Would GSP have still fought for the MW title if Hendo beat Bisping and retired?

[El General]

Just hendo? absolutely. Any of the other killers? Not a chance.

Hendo would be easy for gsp to take down and outpoint on the feet. Gsp is cerebral and would be prepared for that right hand. Tough fight for hendo at 46 yrs old.

 

[LouisBolanos]

Now that's your version of reality, here are some facts:

Jones and Silva's reigns overlapped from March 19th 2011 to July 6th 2013, that's more than 2 years. That would've been a fun superfight as well, but Silva wasn't interested, despite having experience at LHW.

GSP: December 29, 2007 November 16, 2013
Anderson: October 14, 2006 July 6, 2013

Overlap: almost 6 years, for the vast majority of both title reigns. They had YEARS to set up this fight, during which BOTH champions had established themselves as the most dominant forces of their respective divisions. Jon Jones' reign might have overlapped with Silva's for 2 years, but by the time he established himself as the Silva/GSP of his division, it was 2013 and they had very little time to set up that fight, the situations were not even close. Silva/GSP was about as perfect as things could have gone for a super fight to happen.

After that, talks about the superfight were brought up, GSP asked for stricter PED testing which the UFC refused, so GSP never accepted the fight.

PED was never the main reason GSP didn't take the fight. His main reason had always been that it would take him a lot of time to adapt his body to MW. He feared being undersized, and wanted to bulk up, and you saw how that fear forced him to overeat himself so his colitis flared up. Risk takers like Fedor, Penn, Saku would have never concerned themselves with being undersized by 15 lbs.

Say what you want, but in the end Silva is 36-8-1 with 2 failed PED tests, basically lost in every way possible (nearing the double digits...) while GSP sits at a stellar 26-2, all losses brutally avenged, lineal WW champ, lineal MW champ. I wonder who's legacy is better.

Yes, GSP succeeded at the highest level by minimizing risks while maximizing profits, never said I disagreed. Being a huge risk taker doesn't mean being more successful. In fact people who take huge risks in this sport often fail spectacularly, as reflected in the records (and damage) of Penn and Sakuraba.

GSP could've literally gone up to 185 (which he did btw), finish Silva and you people would claim that Silva was past his prime.

This is pure conjecture on your part. If GSP finished Silva at MW at any point during Silva's MW reign the debate between him vs. Silva would be all but over. There will always be doubters, but the pendulum would be swung much more heavily in GSP's favor. If you think GSP beating Silva at MW wouldn't have made a huge positive impact to his legacy you're delusional.

 

[MikeMcMann]

GSP: December 29, 2007 November 16, 2013
Anderson: October 14, 2006 July 6, 2013

Overlap: almost 6 years, for the vast majority of both title reigns. They had YEARS to set up this fight, during which BOTH champions had established themselves as the most dominant forces of their respective divisions. Jon Jones' reign might have overlapped with Silva's for 2 years, but by the time he established himself as the Silva/GSP of his division, it was 2013 and they had very little time to set up that fight, the situations were not even close. Silva/GSP was about as perfect as things could have gone for a super fight to happen.



PED was never the main reason GSP didn't take the fight. His main reason had always been that it would take him a lot of time to adapt his body to MW. He feared being undersized, and wanted to bulk up, and you saw how that fear forced him to overeat himself so his colitis flared up. Risk takers like Fedor, Penn, Saku would have never concerned themselves with being undersized by 15 lbs.



Yes, GSP succeeded at the highest level by minimizing risks while maximizing profits, never said I disagreed. Being a huge risk taker doesn't mean being more successful. In fact people who take huge risks in this sport often fail spectacularly, as reflected in the records (and damage) of Penn and Sakuraba.



This is pure conjecture on your part. If GSP finished Silva at MW at any point during Silva's MW reign the debate between him vs. Silva would be all but over. There will always be doubters, but the pendulum would be swung much more heavily in GSP's favor. If you think GSP beating Silva at MW wouldn't have made a huge positive impact to his legacy you're delusional.

You can't force a fight neither guy really wanted and Anderson wanted no part of a fight with GSP for most of that over lap period. Almost every time a Mic was put in his face and he was asked about a potential GSP fight he would say 'it's not a fight that interests me'.

That ONLY changed after Anderson had cleaned out his division, gone to UFC.said he was thinking about retiring and only wanted the biggest fights possible at LHW and MW. But then Shogun grabbed the belt and called for a Super Fight with Anderson and Anderson then said he would never fight outside MW again. Once Jones beat Shogun, Anderson then affirmed he had no more interest in moving up and set his sights for the first time on GSP. That was just as GSP was training for Shields. His biggest WW fight.

Unfortunately for Anderson his cleaning out the MW division did not coincide with GSP cleaning out the WW one. GSP still had some of his biggest fights ahead of him in Shields, Condit, Dias.and Hendricks and just as Anderson had no interest in legacy fights until he had cemented himself as MW Goat and cleaned out his division, so to did GSP have the same goal rightly. And Hughes title defense record was still ahead of him.

So it's not about GSP taking risks. It's about the timing of when a dominant champ might take risks versus ensuring his bigger priorities like cleaning out his division and ensuring his legacy as Goat of his natural division.

 

[MuyThaiElbows]

No. He might have fought Conor.

 

[JackSchtotll]

Another GSP thread from you.

Atleast you had the balls to edit it to what the thread was intended for. Now you just need to commit to accusing GSP of PED’s

LOL

And who exactly are you to tell people what threads they are allowed to make or not?

 

[JackSchtotll]

The answer is: no way.

GSP hand picked the easiest match up available. Claiming Bisping was a draw is a joke. Even Dana White explicitly said GSP was picking what he saw as the easiest path, wanted no business with Woodley....plus, they made him sign a contract that he'd defend the belt in case he won.

He won and broke that contract. That already answers the entire thread.

 

[Calipwnia]

It must suck for you that GSP is the greatest fighter of all time and holds belts in two divisions.

He holds belts in 2 divisions? I’m pretty sure he dropped them both. The MW belt was a world record too.

 

[JackSchtotll]

He holds belts in 2 divisions? I’m pretty sure he dropped them both. The MW belt was a world record too.

 

[GabeLincoln]

Romero had just KO’d Weidman the next event after UFC 204.

Who would have squared off vs Romero? Rockhold was still coming off a KO Loss..Mousasi vs Romero maybe?

I actually think GSP probably would have. This was before his mild colitis flare up, and at the time he seemed very serious about challenging himself for the MW title. So I don’t see any reason why he would avoid Yoel during this timeline.

What do you think? Would it have been yoel vs GSP or someone else?

100% no GSP wants everything in his favor when he fights thats why he wants to walk right intoa title shot Lightweight.

The belts have no meaning anylonger it is like WWE and if he gets gifted a title shot. UFC will see the last of me

 

[Alech33]

At the time, Romero vs Jacare 2 would have been the MW title fight to make.

Whittaker had yet to beat Jacare. GSP doesn’t fight anyone else for the title other than Bisping,

If you're going off who deserved it most. Gsp absolutely would have cut the line. In fact if it was vacated I bet GSP would have a lot of say in who he would have liked as long as it made some sense. Maybe would have still been bisping on the argument of one fight removed from champion

 

[ImLovinIt]

Hendo yea. Romero no