Dana White: Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva Could Happen in 2011

http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/01/...-st-pierre-vs-anderson-silva-could-happen-in/

:happy

Won't get my hopes up too fast though.

 

If GSP is willing to move up I can't see there being a problem. After Shields there is no one else for him to fight at Welter, unless he fights the winner of Penn(beat twice already, fairly comfortably) and Fitch (beat him up already) and I can't see it being too hard to tell Okami to wait for the winner.

 

I actually think taking Anderson straight away might be the better option for GSP, true it would mean that he'd not be able to put on the same amount of muscle but style wise it seems like a better fight for him.

GSP's sucess has afterall been based more on his wrestling than anything else and he obviously has a sizeble advanatage there agenst Anderson but how would he fare vs someone like Sonnen?

 

Despite his ability I think GSP would be undersized against Silva for sure. I'm not certain that GSP won't get blasted out quickly, and don't think he can get Silvas respect on the ground.

He might well control him if he gets him down, but I don't think he keeps him there like Sonnen. GSP is a special fighter, but I think Silva is a bad matchup for him.

Silva KO 1 GSP (I'd love to be wrong)

 

GSP has shown an impressive ability for carrying out a gameplan without making an errors over the last couple of years, not saying I'd favour him to win given the size disadvanatge but style wise it does seem like a potentially good match for him.

A smarter move might actually be to push for a catchweight fight at 180, less of a weight disadvanatge and only three rounds to deal with rather than 5.

 

No, it's all about the title and the championship format in a fight between the two best in two divisions across the board.

It has to be 5 rnds for Andersons middleweight title.

 

When BJ Penn wanted to challenge reigning welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Georges St Pierre, he did so by fighting them at their weight. GSP must do the same. And he will.

 

IMO, GSP defeats Silva by unanimous decision.

 

Depends alot on the situation I'd say, there was no reason for GSP to fight BJ at a catghtweight the second time, he was the bigger draw in the richer division and if Penn wanted some of that he needed to move up as he did vs Hughes in 2004.

Very different situation with Anderson though, MW isnt as rich a division as WW and he's not nearly as big a draw as GSP, he'd be the one benefiting greatly from getting a cut of the PPV buys a match with George would create.

Honiestly if Silva is really serious about building more of a legacey then the path for him has been clear since he beat Hendo, move up to LHW. Thats where the better money and the bigger challanges are plus I think he's much more a natural 205er than GSP is a 185er.

Whats best for the UFC would also obviously be a big factor, it could be a one off catchweight fight with both men returning to front there established divisions suits them.

 

Yeah, the real fight (for legacy) would be Anderson taking on Shogun (who I think will beat Rashad in a competitive, entertaining fight, 2nd rnd KO IMO) but GSP-Anderson does the best business out of any fight in the UFC that can currently be made IMO.

 

Shogun KO1 Evans (possibly the 1st minute)

Shogun KO Silva (not sure which round)

No-one is ****ing with Shogun at 205.

 

None of this is important if GSP wants to go for greatness and become a 2-division champion, like Penn did. And I believe GSP shares that warrior spirit.

 

True GSP would earn more respect picking up a second title but he'd still obviously earn alot by beating Anderson at 180 and as I said he's in a much better position to make that happen than BJ was.

Really depends on whether GSP wants to move up to MW full time or not, if he desides the size gap is too great(and he would unlike Anderson at LHW clearly be a small MW, or at least one carring possible excessive amounts of muscle) then a one off catchweight fight would suit him.

 

I don't see GSP as being a very undersized mw at all. GSP walks around at around 190 by all accounts, and if he let his weight go up right I don't think that would make him all that much smaller than the likes of Leben, Akiyama and Wanderlei.

Penn showed vs Hughes in his ww title win and vs GSP in the 1st fight that a smaller man can have success against a bigger man by utilizing his strengths effectively.

Guys like Sakuraba, Henderson, Frankie Edgar, Wanderlei Silva, Randy Couture and even Fedor Emelianenko have all done great things against naturally bigger men.

I think GSP will attempt it, and I think he'll succeed.

 

Akiyama actually seems like a good comparison to GSP, he's not massively undersized but he is clearly one of the smallest guys in the division who many think would be better off as 170.

Alot of guys at MW are I'd guess well over 200 between fights(Andersons rumorued to be over 215 isnt he?) and GSP is already packing alot of muscle.

I'd look forward to a match at MW if it was booked but I don't think GSP needs it as much in terms of legacey as Anderson does with a move to LHW being prefferable. Anderson/Shogun would likely have very little weight difference come fight time, Anderson/GSP at MW this year could be 15lbs.