A fight between Anderson “The Spider” Silva and George “Rush” St Pierre, the two best pound for pound fighters in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, is something every fight fan dreams of one day seeing.
Unlike Combat Sports other big Super fight, the much anticipated fight between Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, it seems the roadblocks preventing the fight from happening are decreasing, and the possibility of such a fight is growing day by day.
It seems the only thing stopping the fight from happening is the ego of UFC head honcho, Dana White.
The Super fight between Silva and St Pierre will break all box office records in MMA and could even topple the records of boxing given the rapid rise in popularity the sport is experiencing.
But when quizzed on the potential encounter in a recent interview, White labelled the fight a “fantasy fight” and a wet dream of fight fans.
White stated: “This fight is fantasy and other things need to happen before this fight can even be talked about” and that “all the stars would have to align and everything would have to be perfect” for the super fight to occur.
Dana White stated himself in the same interview that both George St Pierre and Anderson Silva have both never said “NO” to a fight he has offered them, and with the prospect of ridiculous amounts of money to be earnt in the Super fight, not to mention the chance to decide who is the best pound for pound in the sport, it seems both fighters are keen to go.
The facts are simple; both men have cleaned out their divisions and leave little options left on the table in regards to future fights.
Of Course George St Pierre is set to face, Jake Shields in a few weeks at UFC 129, and although Shields has been undefeated for almost six years and is a former Strike force champion, it has to be said that Shields has been unimpressive in his UFC forays so far.
If St Pierre overcomes Shields, which everyone believes he will, then there is simply no one left.
Silva is in the same predicament. Fresh from a brutal KO of Vitor Belfort, he is set to face Yushin Okami when the UFC make their first venture to Silva’s native Brazil. The marketing angle of a fight with Okami is that Okami was the last man to beat Silva, although way back in 2006 and via disqualification.
Again, like Shields, although having a good record, on his last few fights, no one seems to give Okami any hope.
Silva has handled everyone in the Middleweight division with relevant ease, except one Chael Sonnen who came within seconds of beating Silva, however Sonnen was made to tap and subsequently failed a doping test at the conclusion of the bout, sighting extreme levels of testosterone, often a sign of steroid use.
Rumours have circulated that the UFC may give Michael Bisping the next shot, given his recent good form, though many do not put Bisping in the elite category.
Sonnen has also been touted as a potential opponent of Silva, given the conjecture over their first encounter. But I believe a better decision would be for Bisping to meet Sonnen for the title shot, and thus allowing for the UFC to cash in twice.
But I get the impression White feels it is all too easy. He would prefer to build the sport to a point where he does not have to rely on the sports biggest two names to bring in the big dollars. White would prefer to market a fight such as Maynard v Edgar 3 or Lesnar v Velasquez 2, and have either one of those break the record, given the build-up of multiple fights and significant investment in the rivalries by fans.
The advantage that MMA has over Boxing is that the promoters hold the power. Everyone except maybe Fedor, are at the beck and call of the promoter and the sporting bodies such as the UFC on whom and where they fight.
This aspect alone is the single biggest thing currently holding boxing back, and potentially ruining the sport. The fact that the power in the negotiations for Pacquiao- Mayweather sits with both men and not a governing body or boxing authority is the chief reason why that fight is yet to happen.
With the biggest obstacle removed, St Pierre v Silva, just has to happen.
A Super fight that would not only break every record currently in existence in relation to PPV, Buy rates, PPV Revenue and viewership etc.
But even more poignant, a super fight between St Pierre v Silva could be the knockout punch that Boxing may never rise from.
A clad iron guarantee that MMA is where the big fights happen.
As a boxing lover, I hope this not to be the case, but there is no denying boxing fans are walking away more and more these days.
Not only will this fight bring in those currently sitting on the fence and not yet made the leap to MMA, but those who have never experienced the sport will be well and truly versed in the world of the UFC when this fight comes around...
And people will have no choice but to know about it because this fight will be...everywhere!
So Dana White, loose the ego, give the people what they want and watch the tills spin.
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