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WALKER: Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva presents a lose-lose scenario for the UFC
Sep 6, 2012 - 9:00:25 PM WALKER: Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva presents a lose-lose scenario for the UFC

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By: Brad Walker, MMATorch Columnist

With the announcement coming this week that Cowboys Stadium will likely host one of the most anticipated super fights in MMA history, I had to ask myself, is it really worth it? Sure, from a fan prospective it's sliced bread, the bee's knees, and the coolest thing since the Pride buyout. From a business point of view it's fantastic as well, as the live gate will be astronomic and the pay-per-view buy rate is probably going to break every standing record. But what about the point of view of the sport? How will the fight really be judged in history? Could this be the biggest mistake the sport of mixed martial arts will ever see?


I evaluate it like this: we have two of the top three pound for pound fighters in the world, Anderson Silva, universally ranked first, and Georges St-Pierre, generally ranked second or third. Silva fights at 185 and probably walks around just north of 210 pounds; GSP fights at 170 and probably walks around at 185 on a bad day. The thought of them meeting at 180 pounds is fair, but it also has its pros and cons like any catch weight would. Silva will obviously be the much bigger man when he steps into the cage, probably nearing 185 or 190 pounds if not more by the time the bell rings; GSP, on the other side, may not even need to rehydrate, so he might be just a hair above the 180 pound catch weight. So right there we have our first problem, Silva is going to have more weight to throw around, and arguably more strength.

That is not the reason I'm writing this article, because the UFC is going to find the best and most fair middle ground possible for these two champions to meet in the cage. My reasoning for it being a mistake is that one way or the other you're going to wound a champion's momentum and their legacy. GSP is a monster who, since taking losses to Matt's Serra and Hughes has become an entirely different beast; he will outpoint you until you faint and beat you until you're unconscious. Anderson Silva has been an unstoppable force the better part of a decade and has cleared out his entire weight class of any legitimate present contenders. So in terms of having two dominant fighters clash it makes sense, but the man who loses this fight is going to drop the biggest fight of their career and it will forever be a blemish.

I do indeed want to see this fight happen, I just don't like the consequences for the men who are probably as of this moment two of the best fighters in the history of the sport. In three years if Jon Jones is still undefeated do we want to see him fight a possibly future undefeated Junior Dos Santos at a catch weight? Hell no, we would run into all of the same dilemmas that we would see here with size advantages, strength advantages, and the possible tarnishing of a legacy. Anderson Silva is the one fighter in the UFC I will point to on any given day and say, "This guy should retire with the belt, not having lost in years and being the most dominant champion ever." GSP is the one guy I will give credit for the most evolution we've ever seen in one fighter in their career; he has earned so much respect from his peers for how much he has raised his game since his losses to the Matt's.

So is there a way to have this fight not blemish an impeccable record or tarnish a legacy? Absolutely not. Even though it will be contested at a catch weight, both men will have agreed to the terms and have the belief in themselves that they will come into the cage and win without question. It can go a number of ways, Silva could pull his fancy moves out and crush GSP in the first round and that could be all she wrote. GSP could sprint across the cage, grab a double leg, rinse and repeat for five rounds. We really don't know what's going to happen. The man who gets his hand raised will likely go down as the best MMA fighter to ever compete in the sport, and go on to retain their title for the remainder of their career, which brings up another thought.

What if Anderson Silva loses? At his age this could be a giant symbol for him to retire. Nobody in the UFC galaxy and fandom wants to see Silva retire, he is the most exciting and dominant fight on earth and he brings a value of entertainment to the cage that nobody else ever has or ever will. He has made being the best look so effortless that it's fun to watch, and who doesn't love his crazy knockouts? I'd be more content with Silva doing a Jon Jones super fight leading into his retirement, but then again I think Anderson Silva would probably beat Jones also. The odds that debut when this fight is officially announced will tell us a lot, and if Silva goes in as the safe bet and loses, his retirement following that would not surprise me much.

In the end, it's a super fight, something we haven't gotten as fans in a very long time. The UFC will make the decisions and GSP and Silva will make the call whether to agree and fight or put it off until another day, or not have it happen at all. The chances are we will see this fight, and sadly watch one of the greatest UFC Champions in history lose that fight. I'm not trying to say it shouldn't happen, I'm just trying to say the consequences are beyond the realm of money or naming a pound for pound best in the world. We all need to sit and really think about that for a moment and give respect to these two men for putting that on the line for us, the fans.

Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BradMMATorch