Would Fighting A Prime Anderson Silva even have been a good idea for GSP?

Steven_Universe

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To be honest I can’t see it.

GSP is already the GOAT for doing what a champ is supposed to do, staying in his division and defending it.

GSP Cleared out the WW division which was packed even before the Strikeforce guys came.

What does he have to prove by taking on the greatest middleweight champ of all time?

I give GSP a 50/50 chance of either winning this or getting finished.

But he’s the GOAT without this victory. He had everything to lose and not much to gain.
 
In before another war between Silva fans and GSP fans.
 
It would have been a good idea if GSP thought he could win. There's a reason the fight never happened. Its the same reason Anderson wouldn't fight Jones.
 
Not going to say who's better of the two but that would be a fight for the ages.
 
Not much to gain?

His legacy would have been locked as the GOAT now if he had taken that fight and won, as opposed to being "one of the guys" in that discussion.

If you want to say the risk/reward tradeoff argues against taking the fight that's one thing, but there definitely was a lot to gain on the table.
 
GSP would've beaten Anderson at any point in either of their careers.

Alot of people may not know this, but Dana White and the UFC originally wanted to bring Anderson over from Pride as a WW to fight Matt Hughes. Then for whatever reason, Anderson ended up coming over and competing at MW. The WW division was stacked with wrestling based fighters (GSP, Hughes, Fitch, Koscheck). Where as the MW division was mostly strikers and BJJ guys.

It is just interesting. Makes you think who really ducked who back then.
 
I like them both. I can’t deny that GSP is greater and more consistent though Anderson was more exciting.

Why can’t we love them both?
Because we can't, OK?! You pick one, get your war paint on and go to war with these forum posters! My body is ready!
 
I like them both. I can’t deny that GSP is greater and more consistent though Anderson was more exciting.

Why can’t we love them both?
I do love them both. I believe fighters have no obligation to fight outside their weight class, up or down. That being said, I'd slightly favor GSP. Like 51/100 slight.
 
Financially, yes. Chael held AS down for 20+ minutes and there's no way in hell GSP would have got caught by a desperate triangle choke. He certainly would have had a chance.
 
Tale as old as time...thread as old as rhyme...Silva/GSPeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
 
I think GSP knew something about Anderson the rest of us didn't (at the time) ...

andersonsilva1.jpg
 
GSP wanted none of that fight, I think that tells us a lot.
 
Silva vs Chael the first time without a Hail Mary sub by Silva.

50-45 all day, everyday. Anybody that thinks otherwise has lost their marbles.

Too bad Dana scuttled it.
 
Not much to gain?

His legacy would have been locked as the GOAT now if he had taken that fight and won, as opposed to being "one of the guys" in that discussion.

If you want to say the risk/reward tradeoff argues against taking the fight that's one thing, but there definitely was a lot to gain on the table.
GSP could have defeated Silva and defended the belt 5 more times and there would still be haters that deny it.
 
I like them both. I can’t deny that GSP is greater and more consistent though Anderson was more exciting.

Why can’t we love them both?

No reason we can't, but you know how it goes around here. People think complimenting one guy somehow takes away from the other.
 
GSP would've beaten Anderson at any point in either of their careers.

Alot of people may not know this, but Dana White and the UFC originally wanted to bring Anderson over from Pride as a WW to fight Matt Hughes. Then for whatever reason, Anderson ended up coming over and competing at MW. The WW division was stacked with wrestling based fighters (GSP, Hughes, Fitch, Koscheck). Where as the MW division was mostly strikers and BJJ guys.

It is just interesting. Makes you think who really ducked who back then.
Yeah, just imagine how Matt Hughes would have smoked prime Silva..
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GSP not giving a rematch to Hendricks and running away from a MW title defense puts him bellow other champions. I can´t see Fedor, Jones, Aldo and Anderson running away from fights.
 
GSP could have defeated Silva and defended the belt 5 more times and there would still be haters that deny it.

Haters will hate because that's what they do, but they don't really matter.

I think most rational and reasonable fans would say GSP is in the cluster at the top for GOAT, but not wildly different than Silva, Jones, and Fedor (and maybe Aldo?) even if they have him in the top spot.

Beat Silva at 185 H2H prime to prime (or close) would have done a lot for those types of people in separating him from the other Mount Rushmore types.
 
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