Issue 083

December 2011

With a one-sided destruction of former titleholder Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson at September’s UFC 135 event, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones proved those MMA pundits who have long called him “the future of the sport” certainly were not far off in their assessments, writes John Morgan. Even UFC president Dana White, who before the fight had told the media to temper its excitement for the 24-year-old prospect, now believes ‘Bones’ is probably the third-best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

But there is one fight in the sport that needs to happen right now – the Manny Pacquaio vs Floyd Mayweather of mixed martial arts – and it does not involve Jones... Anderson Silva vs Georges St Pierre is the ‘superfight’ that needs to happen as quickly as possible.

I’ll admit, I actually find the fight to be a bit of a mismatch. I certainly won’t take anything away from the accomplishments of St Pierre. The UFC welterweight star has proven himself to be one of the best fighters in the sport, and while his safety-first fighting style is often criticized by fans and pundits alike, his absolute destruction of quality opponents such as Jake Shields, Josh Koscheck, Dan Hardy, Thiago Alves, BJ Penn, Jon Fitch and others stands as testament to his abilities. But the size difference between the two fighters would be substantial.

Silva, the UFC’s middleweight champ, is listed at six-foot-two, just three inches taller than GSP. But standing next to the two men, Silva’s lanky limbs give the impression of a much-broader advantage in the size department. Add with the fact Silva has previously competed – quite successfully, mind you – at 205lb, and St Pierre would unquestionably prove the much-smaller man in the Octagon.

But fight predictions should not dictate bookings (Matt Serra, anyone?). Merits should. And while Jones’ recent destructions of Jackson and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua – not to mention his in-cage movements in those bouts, reminiscent at times of ‘The Spider’ – have led to many fans calling for him to be the man to challenge Silva, St Pierre is the most deserving right now.

‘Rush’ had defended the welterweight belt six consecutive times heading into his defense at UFC 137 against Carlos Condit. More importantly, challengers are becoming more and more difficult to find. Should Nick Diaz prove victorious over BJ Penn on the same card, that might mean one more hurdle on the path to cleaning out the division. Jake Ellenberger is quickly rising up the ranks, and his recent destruction of Shields is a compelling argument that he’s among the division’s elite. But the fact that one must look down a long list of 170lb fighters to find one that “might” have a chance to beat St Pierre proves he’s one of the UFC’s best-ever fighters in any class.

Silva has enjoyed even greater success during his UFC run, reigning as champion for five years and defending his title a UFC-record nine consecutive times. He is, of course, the constant in these ‘superfight’ talks, and rightfully so. He’s the unquestioned pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now, and some are saying he’s actually the best of all time. 

In truth, Jones provides the bigger challenge for Silva. The light heavyweight champ is taller and rangier, and he appears to be one of the few men on the planet that can match Silva in the speed and creativity departments. But Jones has defended his title just once. Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans are waiting in the wings, Rua wouldn’t mind a chance to prove he wasn’t exactly 100% in their first meeting, and Dan Henderson provides a compelling case that he deserves a shot at handing Jones his first true loss. In short, Jones hasn’t cleaned out his division – he’s barely begun to even dust the ladder leading to his crown.

“Jones has got to beat some of the guys at 205 that are next in line before Anderson Silva moves up there,” UFC boss White said, following Jones’ win over Jackson. “The guys who have been fighting at 205 for all these years and have those slots deserve the respect to fight for the belt before we do some kind of superfight.”

And for me, it’s that simple. Never before in UFC history have there been more dominant champions in their respective weight classes than Silva and St Pierre. And with just a 15lb difference between their competition levels, it makes sense to put the two together in what would unquestionably prove the biggest fight in MMA history. Pick a stadium – US, Canada or Brazil – and watch the tickets sell out in mere moments. 

Quite simply, these are the two best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, and should St Pierre get past Condit, we’ll have a rare opportunity to put them together in the cage. And, with Silva approaching his 37th birthday, the window in which to make the fight is rapidly closing.

The time for Silva vs St Pierre is now. If Jones really is the future, let him prove his abilities in the present. A few more wins over top contenders would only raise his stock, and I can’t think of a more fitting retirement fight for Silva than to challenge himself by moving up to light heavyweight and proving that the greatest fighter in history was able to defeat champions from multiple weight classes – and generations.