UFC Dream Match - St. Pierre vs. Silva for the Pound for Pound Title

It’s different when your dream match-up is something like Ali vs. Tyson, or Jordan vs. LeBron. Those matchups will never happen until we master time travel (and I’m not convinced we’re anywhere close despite what Dr. Emmett Brown would have me believe). But when a league like the UFC is hampered by weight classes and exclusivity rights, it’s difficult to sometimes get the fight you’ve always dreamed of.

One such dream match would pit Georges St. Piere against Brazilian Anderson Silva, the two fighters who consistently hear the term “best pound-for-pound fighter” when their names are mentioned. But the problem, like in any good sport, is that time is of the essence. To think that fight fans could be cheated out of a once in a lifetime matchup due to age, injury or simple contract disputes is enough to make you vomit in the face of bureaucracy.

The debate discerning the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world revolves around – surprise – “pounds”. Ten to be exact. Georges St. Pierre is a natural 185 pounder, while Silva stands close to 200 pounds. “The Spider” stands at 6-foot-2 and faces Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in a Light Heavyweight championship bout.

It was clear after Silva’s “fight” against Thales Leites at UFC 97 that everyone is terrified to fight Silva. I don’t blame them. At 24-4 SU, Silva has lost just one fight in the past five and a half years. The funny part of that “loss” is what makes fighters piss their pants every time they step in the ring with Silva. Yushin Okami got a DQ win over Silva for an illegal kick in 2006. The fact that Okami has never set foot in the ring with Silva is a sign of respect, and fear, of the Light Heavyweight Champion.

Though Dana White will be the first to tell you that Anderson Silva is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, huge throngs of detractors support Georges St. Pierre with that title. The current Welterweight Champion controlled a resilient Thiago Alves at UFC 100 to retain his title. Alves is thought to the be the best contender in the division, and the guy couldn’t even touch St. Pierre. Honestly, it looked like St. Pierre had just taken a sauna session after he was done with Alves.

St. Pierre will have to wait for his groin to heal, but I’m not sure that during that time a real contender will rise to face the French Canadian. Even he is beginning to realize that. The issue for St. Pierre is that he’ll have to put on about 10 pounds of muscle (which can take anywhere from three months to a year for fighters as lean and flexible as MMA strikers and grapplers) to compete with Silva. Even if Silva comes down, it will take some adjusting for the Brazilian.

The problem for Dana White is that the fight will do two completely opposite things for both fighters. If St. Pierre loses, it will cost him dearly. He will spend the next year of his career trying to prove he can test himself in the Light Heavyweight division before he faces Silva again. If Silva loses, it obviously proposes an instant trilogy for St. Pierre and Silva, much like what Liddell and Couture produced during their big days in the sport.