Anderson Silva vs. GSP Makes Sense; No Upside to Fighting Chris Weidman Right Now

Anderson Silva is sitting on top of the world right now.

Not only is he the longest reigning and defending champion in UFC history, Silva also finished off one of the most epic feuds in all of mixed martial arts with his last win over Chael Sonnen at UFC 148.

Now the only question that remains is what’s left for Anderson Silva to do in MMA?

That’s the question that is circling the Brazilian legend as inquiries continue to swirl about whom he’ll face next in the Octagon.

The biggest possibility right now remains a superfight showdown with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in 2013. According to Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, a fight with St-Pierre makes the most sense, but it’s far from a done deal.

“I think it makes the most sense. First of all, Georges St-Pierre has to get through Carlos Condit, but if he gets through Carlos Condit, which is not going to be an easy task, but if he gets through there that’s a fight that makes sense for both guys,” Soares told MMAWeekly Radio.

“A superfight like that I think is going to be the biggest fight. I think a lot of fans want to watch it and I think it will be a highlight for both of their careers. I think that the superfight is definitely a big challenge, fighting someone like Georges St-Pierre.”

The biggest hurdle remaining before that fight can even be proposed is for St-Pierre to defeat Carlos Condit at UFC 154. If that happens, a Silva vs. St-Pierre superfight in 2013 would almost seem like an automatic lock.

If St-Pierre isn’t successful in his return fight in November, Soares believes there are still challenges ahead for Silva at 185 pounds, but nothing or no one that deserves a shot at the title at this moment.

That includes UFC middleweight contender Chris Weidman.

“As far as the middleweight division, yes, I do think there are still a lot of challenges. I just think that the middleweight division, you’ve got guys who have been on a pretty good win streak like Chris Weidman, but unfortunately Chris Weidman as far as a fight goes, I mean, Anderson would fight anybody the UFC puts in front of him at 185 pounds, but we would just like to see a bigger fight,” Soares stated.

“I think right now, the fight the way it is, that might be a bit of a tough fight to promote. Once again, not taking anything away from Chris Weidman, because I think Chris Weidman is a very talented fighter, but I just think it’s a tough fight to promote right now.”

Soares says the UFC has never come to them and officially offered Chris Weidman as Silva’s next opponent, so they are still in a holding pattern in terms of what’s next. When the UFC does finally call with a fight they want Silva to take, he’ll say yes, just like he always has done.

In their minds, however, a fight with Chris Weidman just doesn’t make sense for Anderson Silva without something else happening first.

“He’s a very talented guy, but there’s no upside to that fight. If he goes out there and beats Chris Weidman, it’s expected of him. The guy only has 9 or 10 professional fights or whatever it is, and now all of a sudden he’s going to fight Anderson Silva, who has 15 consecutive wins in the UFC. It’s just one of those situations where it’s a no-win situation for Anderson,” said Soares.

“He has to go out there and destroy him and if he doesn’t destroy him, what’s that say? I just think the Chris Weidman fight is a difficult fight to promote, but I feel that outside of that the middleweight division is a little bit murky right now. There isn’t a solid No. 1 contender right now.”

Soares says that they will likely begin discussions with the UFC towards the end of this year in regards to what’s next for Silva in the Octagon. There is obviously less road ahead of Silva than behind him at this point in his career, but there are still challenges he wants to conquer.

“Personally, I don’t think there’s anything else Anderson needs to do to prove himself as far as MMA. I think he’s done what no one has done before, but I feel Anderson being the kind of fighter he is, he’ll know when it’s time to hang it up,” said Soares. “I leave that up to him.”

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