GSP: I'm yet to think about fighting Anderson Silva, Condit is my main target
Posted on October 28, 2012, 01:04 PM by Mike DrahotaWhile UFC Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has recently acknowledged that he should be finishing his opponents more decisively, the focus around him remains centered on his next fight rather than his November 17th title bout with interim titleholder Carlos Condit. Speculation runs rampant, of course, that GSP will soon face off with Middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a huge, long-awaited superfight. However, GSP is remaining grounded with his focus on the task at hand, and had the following to say about all of the speculation concerning him:
“I hate that. They talk to me about the next fight and I’m not there. Like I’m supposed to win easy, like it’s a joke. Carlos Condit is a dangerous guy. I always respect my opponent. My life is on the line.” - via The New York Post
So GSP is heading into the UFC 154 bout with a clear head, not focused on the any possible future bouts like the fans and media may be. He knows that Carlos Condit is a very dangerous fighter, a man with a killer instinct that has finished many opponents. That instinct has seemingly been forgotten in the “you're only as good as your last fight” world of MMA, where Condit has undergone more fire than praise in beating Nick Dia., Condit was heavily criticized for fighting a safe battle instead of engaging the always aggressive Diaz in a boxing match. GSP knows this, and will head into the fight with that in mind. As for the oft-discussed match with Anderson Silva, St. Pierre offered only these words:
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. I know he’s a big guy. I have to sit down and analyze it.”
Many believe that Anderson Silva is simply too big and too effective even for a fighter as versed as Georges St. Pierre. GSP knows it will take time to put on the weight to have a chance in the cage against the fighter who many consider to be the best of all time. He will also need to gauge how his surgically repaired knee responds to top competition. Carlos Condit is no walkover fight, and the Welterweight title is at stake in a division full of hungry fighters ready to step up to a shot at the belt. We may never see St. Pierre versus Silva, but that is not something that GSP can understandably be concerned with at this point in time.
Comments
If he overlooks Condit, he will be going out or getting a surprise sub. Condit is the biggest threat to Georges' title yet.
Exactly, Condit is a killer. On top of that GSP is coming off a very long rest, after all that time out of the cage who knows how he will react mentally. Going to be an interesting match.
"i know hes a big guy" remember when you fought B.J or all those other smaller welterweights????? no problem then hu?
onemoreround, I completely agree. Silva/Georges the safest - Pierre's "big fight" will never happen, sorry guys. Georges has made it clear numerous times that he wants no part of Silva, plain and simple.
As for his fight with condit, well, I see his alligator arms or jabs being a non-factor. Will he be able to take Condit down? sure, he will. But at some point in the fight, he will be put to sleep nicely.
The Natural Born Killer via - TKO - round 3.
BJ Penn, Matt Serra, and ...
What other "small" WW's would you be speaking of? Alves? Bigger. Hardy? Big WW (or I guess normal sized UFC WW now). Fitch? Hughes? Shields?
to be fair GSP has had 4 years to think about Anderson Silva, and everytime GSP fights he says its his most dangerous opponent ever
No. GSP will control the fight and grind out a boring 5 round decision like he has done in his past 4 fights in a row.
Condit didn't look like a finisher himself against Diaz,. We maybe looking at a long 5 round fight of game planning.
If so GSP has proven to be the best at it - Condit needs to go in looking to finish or GSP is draggin this out. for another decision.
Yaaaaarg!!!! I keep seeing/ hearing this BS about Condit not being a finisher anymore. IT WAS ONE BLOODY FIGHT PEOPLE!
Carlos has a decision rate of 7%. That is one of the lowest in MMA. GSP has 41% in comparison to Fitch at 58% and the most boring fighter in MMA..Ben Askren at 60. Nick himself is at 19%
forget the superfight!
GSP has to Handle Condit first...
and if victorious there is a line with good fighters waiting like Hendriks, Nick Diaz, Ellenberger and Kampman...
Who cares about Silva he's fighting Condit. A superfight in it's own right IMO. As for Condit fighting safe against Diaz that is BS he engaged him but decided to not be where Diaz was throwing his leather. He nailed Diaz with great shots every single round and outclassed him pure and simple, utilising a hit and move strategy that Diaz had no answer for.
PS: murphy is bang on the money with his comment, this really is a tough test for GSP and if GSP wins impressively the p4p debate will rage on as usual.
Who cares about Silva, Jones is fighting Sonnen next. A superfight in it's own right IMO.
Funny how that works, huh?
But seriously, I don't understand how Silva is a coward for not fighting Jones, but GSP is "smart" for not fighting Silva. The double standard, "IT BURNS!"
Silva is a coward for not fighting Jones, because they are much more similar in weight, height, and build then Silva vs. GSP. Plus they are both major finishers. The way Silva talks about GSP, it's like he's admitting he wants the easier fight, rather than the more fair fight. And that makes him a coward. Especially when Sonnen is more than willing to fight Jones, and also would have on short notice. Chael and everyone else knows the odds will be against him, but if Silva is so much better than Chael, then grow some balls. The guy that you just beat is willing to fight the guy you're afraid of. I don't think the last fight does mean Silva is that much better than Chael though. Chael made a huge mistake with that back fist, trying to throw it harder than any punch in his life. In any case, if Silva wants any sort of legacy, he's got to fight Jones. I'd love to see that way more than GSP, and I think most people would agree.
Silva is closer in weight to GSP, than he is to Bones. He does have a 4" height advantage, but only a 1" reach advantage over GSP. Bones on the other hand, has a 2" height advantage and a whopping 7" reach advantage over Anderson. Therefore, your statement about Anderson's build, height and weight is a bunch a baloney.
GSP used to be a major finisher, before he let Matt Serra put some fear in his heart. While he's definitely capable of finishing, he'd rather play it safe, so that sounds like a personal problem to me.
The way GSP talks about fighting Silva leaves much to be desired. Years ago, it was "I've got to focus on my next opponent" and "It'll take me years to put on 15-20lbs of muscle", blah blah blah, ad nauseum. Today, we hear the same BS, different wrapper. That, IMO, sounds like cowardice. I guess he'd rather fight Ben Henderson when he outgrows LW, kinda like he did with BJ Penn.
As far as your boy toy is concerned, it's easy for a fighter to want to fight when he has everything to gain and nothing to lose. Anderson has already proven he's MUCH better than Chael by finishing him in both of their fights. Nobody has ever fought a perfect fight and mistakes happen all the time. Don't be mad at the Spider for being a master of capitalizing on them. That's part of what makes him such a great fighter, be able to do things most other fighters can't.
Silva's legacy is rock solid. Look at all the UFC records that he's broken. Look at all the highlight reel finishes he's had. If he retired today, he'd be known as possibly the best mixed martial artist of all time. He has nothing left to prove, though I'd love to see Silva fight both GSP AND Bones.
What's next? Are you gonna rag on Bones for not going up to fight JDS, "if he wants any sort of legacy"?
"When two men are in the ring, the cage, the octogon, there is no more dangerous opponent than the man in front of you". The key mental attribute for any fighter is focus in the moment. In a fight fear kills, thinking can kill... when the time for preparation has past the time for action has arrived. At that point in time focus is key - GSP understands this, as does JJ, AS....
GSP by decision
This guys speaks like a broken record,if he wins by decision hell apologize and say he tried to finish the fight with that said I belive GSP has this I don't like it but I really don't think Condit can sub him and the way GSP mixes up his striking and takedowns will keep Condit fighting safe,GSP by decision.Might be different against a pre safe Condit.
GSP should beat the S**T out of Dana White for trying to hype this so called 'superfight' so hard. It seems as though Dana has been getting
slimier and slimier with the way he's promoting the fighters and the sport. He's been getting called out on bold-faced lies by heaps of fighters lately. Its bad for MMA, plain and simple.
If Georges wants to fight Silva, it's for the sole reason that he wants to test himself against the consensus G.O.A.T. The competitor and athlete in him wants to test himself against a man that is so anomalous and so clearly ahead of the pack, which is the same reason Bonnar agreed to the fight. As a professional fighter, you may only get one crack at the modern day Bruce Lee. It is a desirable fight for ANY fighter considering Silva's retirement from competition could occur at any time.
On the other hand, GSP knows Carlos Condit is a beast - he's the one that has to step inside a locked caged with him for 25 minutes. He's not exaggerating when he says his life is on the line. Condit has gone the distance a total of 2 times in 28 professional wins. He deserves Georges full respect and attention. I think GSP knows he's gonna have to deal with these a*******s at every single press event calling for a 'superfight' with Silva. All b/c of Dana being a scumbag prick of a promoter.
I think the more UFC grows the more Dana White becomes only concerned with the money. MMA in general has a strong enough fan base for UFC to be successful for easily the next 10 years and I'm sure far beyond. There is no need for Dana White to force super fights, or offer title shots to chael sonnen to boost ratings.
After Silva beat Bonnar I heard Dana White telling the presss he wants to see Jones vs Silva in a superfight, I watched Silva shake his head no and say he's not interested. Dana White proceeded to state that if Silva saw how much money is being offered he would accept the fight. Money hungry savage Dana White has become.
GSP has Condit, Kampman and Diaz to deal with at welterweight. Silva has Bisping and Weidman to deal with at middleweight, and Jones has yet to fight a very deserving and worthy contender in Dan Henderson at light heavyweight. Let UFC progress naturally and give deserving fighters the chance to shine.