This is a really good point, I agree with you. I dunno if the UFC would do that, they seem to want to book Conor vs fucking Cowboy with a shit undercard. But Conor vs Mas, or Gaethje with a solid undercard would be a banger.
Exactly. And the fact that ppvs were headlined by a title fight was just kind of the way it was... back in the day. It’s not an actual thing. They only had a limited number of cards at all back then. Now there is a card every week. And fight nights have been headlined by title fights.
But the thread is still about Khabib vs GSP, and at this point there is nothing except the obvious fight between Khabib and Tony to stop it from happening. But surely, nobody here is under the delusion that Tony would draw the numbers GSP would. And I doubt Tony and Justin put together in two fights vs Khabib draws the numbers Khabib vs GSP would do. And isn’t Tony getting up there in age? And with his issues, I see no guarantees he would ever fight again if he were to beat Khabib.
At the end of the day, I consider GSP retired. The ship has sailed. I’m just not even remotely convinced, given all the data (which I’ve touched on) that it was SMARTER for the UFC to take that route.
gsp was totally accurate in that opening post, and in his analysis of how others should see the situation. the ufc wants him there full-time, not whenever it pleases gsp. besides, the gsp of today would lose to the best.
So because GSP was asked the question and spoke about it first it makes Anderson’s numerous callouts to a smaller fighter who obviously wasn’t interested OK?
Again, UFC made the fight happen even though Silva didn't want the fight. I feel like I've said this before but someone just doesn't accept facts . . .
This makes no sense. GSP wasn’t the #1 contender at MW either yet that didn’t stop Anderson from calling him out numerous times. Shogun had just KO’d his best friend and said he would fight him. Using your logic, Shogun mentioned it first so why did Anderson say he wasn’t interested and that they were friends (which Shogun denied?)
1. GSP talks about fighting Silva
2. UFC talks about putting GSP vs Silva together because GSP talks about it and they are at that point considered the #1 and #2 ranked Pound for Pound fighters at the time (no not, #1 contender at MW, but a solid reason to try to put the fight together regardless, no?)
3. Silva wants to take the fight
4. UFC tries putting the fight together
5. GSP changes his mind
6. UFC and still want to put the fight together
7. Silva loses to Weidman twice and Silva horribly breaks his leg in the second fight.
8. GSP retires
I can kind of understand that the UFC doesn't want GSP beating Khabib & going back into retirement, even if its a non title bout. For 1 big payday, you lose long term because Khabib's stock goes down (part of Khabib's allure/stock is based on him being undefeated even after 30 fights). If GSP proposed a 1 fight vs someone who had name value but who has losses before & currently isn't a champion, UFC would go for it because the benefits outweigh the risks.
At the time, I was down because I thought Brock was coming back full time under contract. If he was just coming back for one fight, then no, I don’t think it makes sense to put him in a title fight. A fight like they did at UFC 200 makes more sense.
Lol, this another thing I hate! Interim titles used to be rare, and mean something. It really devalues you’re championships and champions when everyone in their mom has an interim belt. Even worse, the UFC doesn’t follow through on them, and strips people like Tony or Colby for no reason at all.
GSP changed his tune afterwards for whatever reason. Doesn't change the fact that GSP talked about taking the fighter before Silva EVER did.
You can't be this thickheaded
Yeah, remember what I said to you before about UFC making fights happen even though one of the fighters not wanting to take the fight?
Again, UFC made the fight happen even though Silva didn't want the fight. I feel like I've said this before but someone just doesn't accept facts . . .
Well lets go over this again . . .
1. GSP talks about fighting Silva
2. UFC talks about putting GSP vs Silva together because GSP talks about it and they are at that point considered the #1 and #2 ranked Pound for Pound fighters at the time (no not, #1 contender at MW, but a solid reason to try to put the fight together regardless, no?)
3. Silva wants to take the fight
4. UFC tries putting the fight together
5. GSP changes his mind
6. UFC and still want to put the fight together
7. Silva loses to Weidman twice and Silva horribly breaks his leg in the second fight.
8. GSP retires
AGAIN the UFC never tried putting the fight together so Anderson never actually turned it down.
And we've established that the UFC actually CAN make a fighter fight a fight he doesn't want (ie: Weidman vs Silva.)
Make excuses for Anderson calling out GSP because GSP mentioned it first
Using the same logic it doesn’t apply to Shogun mentioning Anderson first because it doesn’t suit your agenda
You admit Anderson didn’t want to fight Chris but just because he did as he couldn’t get his own way to fight Cung Le or Rich Franklin again for the 3rd time somehow his attempted duck is irrelevant.
Just because the UFC never officially made an attempt to put the fight together Anderson’s excuses NOT to fight Shogun while Shogun WOULD fight Anderson is somehow irrelevant
Yeah I suppose. Even that I think made more sense to do at 185 for Silva’s belt, rather than a catchweight. I feel like it’s worse to have GSP come down to Khabib’s actual weight class, win a belt, then retire with it. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be super pumped for that fight and watch the shit out of it.
I’m just saying I don’t think it makes sense for the UFC as a promotion.
GSP-Anderson either at 170 for WW belt or 185 for MW belt, either would have been okay. No one wanted a catchweight because they'd lose all the casual viewers (over half the PPV numbers, so neither GSP, Anderson or the UFC wanted it).
Georges is nearly 40 (turns 39 next month) and has fought once in the last SEVEN years. MMA is a sideshow compared to real sports so we hang on to the personalities that break through.
Khabib has been extraordinarily inactive through the course of his last 5 years in the UFC. The same goes for Tony. I don't want Khabib to take money fights when he's not been able to consistently fight contenders for years now. Lets only book fights that should happen until you are out of the title picture.
Make excuses for Anderson calling out GSP because GSP mentioned it first
Using the same logic it doesn’t apply to Shogun mentioning Anderson first because it doesn’t suit your agenda
You admit Anderson didn’t want to fight Chris but just because he did as he couldn’t get his own way to fight Cung Le or Rich Franklin again for the 3rd time somehow his attempted duck is irrelevant.
Just because the UFC never officially made an attempt to put the fight together Anderson’s excuses NOT to fight Shogun while Shogun WOULD fight Anderson is somehow irrelevant
Again, you can't turn down a fight if the fight was never officially attempted to be put together
And you ignoring facts that before you said that the UFC never tried putting Silva vs Shogun together because Anderson said he didn't want the fight.
Then get DESTROYED BY YOUR OWN ARGUMENT by bringing up Weidman who he didn't want to fight, but ended up fighting him because the UFC put the fight together.
Methinks you just need some therapy to get over that irrational Silva hate there, dude. Makes you ignore the important things like, you know, facts.
Again, Anderson made it clear he did not want to fight Shogun. It is utterly pointless that you are arguing otherwise because it was not offered. It didn’t even need to as Anderson did not want it.
And you ignoring facts that before you said that the UFC never tried putting Silva vs Shogun together because Anderson said he didn't want the fight.
Then get DESTROYED BY YOUR OWN ARGUMENT by bringing up Weidman who he didn't want to fight, but ended up fighting him because the UFC put the fight together.
The fight made sense for both GSP and Khabib...it just didn't make sense for the UFC.
Bisping was on his way out and looking for a pay day. GSP beating him did not hurt the UFC at all and the revenue from that one-off was worth it for everyone involved.
It would make little sense for the UFC to have GSP come in, potentially beat an undefeated Khabib who is in his prime, and then leave again. Even at 165, which I thought would be ideal as it would leave Khabib free to go back to 155 to defend, a loss (depending how it happened) could still tarnish Khabib's status from the UFC's perspective.
Let's also be real...at best, that fight is a toss up, but I would argue that GSP would have been the favourite to win (especially at if it did happen at a catchweight). If the likelihood is that GSP beats Khabib and walks, or even that there is a pretty good chance that happens, it was not in the UFC's best interests to make that fight.
Eh. It's a lose lose for the UFC. If Khabib wins, well congrats. He just beat a guy who technically retired like 6 years ago with two artificial knees.
On the other hand, if GSP wins, it destroys Khabibs undefeated allure, and shows that fights haven't really improved over the last 6 or so years.
Side note, I dont know who would have won that fight, impossible to say. But if GSP had any speed left in the tank, his TDD plus teh jab would have been Khabibs toughest challenge.
Exactly right, although it's not so much a matter of fighters not improving as it is a matter of matching up a dominant grappler against a larger dominant grappler. I'd favor Usman over Khabib due to the size discrepancy and if GSP still has juice left in the tank, he could give Khabib some serious problems. Now if GSP came out of retirement and whipped Usman, that would make a more compelling argument for the theory that fighters actually haven't improved that much over the last few years; that, or GSP really is that great.
I'm not even the biggest GSP fan, but unless the weight cut took a ton out of him, he would have won easily. He's too well rounded and too athletic. Probably a little bigger too. He'd have kept Khabib on the end of his jab and power doubled him whenever the opening showed itself. Say what you will about Bisping, but he was the MW champ and GSP beat him. Bisping would potato Khabib in a fight rather easily, when we're talking about 2 weight classes, size matters.
GSP was going into the 155 lbs... He wasn't just going to goon a small fighter like when Anderson Silva called out McGregor like a bitch; GSP was actually going down to hunt the champ on his own turf.
That's why GSP is the GOAT, and Anderoid will be a footnote in the UFC's History!
Dana always shits on boxing and promoters who they say fighters are being protected and whatnot or fights don’t happen when they’re suppose to. So, this is the same thing, is it not? Protecting Khabib.
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