Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones: Why Dream Matchup Will Most Likely Never Happen

In the few hours following Jon Jones’ destruction of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, the Internet was buzzing with talk of the new light heavyweight champion facing long-time middleweight kingpin Anderson "The Spider" Silva. 

Fans worldwide were sent into a frenzy when UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta apparently shared their interest in seeing these two dynamic fighters face each other.

I, on the other hand, cannot shake the feeling that this would be a bad move, both for the fighters involved (my concerns lie more with Jones’ safety than with Silva’s) but also regarding the business side of things.

After following the UFC’s clever handling of Jones’ career thus far, I personally cannot see Dana White and Co. immediately throwing Jones and Silva together in the Octagon, regardless of whether the fighters requested the fight. 

For one, it is obvious the top brass realize that they have a marketable light heavyweight champion on their hands. Unlike the stoic Rua and polarizing Lyoto Machida, Jones has already garnered masses of fans and media attention after having only fought professionally for three years. 

Dana White is a clever businessman, and one cannot help but speculate on the ways in which his business can make more money off the back of Jones.

While it would clearly be a huge PPV headliner, White and Co. have always looked at the long-term gains rather than the quick fixes. Picture the scenario: Jones and Silva face off, Jones tries to beat Silva at his own game and gets embarrassed in the process.

The UFC loses their young, popular and marketable champion to one with an already phenomenal legacy who would no doubt have been the betting favorite anyway. 

Now picture the opposite: Jones defeats Silva. Silva becomes less marketable having had his record-breaking winning streak put to a halt.

The idea of any other 205-pounder facing Jones following his victory over Silva would be seen as less of a challenge given the way Silva dominates almost everyone with whom he steps into the Octagon. 

Yet again, the UFC loses a marketable champion in Silva and is left with less-inspiring matchups against the rest of the 205-pound division.

If I were Dana White, I would focus on marketing Jones as the unstoppable force he is seen to be, rather than throw him into a super fight with the greatest champion ever having not built up a legacy to justify it.

But then again, White has always said he strives to give fans the fights they want. Will the cries for "Bones" vs. "The Spider" be just too loud to ignore?