Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre: WHAT IF They Fought?

Now I am a proud GSP fan. You probably know this by now. Since discovering UFC some years ago, I have always loved to watch the French-Canadian. I am in the process of accumulating his entire walkout T-shirt collection and I’ve got the RUSHFIT 8 week DVD program "rushing" to me in the post. So it’s fair to say, that he is my idol.

There are a lot of people debating one of the hottest prospects of a match-up that the UFC may promise to serve in the coming years. There are a lot of people disagreeing and arguing over the result which may occur. There are a lot of people talking about who would win, The Rush or The Spider?

If you’re expecting a biased article which completely ignores the abilities and skills of Silva, and focuses on how Pierre would dominate him and destroy his reputation, think again. Because, although I believe Georges is a phenomenal (extraordinary) fighter, I also (regrettably) believe what we have in Silva is his worst nightmare—his arch nemesis. If GSP was superman, Silva is Kryptonite. You get the point anyway.

I’ve been delaying writing this article for a few days now, because I am scared of the truths which these hands may type. Here they go anyway.

I think Silva’s stand-up is superior to Georges. His kicks are brutal and anyone who watches the UFC avidly will have seen his clinch. I mean, seriously, I would sooner have my eyeball cranked into a vice whilst Brock repeatedly pummels my head with one of those gargantuan logs he trains with (you know the ones).

Anyway, I digress, but Anderson’s Muay Thai background is unsurpassed by anyone and even his ground game is not to be overlooked. Did anyone see the Silva-Sonnen fight? I mean don’t get me wrong, Sonnen had the better of the groundwork, he kept Silva on his back for sustained periods of time, but the way Silva executed the Triangle was unreal. He took that window of opportunity, and these ‘windows’ are not very big, and recorded his 26^th mixed martial arts victory.

Although Georges wrestling could be deemed to be on a par/slightly better than Sonnen’s, I think Silva would have an easier time dealing with him due to weight differences. Nine times out of ten, if someone asked me would Georges do well if he moved up weights to fight in the middleweight division, I would say yes. However, because the ‘Spider’ has got his web around the Middleweight belt, I’d have to say Mr. Pierre would be slightly out of his depth—only by a toe though.

Now It’s time for your favourite part of my articles (you know you love this bit Sports freaks!).

The Breakdown

Round 1: This round could well be a very cautious one for both fighters. I think we would see a lot of circling, a lot of hesitant punches and little take-down attempts. I think Georges would be constantly thinking about taking Silva to the bloodstained canvas, but Silva’s 77.6” reach may put Georges on the back foot slightly (GSP’s reach – 76”). The feelers would be out in this round, with both fighters returning to the corner slightly dissatisfied.

Round 2: I think Silva would start to be a little looser with his strikes now, by which I mean more confident. Georges would constantly be falling short of catching Anderson with any punch or strike worthwhile. After watching Koscheck snuff a number of Georges take-down attempts, I think Silva’s 80 percent take-down defence may keep the French-Canadian standing for another round.

Round 3: Silva’s 63 percent "strikes avoided" number is being extended as Georges is looking short on ideas now. He does manage to take Silva to the ground however, but it is late in the round and the bell sounds before GSP can get his motor started from the top position.

Round 4: Georges becomes a bit more attacking with his take-down attempts and manages to heave Silva to the ground again. Pierre’s ground game is being neutralised by Silva and every attempt at a submission is soon quelled by the Spider. The fight is back to its feet in no time as Silva’s superior strength allows him to power off of his back. It’s a stand-off again and GSP is frustrated, again.

Round 5: All or nothing for Georges now as I have Silva ahead on points...AND THERE IT IS! A RIGHT BY SILVA AND IT HAS ROCKED RUSH! Georges spirals backwards and Silva, like a Ctenizidae (that’s a species of spider by the way), scuttles across the octagon after him and FINISHES THE FIGHT WITH ELBOWS TO THE FACE! TKO EARLY IN THE 5^TH!

Disagree with the outcome? Let me know what YOU think in a comment below.

Once again, thank you for reading and be on the look-out for my next article: ‘WHAT IF? Muhammad Ali Fought Mike Tyson in Their Primes?’