Despite recent chatter hyping the possibility that Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre could eventually square off inside the Octagon, the former king of the welterweight division doesn’t sound like he’s ready to compete in the dream UFC fight anytime soon.
St-Pierre recently appeared on the The Luke Thomas Show on Sirius XM, where he discussed past conversations about a potential bout with Silva and why he’s steering clear of those talks at this point in his career.
St-Pierre repeated yet again that he had requested a catchweight fight against Silva in the past, but logistical issues — namely UFC’s apparent refusal to use anti-doping testing — prevented the showdown. GSP also noted the only time he’s been formally offered a fight with Silva was following his retirement in 2013 after a decision victory over Johny Hendricks. Since retiring, GSP has only returned to fight once, earning a submission victory against Michael Bisping to claim the middleweight title in 2017. In that fight, he proved that he remains at the top of his game despite a lengthy layoff from the UFC. It’s also exactly why St-Pierre is hesitant to fight Silva.
Silva has won just once in his previous six fights, and the risk outweighs the reward for the 37-year-old GSP.
“Now things have changed,” St-Pierre said. “Silva has lost. Now it is not as interesting. There’s a lot more to lose than gain.”
All of that could change if Silva somehow knocks off unbeaten Israel Adesanya on Feb. 9 at UFC 234. Silva told ESPN a win over Adesanya would earn him a title shot, and if “The Spider” is somehow able to win gold at 43 years old, it would almost assuredly draw the attention of a now-healthy GSP.
(Via MMA Fighting)
