http://www.opposingviews.com/i/sport...a-versus-jones
By MMA Sucka, Wed, November 21, 2012
567 days.
George St. Pierre hadn’t competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 567 days. The reigning welterweight king returned to a brave new world at 170-pounds with a logjam of worthy challengers nipping at his heels as the division might be the strongest it’s been in company’s history.
Standing atop of the heap of challengers was Carlos Condit – A bloodthirsty threat to his ten-pounds of gold.
While the self-proclaimed ‘Natural Born Killer’ had his moments, even flooring the welterweight poster-boy on one occasion, ultimately St. Pierre took control of the fight with beautiful, picture-perfect takedowns that the Mike Winkeljohn-tutored fighter just couldn’t stop.
Beginning in the fourth frame right above the round timer in the bottom left-hand corner a picture emerged of UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva and his training partner Lyoto Machida watching the action unfold. Subtle this was not, as the company tried to force the hand of the viewers and shove down their throats which fight they’d like to see next.
GSP left with his championship around his waist for the seventh time but it was clear that he was in a dogfight with black-and-blue marks all over his body.
It had been a long time since St. Pierre fought, so long that in his absence another threat had emerged as one of the pound-for-pound best in the sport in UFC light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones.
41 days before St. Pierre defended his throne against Strikeforce champ Jake Shields, Jones starched Mauricio “Shogun” Rua with a full-body beatdown to take the UFC title and re-defined single-year success defeating three former champions in 2011.
The freight train hasn’t stopped since – Another two former 205-pound king’s heads reside on his mantle as he has defeated every former UFC light-heavyweight champion that’s still on the roster.
Silva has a problem, but it’s a great problem to have. Between three weight-classes and 35-pounds all three of the highest-ranked combatants reside and the Brazilian phenom sits in the middle, with a potential fight with St.Pierre or Jones being huge business for the company and to his pocketbook.
While I expect most to disagree with me, St. Pierre and Silva meeting in the center of the Octagon, whether it’s in Brazil, Canada, Texas or my backyard with a co-feature of Tank Abbott and Scott Ferozzo is the biggest fight in MMA today and one of the biggest fight in combat sports history.
Over the past few years a lot has changed, as the roster and event schedule increases the sport becomes more unpredictable by the minute but few things remain constants, one of them is Silva and St. Pierre remain two of the best in the world.
With Silva knocking on the door of retirement at 37-years-of-age and two fights remaining on his deal the sand is quickly running out of the hourglass and if this fight isn’t made next year, it might remain a pipedream debated on message boards for the rest of time.
While Jones-versus-Silva might be the most appealing clash of styles between two of the most vicious, dangerous wrecking machines in the history of ever when it comes down to dollars and cents St. Pierre-versus-Silva leaves it behind in the dust.
The Canadian poster-boy is the most bankable star the UFC has ever had, that includes Brock Lesnar. While his fights aren’t always the most ecstatically pleasing, neither are all of Floyd Mayweather’s and no matter what we all lay down the coin to watch his wizardry inside a twenty-by-twenty ring.
In this sport great fights aren’t what puts butts every eighteen inches, great fights aren’t what makes the casual sports viewer lay down $55 for a few hours of entertainment, it’s stars that matter. Fact remains that great, high-action fights didn’t make the UFC a hit on pay-per-view, what did was the star power of fighters that were past their prime in many instances.
When MMA was down in the dumps and scoffed at by mainstream media fights like Ken Shamrock meeting Tito Ortiz and Matt Hughes tussling with Royce Gracie were the match-ups that drew the viewers and began to put the sport on the map (again).
Cowboy Stadium is the desired venue for a fight of this magnitude and any fan worth their salt will do everything in their power to get inside that venue, to hear that crowd and be in the venue for the most important moment in MMA history.
Jonathan Goulet Wilson Gouveia Jason Grace Crosley Gracie Gregor Gracie
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