This is why I'd like to see Hendricks face GSP. That pretty much came out of nowhere and lights out.
I could be wrong about Hendricks in this but it'd be the first GSP fight I'd be really interested in in a very long time. I didn't really think Condit had a great chance in the fight although he did pretty good.
That makes sense in terms of an actual fight but from a marketing perspective, it won't happen yet. Jones' fame is not in the same capacity as GSP nor could he sell out a a dallas cowboy stadium. GSP has successfully defended his title 7 times, while Anderson Silva has defended his title 10 times. It is no dispute that the top two p4p fighters recognized by the public is Silva and GSP. This fight will be marketed as the one that will take UFC to another level.
A Jon Jones superfight will sell out Cowboys Stadium.
I think people are selling Jon Jones short ... his reach is SO huge and he is SO quick and he is SUCH a good grappler. Jones isn't as high on the P4P ranking as GSP, but Jones is a much more difficult opponent ... Jones would crush GSP, just like Thiago Alves would crush Jose Aldo or Ben Henderson would crush Dominick Cruz.
I would rather see Anderson Silva fight a top-flight LHW like Jones, Rashad Evans or Glover Teixeira than fight a smaller man like GSP. Any of those three fights could sell 70,000+ at Cowboys Stadium, and none of those the results are sure things for Anderson the way GSP would be.
A Jon Jones superfight will sell out Cowboys Stadium.
I think people are selling Jon Jones short ... his reach is SO huge and he is SO quick and he is SUCH a good grappler. Jones isn't as high on the P4P ranking as GSP, but Jones is a much more difficult opponent ... Jones would crush GSP, just like Thiago Alves would crush Jose Aldo or Ben Henderson would crush Dominick Cruz.
I would rather see Anderson Silva fight a top-flight LHW like Jones, Rashad Evans or Glover Teixeira than fight a smaller man like GSP. Any of those three fights could sell 70,000+ at Cowboys Stadium, and none of those the results are sure things for Anderson the way GSP would be.
Jones has been champion for all of a year and a half.
GSP for over four years straight.
There is a difference.
Saying Jones would beat GSP is on par with saying GSP would beat Jose Aldo.
Hendricks deserves the next shot at GSP and I'm not sure how anyone can say otherwise. I'd love to see GSP fight Diaz but Hendricks has beaten Fitch, Koschek and Kampmann in the past 12 months so you gotta give him the shot.
Agreed as well. If GSP defends his belt again, it almost certainly should be against Hendricks.
If the UFC still wants a marketable superfight for Anderson, I think Anderson Silva vs. Rampage would be a huge payday that would make the UFC a lot of money too, with little risk of jeopardizing Silva's legacy for future fights.
Jones has been champion for all of a year and a half.
GSP for over four years straight.
There is a difference.
Saying Jones would beat GSP is on par with saying GSP would beat Jose Aldo.
How long you've been champ doesn't matter, what matters is making competitive fights. Anderson is the most dominant fighter in MMA history, he's well ahead of Fedor, Hughes, Royce Gracie and GSP. The fact that GSP is judged "the second most dominant P4P fighter today" doesn't mean that much, because Silva has been destroying guys who are larger than GSP.
Does anybody remember the beating GSP but on BJ Penn at UFC 94? That fight wasn't competitive at all, and I think that's what you'd get if you put Anderson (who walks around at 200-ish lbs) in there against a natural welterweight.
If we want a catchweight / superfight, let's see GSP vs Vitor Belfort or Chael Sonnen.
Anderson Silva moving down to catchweight/welterweight? No thanks. I want to see Anderson test himself by moving up to fight a SERIOUS LHW contender like Rashad or Shogun.
Does anybody remember the beating GSP but on BJ Penn at UFC 94? That fight wasn't competitive at all, and I think that's what you'd get if you put Anderson (who walks around at 200-ish lbs) in there against a natural welterweight.
The difference is these guys have much different styles of fighting. Anderson isn't going to take GSP down and use his size to wear him down from the top position like GSP did with BJ. The test will be whether GSP can take Silva down and if he can, whether he can wear him down/inflict any damage. If he can't, then yes it will be a short fight as it usually is with Silva. But I don't think Silva's size is going to be what would beat GSP, it would be his amazing stand-up.
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Anderson Silva moving down to catchweight/welterweight? No thanks. I want to see Anderson test himself by moving up to fight a SERIOUS LHW contender like Rashad or Shogun.
Agree 100%. Silva shouldn't be looking to test himself by moving down and fighting the smaller fighter, he needs to "move up". It would never, ever happen, but a fight with Machida could be epic(or an utter failure given their styles.). I think a fight against Rashad would be very interesting, even if it were to happen at 185.
If I was GSP, I would take the Silva fight at 177 catchweight and keep my 185-190 weight frame. Odds are he'll lose but I don't think it will be a big blow to his career because at 170, he's the best and he would have lost to the bigger best guy. If anything, Silva has more pressure on him for fighting the smaller guy.
Even though the odds are against GSP, I do think with a smart game plan he has a decent shot. For one thing, he needs to get this fight to the ground to have a shot, and with his takedowns being the best in the business, he has a decent chance there. But he needs something new on the ground. You can't expect to lay on Silva for 5 rounds, that's way too risky and so far, only Sonnen has come close to doing that. GSP needs to learn from the top BJJ guys he's training with how to advance and submit. In other words take Silva down and keep going for submissions. He might get submitted in the process but it sure beats da hell out of Anderson taking your head off on the feet.
If I was GSP, I would take the Silva fight at 177 catchweight and keep my 185-190 weight frame. Odds are he'll lose but I don't think it will be a big blow to his career because at 170, he's the best and he would have lost to the bigger best guy. If anything, Silva has more pressure on him for fighting the smaller guy.
Even though the odds are against GSP, I do think with a smart game plan he has a decent shot. For one thing, he needs to get this fight to the ground to have a shot, and with his takedowns being the best in the business, he has a decent chance there. But he needs something new on the ground. You can't expect to lay on Silva for 5 rounds, that's way too risky and so far, only Sonnen has come close to doing that. GSP needs to learn from the top BJJ guys he's training with how to advance and submit. In other words take Silva down and keep going for submissions. He might get submitted in the process but it sure beats da hell out of Anderson taking your head off on the feet.
Good post. I don't see weight being an issue in this weight if it is contested at 175 pounds. GSP would easily gain 5 lbs of muscle in 6 months, and would not have to drastically change his body or weighting style. It would be tougher for Anderson, as he would have to cut some muscle or risk being severely dehydrated in the weight. A fight at that would would come down to a battle between possible the two most effective weapons in mma history--GSP's takedowns and top control versus Anderson's devastating striking. Anyone who is against that idea is insane, it would literally be the greatest thing in MMA history.
Moving on the Jones versus Silva, there is an important piece missing in the discussion. Not only is Jones bigger, but he is in his athletic prime while Silva is 37.That fight could easily turn into Jones making Silva look like a pathetic old man. What ever happens in GSP/Silva, I think GSP will likely get some takedowns and control parts of the fight even if he eventually gets knocked out. I could see Jones take down Silva at will and annihilate him. The latter seems a lot lamer to me than the former.
