GSP VS. Silva, GSP stand a chance?

[Andrew Burry]

Silva's consistent dominant performances over top level competition make me wonder would GSP stand a chance in a UFC superfight?? I am a huge GSP fan and find myself always worried by the UFC hype machine that GSP could lose, yet he dominates round after round, opponent after opponent. But compared to Anderson Silva, GSP's performances are lackluster. Silva finishes fights with brutal knockouts seemingly whenever he has had enough of toying around with his opponent. GSP is on another level, but is it Silva's level?

[Sean Dunston]

I know we've batted this topic around a bunch in this forum.

I think GSP would be an idiot to take that fight.
He may be able to fight and beat some guys in 185#, but Silva has already proved he can obliterate everyone in 185#, and beat high level 205# guys too.
I'm not taking anything away from GSP - he's a great fighter, no doubt about it. IMHO - he's just not big enough to be much of a challenge to Silva. Silva would laugh all the way to the bank on that fight.

[Vickie Ellickson]

I have to believe that GSP's superior game-planning keeps a Silva win from being a foregone conclusion.

The weight difference is an issue, but I don't think it's b/c GSP wouldn't be as relatively "strong". Silva doesn't necessarily push and muscle you around outside of the thai clinch. He's scary good b/c of his speed and timing. If GSP were to move up in weight--even a 180lb catchweight--he might sacrifice the speed needed to keep up with Silva.

All in all, I'd love to see those two mix it up.

[Pearse Shields]

Not a fight that I want to see, not is it one that the UFC needs. Silva would win, would be my guess. He's a master at finishing his opponents when he wants. GSP would have to go in with the gameplan to wrestle, wrestle, wrestle. One thing I don't want to see is a fight where Silva gets beaten via GSP lay and pray.

[Doug Blankenship]

Hopefully we never have to see that fight. No reason for GSP to add another loss to his record.

[Celio Silva]

No winner on that fight, at all!

If Silva beats GSP, he beat a welterweight.

If GSP beats Silva, and that is a BIG if, he would do so by very boring fashion, further cementing his status as a boring/annoying fighter to watch, and worse of all, he would use such an awful style to beat the GOAT, doing major damage to the sport.

GSP was once a great fighter, now he is an embarassement to the sport! I know some people would defend him against such claim, but think about it:

He took Hardy down literally within the very first few seconds of their fight, and then comes Condit and Lyte and trade freely with Hardy, coming out WAY on top! He wouldn't engage Shields, a guy with little-to-no-stand up, and actually took damage in their fight, which further prevented him from engaging! He wouldn't throw combos in the Koscheck fight, can you imagine the kind of damage he would do with punches other than a jab, considering the kind of damage he inflicted on Kos with just jabs?

GSP is a champion that simply won't fight! There is nothing wrong with fighting smart, it's how it should be done, but GSP dosen't fight smart or safe, he simply dosen't fight!

Now the question is, since he won't grapple with grapplers and won't exchange with strikers, how will he "fight" against Diaz, a guy with better BJJ and boxing than him? Probably by trying to press him against the cage for 25 minutes, like he did against BJ in the first round of their rematch...

[Vickie Ellickson]

Originally Posted by Celio Silva

...further cementing his status as a boring/annoying fighter to watch, and worse of all, he would use such an awful style to beat the GOAT, doing major damage to the sport.

....

Now the question is, since he won't grapple with grapplers and won't exchange with strikers, how will he "fight" against Diaz, a guy with better BJJ and boxing than him? Probably by trying to press him against the cage for 25 minutes, like he did against BJ in the first round of their rematch...

I don't even know where to start, except to point out the obvious:

GSP is a big fat winner. He may not win the way that YOU want him to win, but he's still a winner. He is not an embarrassment to the sport. Guys who don't make weight, guys who run away from fights, guys who are poor sports...THEY are embarrassments to the sport.

EDIT: I would also add the Silva v. Maia debacle as a true embarrassment.

I'm going to assume that you are joking about Diaz having better boxing and BJJ than GSP.

[Doug Blankenship]

Celio, you know darn well GSP has way better boxing then Diaz. Diaz doesn't have traditional boxing. He throws a lot of punches and has a decent chin. That doesnt make you a boxer.

The bjj argument is very close.

[Pearse Shields]

Originally Posted by Vickie Ellickson

EDIT: I would also add the Silva v. Maia debacle as a true embarrassment.

Quoted for truth. I was pleased that Anderson left the showboating behind (mostly) for his fight with Okami.

I'm all for using a strategy that works. Unfortunately, GSP's strategy leaves me feeling disappointed, annoyed, and like nothing really happened.

[Celio Silva]

Originally Posted by Vickie Ellickson

I don't even know where to start, except to point out the obvious:

GSP is a big fat winner. He may not win the way that YOU want him to win, but he's still a winner. He is not an embarrassment to the sport. Guys who don't make weight, guys who run away from fights, guys who are poor sports...THEY are embarrassments to the sport.

EDIT: I would also add the Silva v. Maia debacle as a true embarrassment.

I'm going to assume that you are joking about Diaz having better boxing and BJJ than GSP.

And i am going to assume that you are unfamiliar with the sport of BJJ and with Diaz & GSP skills in such sport.

And you are absolutely right, GSP is exactly that, "...a big fat winner...", but in case you haven't noticed, UFC stands for Ultimate FIGHTING Championship, otherwise it would be called UWC, Ultimate Winner Championship, so when I pay for a PPV that's what I wanna watch, FIGHTING! So a champion that simply WON'T fight is indeed a embarassament to the sport of FIGHTING.

UFC Champions...

HW: Cain ---> fights!
LHW: Jones ---> fights!
MW: Silva ---> oh boy, does he fight!
WW: GSP ---> wins!
LHW: Edgar ---> fights!
FW: Aldo ---> oh boy, does he fight!
BW: Cruz ---> fights!

Does that make it clearer? Does GSP fight like the UFC champions? No way in heavens even the most ardent GSP fan would argue that... ...not in a logical way anyways.