This is part three in a three part series.
In part one, we looked at the level of opposition for both Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre. Part two detailed the various quotes from the two principals involved and UFC President Dana White.
“That fight not happening is insane, it makes no sense to me.” – Dana White, January 11th, 2010
I’m taking your quote out of context, Dana. I’m trying to use it in the framework of Anderson Silva versus Georges St-Pierre, but the quote came out after the second round of failed negotiations between Team Pacquiao and Team Mayweather. It’s OK, though, because I agree with you in both instances.
Up until the very recent past, the biggest problem with the MMA model has been the rigid dichotomy between promotions. If you’re signed to the UFC, you’re only going to fight in the UFC. This system has cost us a whole heaping of fights throughout the years, and fights that were eventually made with the ascension of the UFC lost a bit of their luster.
But that’s OK now because the UFC’s taking over, right? Once Zuffa houses all the best fighters under one roof, there’s nothing stopping the best fights from being made.
Or maybe not.
The UFC’s failure to match Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva together is proof positive that the single promotion model isn’t perfect. This is not a condemnation of that model. Even with its flaws, the single promotion model may prove to be one of the optimal methods for putting fights together.
But flaws remain.
You see, there’s a big stumbling block standing in the way of a Silva-GSP superfight. Georges St-Pierre has shown reservations about putting on the necessary weight to make 185 pounds, but not once has his opinion of the fight wavered. St-Pierre, to his credit, wants the fight.
What about Anderson Silva? Silva’s been coy since the fight became a talking point. He wanted the fight, he’ll drop down to 170, he doesn’t want the fight. Despite his recent comments, I don’t believe for a second that he would turn this fight down. I think Anderson Silva wants this fight.
So that leaves Dana and the UFC. This is a pretty easy equation to figure out. Georges St-Pierre makes the UFC a lot of money. Anderson Silva has been one of the poorest drawing champions in the last few years. A St-Pierre loss, in Zuffa’s eyes, costs them a lot of money. The UFC is protecting St-Pierre, plain and simple. This fight would have happened already if the Zuffa brain trust thought Georges was a significant favorite.
The UFC, instead, is content to feed St-Pierre and Silva a conveyor belt of inferior contenders. Men like Dan Hardy, Thales Leites, and Patrick Cote have been given title shots and inserted as one half of the headliner over the past two years. Leites especially got the short end of the stick. The UFC failed to recognize their responsibility for the trainwreck between Silva and Leites at UFC 97, and when Leites lost his next fight (a close split decision loss to Alessio Sakara on the prelims), he was let go from the company.
This is chickenshit fight promotion, plain and simple. It would be one thing if St-Pierre had no interest in the bout, but Georges St-Pierre is clearly interested in the bout. Read any one of his answers. He doesn’t take the decision lightly (and he shouldn’t), but he never once shoots the idea down. In fact, he seems more willing than either of the other two parties.
Georges St-Pierre wants to build a legacy. He wants to go down as the greatest fighter to have ever lived. He knows that beating Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck and Thiago Alves six times a piece will bring back diminishing returns on his request. You’re going to have to take some risks if you want to be looked at as the greatest.
And that is the biggest reason this fight should be made. Never mind the lack of thre
atening challengers. Never mind that this is easily the biggest fight the UFC can put on right now given who they have under contract. The reason why this fight should happen – and the reason why any self-respecting fight fan should be interested – is that the stakes are so very high.
This is the stuff that epic fights are made of. This is why Emelianenko/Filipovic is so revered. This is why the Ali/Frazier triology still hold meaning today. This is why the death of Mayweather/Pacquiao has been so lamented.
I’m a fight fan, and I want to watch the best fights possible.
This is the best fight possible.