Awesome, right? Well not so fast, because it has come to light within the past few days that Anderson Silva does not plan on competing again until the latter part of 2013 because he is in a “comfort zone.” By comfort zone, I assume that means he is really really rich and would rather participate in feature films and open training academies instead of spending countless hours preparing for combat. There is nothing wrong with that because he has earned every right to take, in Silva’s own words, a “vacation from fighting.” But if that is the case, why has his smug manager, Ed Soares, been making so much noise about naming GSP as the next opponent Silva wants to face?
Is it for the money? Sure.
Is it because general consensus is that GSP poses minimal danger? Maybe.
Is it because Silva does not want to fight the larger opponent in Jon Jones? Probably.
I am sure that all of these questions factor into the equation but I don’t think that the Silva camp is giving the proper amount of respect to GSP by nonchalantly naming him as Silva’s next perceived victim. In fact, I propose that GSP not only holds his own but completely dominates the Spider the same way Chael P. Sonnen did during their first meeting. The only difference is that it would be Silva tapping near the end of the 5th round. Before you lunatics blow steam out of your ears, give your monitor the Stockton “Hey Buddy,” and scroll down to the comment section and call me a “fuck-tard” or “floor turd” at least hear me out.
Carlos Condit is the same height (6’2”) as Silva and if GSP is able to embarrass “The Natural Born Killer” the same way he has every other fighter he has faced, then the size discrepancy should not be an issue. Although Silva appears to have the same length arms as Plastic Man, there is only a 1.6” difference between his and GSP’s. Then there is the all important weight cut argument that will undoubtedly favor the welterweight champion.
The last time Silva fought below the 185 pound limit was in January of 2006 which coincidentally was the last time a loss was etched on his career record. Sure, it was a DQ loss for an illegal up-kick that almost sent Yushin Okami’s head into the fourth row, but a loss is a loss. Since then, he has rattled off 17 straight victories, but I don’t think that anybody would be surprised if cutting an extra eight pounds would adversely affect a guy that is pushing 40 years old. With a more extreme weight cut comes the propensity for Silva to be a little sluggish and cardio has never been a problem for St. Pierre. In fact, his gas tank has been his second greatest attribute inside the octagon.
GSP’s supreme characteristic as a fighter has always been his wrestling even though he does not have an amateur or collegiate grappling pedigree. He is just athletic as hell. The guy is a freak of nature when it comes to his ability to put his opponent on their back and keep them there while he ground and pounds his way into passing guard. We all know that as dynamic as the Spider is standing, he is equally unimpressive on his back (heroic triangle aside) and when he finds himself with St. Pierre in top position, the only way he is getting up is when the round ends or the fight is stopped.
Greg Jackson and Firas Zhiabi should watch the first Silva vs. Sonnen fight (and round 1 of Silva vs. Sonnen 2) until their eyeballs pop out of their heads to come up with a proper game plan for GSP. Once said game plan is in place, nobody is better at following instructions than St. Pierre. To win, GSP must quickly push forward at the start of every round before Silva is set. He needs to close the distance, weather the storm, get the take down and then spend the next 4:55 softening him up for the start of the next round. What Sonnen lacks in punching power and submission offense/defense from the top position, GSP has made a career out of. Once the fifth round comes, a 177 pound Silva will be tired of getting hit and will have nothing left in the tank. GSP will get the take down early and Silva will give up his back so the beating would finally end. I will then wipe a tear from my eye and tell all of my GSP-hating friends to “Suck it” as Carmen Valentina will undoubtedly take to Twitter to express her undying affection for St. Pierre.
So I beg you, Mr. St. Pierre. You are the classiest man in the UFC but please do all of us a favor. After your fight this Saturday, grab that microphone from Joe Rogan and let it rip. Give Anderson Silva what he wants: a fight with you. Otherwise, your next opponent will be another good (but not great) fighter (Kampman/Hendricks) and the middleweight division will be put on hold. After a less than stellar year for the sport, us MMA fans deserve it.
It’s time to admit to ourselves, once and for all, that Anderson Silva isn’t the kind of champion we’d like him to be. After thoroughly conquering the middleweight division, fans assumed that the logical next step for the Greatest UFC Fighter of All Time would be to take more competitive matches against the elite in the light-heavyweight division. Of course, that’s not happening. Silva clearly has an agenda in the final stage of his career, and it doesn’t involve fighting non-superstars, or 205-pound phenoms who actually have a chance of beating him.
As Silva’s manager Ed Soares reiterates in this clip from Inside MMA, Anderson wants to fight UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre next, at a suggested catchweight of 177.5. And after that…well…Michael Bisping, maybe? The idea that Anderson Silva would fight Jon Jones is immediately dismissed by Soares, and the name Chris Weidman — remember him? the UFC’s actual #1 middleweight contender? — isn’t even mentioned.
It’s time to admit to ourselves, once and for all, that Anderson Silva isn’t the kind of champion we’d like him to be. After thoroughly conquering the middleweight division, fans assumed that the logical next step for the Greatest UFC Fighter of All Time would be to take more competitive matches against the elite in the light-heavyweight division. Of course, that’s not happening. Silva clearly has an agenda in the final stage of his career, and it doesn’t involve fighting non-superstars, or 205-pound phenoms who actually have a chance of beating him.
As Silva’s manager Ed Soares reiterates in this clip from Inside MMA, Anderson wants to fight UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre next, at a suggested catchweight of 177.5. And after that…well…Michael Bisping, maybe? The idea that Anderson Silva would fight Jon Jones is immediately dismissed by Soares, and the name Chris Weidman — remember him? the UFC’s actual #1 middleweight contender? — isn’t even mentioned.
Over the weekend, we explained how Michael Bisping’s latest demands for a title shot are, shall we say, a little premature, considering his current one-fight win streak. But we’ve clearly arrived at a new moment in the UFC, where “deserve” ain’t got nothin’ to do with it, and the biggest criteria for booking title fights is short-term profitability.
Bisping is a well-known heel who will obviously create more heat than a soft-spoken up-and-comer. The Count might get his title shot after one more win, or he might get his title shot without one more win, but as long as the Silva camp continues to select opponents with no regard to who’s next in line or what the fans actually want to see, I think we can all start calling Michael Bisping the UFC’s #1 middleweight contender, especially since phrases like “UFC #1 contender” don’t mean shit anymore. God help us.
I’m sure there are more important things to talk about just days away from Jones-HendersonJones-SonnenJones-MachidaJones-Belfort than another gimmicky post attempting to be relevant, but it’s been a while since we gave away CagePotato T-Shirts and we love you guys so much that we’ve decided to do it again. Here’s how it’s going to go down. Below is a list of 25 fighters and a brave attempt to describe them in three words. Not two, not four, just three simple words. Pretty easy, right? Read through them, then tweet us @CagePotatoMMA with your own three-word MMA fighter descriptions, including the hashtag #MMAFighterIn3Words. The three best submissions by tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET will win a shirt. (We’ll update this post with the winners after we select them.) Now let’s begin, shall we?
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: Exit stage left.
Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson: Seeking next level.
I’m sure there are more important things to talk about just days away from Jones-HendersonJones-SonnenJones-MachidaJones-Belfort than another gimmicky post attempting to be relevant, but it’s been a while since we gave away CagePotato T-Shirts and we love you guys so much that we’ve decided to do it again. Here’s how it’s going to go down. Below is a list of 25 fighters and a brave attempt to describe them in three words. Not two, not four, just three simple words. Pretty easy, right? Read through them, then tweet us @CagePotatoMMA with your own three-word MMA fighter descriptions, including the hashtag #MMAFighterIn3Words. The three best submissions by tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET will win a shirt. (We’ll update this post with the winners after we select them.) Now let’s begin, shall we?
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: Exit stage left.
Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson: Seeking next level.
