Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre: Yushin Okami Is the Only Loser

In a recent Q and A with Dana White following Fight for the Troops 2, the UFC president had some interesting things to say about the immediate future of his two most successful champions.

After being asked by one of the troops if welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre and middleweight champ Anderson Silva would ever meet in the Octagon, White responded affirmatively.

"[If Anderson Silva] wins that fight on the 5th, then Georges St. Pierre needs to beat Jake Shields in Toronto," White answered. "If that happens then we're probably going to do that fight. So if they both win then that fight makes all the sense in the world."

All the sense in the world to everyone besides top middleweight contender Yushin Okami.

At UFC 122, Okami squared off against former title challenger Nate Marquardt in a fight the UFC marketed as a title eliminator with the winner getting a shot at the winner of Silva's championship bout against Vitor Belfort, just over a week from now.

If the UFC were to favor a mega-fight between two champions over Okami's challenge for the title, it would not be the first time White has gone back on his word. In fact, it is becoming somewhat of a trend.

In the lead up to Jon Fitch's rematch with Thiago Alves at UFC 117, White frequently told the media that the winner of that bout would be the next challenger for Georges St. Pierre's title, only to change his opinion to "we'll see" following Fitch's decision win.

WEC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis was promised a shot at the UFC lightweight title following Frankie Edgar's defense against Gray Maynard, but instead White chose to make a rematch between Edgar and Maynard and give Pettis a bout with Clay Guida.

If Okami were to be pushed to the side in order to make this fight, it would not be the first time he was overlooked by the leading American promotion.

In 2009, many considered Okami the top UFC contender at middleweight, especially since he was the last person to notch a win against the champion Silva, albeit by disqualification. Nonetheless, the UFC matched Silva with the less deserving Thales Leites in a horrific match of styles that turned out even worse than most observers predicted.

But, more than the potential disgruntled employees, the issue for the UFC is beginning to be credibility.

Fans that were anticipating the main event of UFC 122 between Okami and Marquardt were few and far between. The one thing that made the bout feel significant was the idea that we were looking at the next challenger for the championship.

The bout was quite uneventful, but what excitement there was came from knowing what was on the line for both men.

Those kinds of main events will not work in the future if fans don't believe the guarantees from White are legitimate.

And who knows how long it would be until Okami got his shot if the Silva vs. St. Pierre bout is made next.

Said White, "Georges St.Pierre said he would move [up] to 185 lbs, and stay there. And not go back to [welterweight]."

So what if St. Pierre took the title from Silva? Would the longtime champion then get an immediate rematch for his old title, making another big event for the company?

It certainly would make more money than a Silva vs. Okami bout.

I know this is the fight business, but it is also a sport and there has to be some kind of legitimate rankings for deserving contenders.

Of course the NFL would prefer the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys to be in the Super Bowl every year—they're pretty happy with the current championship now, as well—but you can't just choose who brings in the most dollars. The teams have to earn their way to the big game.

If the UFC just kicks the top contenders under the rug every time there is a big-money fight to be made, the evolution of this sport will surely be stunted.

It made sense to make Chuck Liddell wait for his title shot in 2003 so the UFC could put together the highly anticipated Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock grudge match. The company and sport were still begging for attention and doing whatever it took to gain security, exposure and foundation.

But, we are in a different era of MMA now. The sport is being covered by ESPN. The company is making massive profits on a regular basis. The fanbase is more dedicated and loyal than the armies of some small countries.

It's no longer about a cheap trick for the casual fan.

But, before i get carried away and sound like I'm not in favor of St. Pierre moving up in weight for the historic bout, the point is that White should keep his word.

If he didn't want Silva to make another defense before taking the challenge from St. Pierre, he shouldn't have made Okami's fight a title eliminator. Since he did, he should honor those guarantees.

Let the two champions make their next defenses, then while St. Pierre goes through the process of bulking up for a future career at 185 lbs., give Okami what he was promised.

Then again, Vitor Belfort and Jake Shields could pull off the upsets in the upcoming bouts and these notions will simply get lost in the dust.