UFC 129 Fight Card: What's Next for Georges St-Pierre If He Beats Jake Shields?
UFC 129 could very well be the end of an era for UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre.
Obviously a loss to Jake Shields would mean that St-Pierreโs reign as champion would be over, but a win may mean itโs the last time we ever see him fighting at 170 pounds.
Rumors continue to build that a super-fight between middleweight champion, Anderson Silva and St-Pierre is a very real possibility in the near future, perhaps even by the end of the year.
With Silva having been booked for a fight at UFC Rio against Yushin Okami, though, there may be one more fight for Georges St-Pierre at welterweight.
So who are the most likely opponents for GSPโs next fight?
5. Winner of Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim
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Later this summer, we will see what may be an extremely important fight between Carlos Condit and Dong Hyun Kim in the welterweight division.
Currently riding a 10-1 streak in his last 11 fights, Carlos Condit is inching closer to a title shot. His only loss came in the form of an extremely close split decision loss to Martin Kampmann in a fight that FightMetric actually scored as a draw.
But with three straight wins over Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald and Dan Hardy, Condit has earned a chance to fight the undefeated Dong Hyun Kim.
Kim, a South Korean mixed martial artist, has been on quite a run since coming to the UFC in 2008.
Though he actually lost a fight to Karo Pariysan, it was extremely controversial. with many experts, fans and Dana White himself claiming that Kim had won the fight. Thankfully for his unblemished record, the fight was later overturned to a "No Contest" when it was found that Pariysan had tested positive for banned painkillers.
Whoever wins this fight may actually be the next in line for a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship given how thin the division currently is.
4. Michael Bisping
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This one may be surprising to some, but I think itโs important to look at what the UFC has done in the past with fighters who have gone up in weight class.
Even when Anderson Silva made his move up to the light heavyweight division, his first fight wasnโt against one of the very top contenders. It was against James Irvin, who was a fairly big name, but not someone who was really in the title conversation.
Similarly, Michael Bisping is one of the biggest names in the sport and is the kind of fighter who could be matched up with Georges St-Pierre as a legitimate challenger, but also someone who could help sell a ton of pay-per-views.
Placing St-Pierre against a fighter lower on the middleweight totem pole than Bisping might be a tough sell for the UFC in a pay-per-view event. But given Bispingโs worldwide popularity andย his status as one of the โbad guysโ in the sport, fans would certainly tune in to see Georges St-Pierreโs debut at 185 pounds.
3. Jon Fitch
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I know, weโve seen it before, but Jon Fitch is really the only welterweight on the UFC roster who could be reasonably explained as someone who deserves a title shot immediately.
Yes, he recently fought to a draw with B.J. Penn, but even Penn fans like myself have to admit that it was a questionable decision at best. It would have been great to see a rematch between these two warriors, but that doesnโt sound like itโs going to happen anytime soon with both fighters dealing with injuries.
Fitch originally dropped out of the rematch first, but it sounds like his injury could end up being less of a setback than the one Penn suffered to his shoulder.
As he announced recently on Ariel Helwaniโs MMA Hour, Penn believes that there is a possibility that his shoulder will need surgery, which could keep him out for an extended period of time.
In the meantime, there arenโt many opponents remaining for Fitch. Perhaps a rematch with St-Pierre makes the most sense if GSP decides to stay at 170 pounds.
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2. Nick Diaz
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Some love him, some hate him, but everyone should respect Nick Diaz.
The Strikeforce Welterweight Champion has been vocal about the lack of competition in the company, but with it now being owned by Zuffa, there is an increased possibility that we just may see Diaz make the move over to the UFC.
Diazโs coach, Cesar Gracie, has announced that his next fight may actually be a boxing contest because he wants to get a bigger paycheck than the ones he has been getting in boxing.
But perhaps a fight with Georges St-Pierre would be the high-profile fight that would get Diaz a big pay raise and also give him the type of challenge heโs looking for.
Quite frankly, with how much GSP has dominated the welterweight division, Nick Diaz may be the only fight remaining that fans would care about at 170 pounds.
1. Anderson Silva
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The other fights on this list could all be good in their own ways, but if weโre being honest, fans would pass up on all of them for this fight with Anderson Silva.
Both of these future Hall of Famers have been completely steamrolling their respective divisions and with the pound-for-pound title always being up for discussion, that question could finally be answered in perhaps the biggest fight that has ever happened in mixed martial arts.
Silva has a fight scheduled against long-time No. 1 contender Yushin Okami at UFC: Rio. But Okami is already listed as a big underdog even though he is the last man to have technically defeated Silva, years ago, when Silva was disqualified after an illegal upkick.
If St-Pierre gets by Shields this weekend and Silva gets by Okami later this summer, look for the UFC to start promoting this fight almost immediately.
Perhaps the question isnโt who wants to see this fight, but rather who doesnโt want to see this fight?
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