Dana White Comments On GSP Vs Silva
UFC president Dana White wants to make one thing perfectly clear a long-discussed superfight between reigning UFC champions Anderson Silva (27-4 MMA, 12-0 UFC) and Georges St-Pierre (21-2 MMA, 15-2 UFC) is currently anything but a sure thing.
That said, the UFC boss believes with a win by each champion in their upcoming title defenses, there's simply no reason not to book the dream matchup.
And while White believes the potential superfight would prove a financial success just about anywhere the organization decided to take it, the UFC president said it would be awfully difficult not to let St-Pierre take on "The Spider" on Canadian soil.
"When you start thinking about an Anderson Silva-GSP fight, you could do that anywhere," White said. "But it would be tough not to do the thing in Canada."
The UFC's track record in Canada has been stellar thus far. Three of the company's four trips to Montreal drew more than 21,000 fans, including two cards headlined by native Canadian St-Pierre, and April's Toronto debut is expected to shatter company records in both attendance and live gate.
But with the magnitude of a potential Silva vs. St-Pierre fight, White warns that nothing is guaranteed just yet.
"We could do Canada, and we could do Brazil, too," White said. "We could do Las Vegas, and it would be big. We could do Dallas, and it would be big. We could do the Staples Center, and it would be big.
"There are so many obstacles in the way of this happening. It's something that's cool to talk about, but until it becomes a reality, I have no idea what we do or how we do it."
Despite the obstacles, it seems nearly any time Silva or St-Pierre set foot in the octagon, MMA fans and pundits alike have but one question: When will the two champions finally meet?
White has long admitted his concerns with the matchup, citing Silva's experiences fighting in the light heavyweight division as a means to explain how difficult it would be for St-Pierre a natural welterweight to taste victory in the potential contest. But with St-Pierre's recent dismantling of top welterweight contenders such as Josh Koscheck, Dan Hardy and Thiago Alves, White is no longer nearly as concerned about the Canadian's chances should he vacate his own title in a bid for Silva's middleweight crown.
"St-Pierre is big, strong and talented," White said. "And as crazy as it is, he's one of the best wrestlers if not the best wrestler in the UFC."
Of course, while MMA fans around the globe continue to clamor for the fight, Vitor Belfort and Jake Shields will be doing their best to play the role of spoiler. Belfort meets Silva in the main event of this Saturday's UFC 126 card, while Shields challenges St-Pierre at April's UFC 129 event.
But a Silva win, which would be his UFC-record eighth straight defense, coupled with a St-Pierre victory (potentially his sixth-consecutive title defense), means White will have the enviable task of scheduling the biggest fight in the history of the world's biggest mixed martial arts organization.
"This is one of those dream fights," White said. "I'd like to do it. If they both win, I think it's time.
"As far as their legacies go, it's huge for both guys."
