The Specialists
DREAM FIGHT: GSP vs. Anderson Silva - A look at what stands in the way and what might happen if these two were to face off
Jan 14, 2010 - 5:32:22 PM DREAM FIGHT: GSP vs. Anderson Silva - A look at what stands in the way and what might happen if these two were to face off

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By Adam Schwartzbard, MMATorch Specialist

George St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva

Quick, think of your top three pound-for-pound fighters in the world? How many of you thought of both GSP and Anderson Silva in some capacity? I am assuming the majority of MMA fans rank these two somewhere in their top five, if not their top two or three. So, what would it be like if these two dynamic fighters actually met in the octagon? In addition, how realistic is it that this mega fight is actually going to take place? I will analyze this and more in my second installment of Fantasy Fights: GSP vs. The Spider.

The idea of a super fight between GSP and Anderson Silva is not a novel one. It has been floating around for some time and has even been discussed by Dana White and GSP himself. As recently as this week, when discussing his upcoming fight with Dan Hardy, one of GSP's trainers discussed the fight and the possibility of it taking place. These are two of the top fighters in the world so naturally it is a fight people are yearning for. When you think of the prototypical MMA fighter today, these two fighters are what you are looking for: well-rounded fighters who have been dominating their opponents.

For this fight to happen, GSP will need to add some size, because although he is a large Welterweight, Anderson Silva is a large Middleweight who can fight at Light Heavyweight without a problem. For GSP to add the weight correctly will take significant time, which would tie up two of the UFC champions for a decent stretch of time. The question becomes is it worth it for the UFC to do this in order to put on this mega fight?

There are a few other possible obstacles to this fight as well. Firstly, although any MMA fan would love to see this fight happen, I am not sure this fight has the mass appeal that it deserves. With the right hype I think this fight would do well, casual MMA fans would be drawn in, but it would not have the public, mass appeal to draw new fans to the sport.

Another major issue is the fact that Anderson Silva recently fought at Light Heavyweight (quite successfully, embarrassing former champion Forrest Griffin), and many people feel he would be best suited making the move up to that division full time. However, we all know that he and current Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida have vowed not to fight each other, making the move less appealing to Silva. So what does all this mean? If GSP, Silva AND Machida all successfully defend their titles at least one more time, this fight may be put together by the UFC.

So now that we have looked at some of the politics of making this fight happen, what would happen inside the Octagon? Both of these fighters are extremely well rounded and have the skills to beat you in many ways. GSP's greatest strength right now is his wrestling, which has reached an amazing level. Once he has his opponent down, he has a devastating and relentless ground and pound which he would obviously try to implement on Silva.

Silva, on the other hand, has incredible precision striking and he is as elusive a fighter as there is. Silva would also have the size and strength advantage, because regardless of how well GSP puts the weight on, Silva will still be the larger, stronger man. Silva really can fight anywhere, although against GSP he would prefer to keep the fight standing, and would attempt to stuff GSP's takedown attempts to keep the fight on his feet.

My Fantasy Fight Prediction: First of all, I think we are all going to be lucky enough to actually see this fight, possibly at the end of 2010. After months of UFC buildup, a new edition of their "UFC Prime Time Show" airing on Spike, the mega-fight will start with an electricity in the crowd unmatched by any previous UFC fight. The fighters will feel each other out for a little while, both throwing feeler strikes out. After a few punches and kicks by both fighters, GSP will get a takedown with about two minutes left in the first round. He will work his ground and pound from inside Silva's guard, and land some decent punches and elbows before the round ends. GSP takes the first round, 10-9.

The second round will begin, and before GSP has a chance to take Silva down again, Silva is going to land a devastating right hand that knocks GSP down. Silva will charge in and, despite all of GSP's attempts to survive, Silva will finish the fight with ferocious and accurate punches to a downed GSP, causing the referee to step in. The victory will cement Silva's status as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. In the end, I just could not stop thinking that since Serra was able to knock GSP out, Anderson Silva will be able to do the same.

Quick Note: I want to thank everyone for their comments and opinions on my last article, and look forward to hearing from you about this fight. I also want to thank those that correctly pointed out that Fedor is a Sambo fighter. When I wrote BJJ, I was loosely referring to his superior ground game, but apologize for the mistake.

[Georges St. Pierre art credit Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]