Now that Georges St. Pierre has re-established himself back in the Octagon, fans and fighters alike are volleying for exciting matchups and potential superfights.
While GSP was on the sidelines, the talk of a superfight with Anderson Silva quickly shifted to a superfight between Silva and Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Now that the Canadian sensation has returned though, attention has once again shifted his way.
For years, the debate over who was the best in the business was between Silva and GSP, at least in regards to UFC talent. The layoff certainly didn’t help GSP’s case, along with the criticism he carries for not finishing fights. While GSP
looks dominant in his decision wins most of the time, his victories are
sometimes stripped of a little value each time Silva and Jones have
gone out and had amazing finishes in their title defenses.
But with three men, all back-to-back in weight class order, fans want to settle debates by having two fight each other.
There is the dilemma with superfights, however.
Yes, the financial gains and the fan excitement are enough to push some of these superfights into fruition, but it is also important to keep in mind other ramifications.
If GSP
and Silva were to fight soon, many positive things would happen.
Pay-per-view sales would be immense; the tickets would be sold out
instantly; it would draw the biggest crowd; it would have the biggest
marketing campaign, and would send fans, fighters and media sources into
a frenzy.
However, what happens the next morning?
Whether it is Silva vs. Jones, Silva vs. GSP, or even if Jones vs. GSP, the fight would be spectacular to watch. We would be watching history in the making.
But,
after the fight is over and the hype and excitement is gone, it
inevitably leads everyone to ask “what’s next?” That may or may not have
a straight answer. Also, with the two best going at it, it means
someone has to walk out the loser.
This is how a superfight can hurt the business. GSP, Silva, and Jones are marketing powerhouses that draw huge crowds, numbers and other financial gains.
The three of them are all on top of their respective divisions, and this is where the strength of PPVs come from sometimes: having a big title fight against the king of the hill. Nowadays, fans will watch the PPV in hopes of seeing them challenged or dethroned, not necessarily to root for the challenger personally.
By having GSP and Silva fight, for example, could result in one of the best MMA
fighters of all time to end his winning streak, lose public luster and
other collateral losses. The only good thing that could come from it is
the hopes that the loser would be re-motivated and get even better.
However, in Silva’s case, his time in the sport is limited.
This leads to the other aspect of superfights: timing.
For
instance, Silva vs. Jones on paper is a fight between two of the
greatest talents to ever enter the Octagon. But one is a fighter who has
been in the sport for over a decade, whereas the other has only been in
the scene a little over four years. Silva is 12 years older than Jones,
and the primes of the two athletes are separated by time.
Silva
has still been putting on incredible performances, but his time in the
sport is coming to a close. Jones has another potential decade himself
before he gets to the age where most MMA fighters retire/go on the downslide.
GSP
vs. Silva is a better scenario, but of course, there is always the
issue with weight class and size differences. The weight factor isn’t the most important or what makes the superfights advisable or not, but it is still good to keep in mind.
Superfights are great notions, and have many positives to them; but sometimes the hype and idea can cloud the whole picture.
Think
of it this way. Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are the two best
and most well-known in the sport of boxing. Everyone is calling for the
two to fight each other, but it has not happened due to a plethora of
issues. But if that fight were to happen tonight, the following weeks
would be grim for boxing.
continued...
Wed Feb 15, 2023 6:42 pm by 
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