Reality Check: How Long Do We Have Left For The Silva vs. Jones Superfight To Happen?

Much has been said in the ongoing debate about the possibility of Anderson Silva facing Jon Jones. Both parties have expressed an interest in fighting, and rumours are circulating about an October event being headlined by the Dream match.

The magnitude of this fight is huge in every sense of the word, and I think that this fight needs to happen way more than any other. This fight would be such a huge seller for the UFC, and it will probably mark the beginning of the UFC being a household sport. Yes, believe it or not, not everyone knows who Anderson Silva or Jon Jones are.

Not only that, but this fight would be such an awesome spectacle. These guys are really at the top of the pack, the best of the best, but given the timescale-what is the chance of such a bout ever coming to fruition? The biggest factor in this match is time.

Silva is 38 years old now, in reality that isn’t old at all, but in MMA it is a whole different ball game. Time is ticking for the champion, he will eventually slow and although it may not be by much-it will probably be enough to see someone defeat the longtime 185lb. boss. I don’t think that the UFC will be able to sell Silva vs. Jones if The Spider loses against Weidman, or anyone else for that matter.

It is a superfight because both guys are champions, both guys are P4P toppers, both guys are on massive unbeaten streaks *(yeah I said it, Hamill doesn’t count) and both guys are seemingly untouchable. The moment there is a chink in one’s armour, the possibility of a superfight goes off on the breeze. Just like that.

The other fact to consider is that as Jones ages, he will naturally bulk up and find it harder to stay at 205. He will be a Heavyweight within the next three years, in my opinion. Plus if he cleans out the division two or three times over, then what is the point of him fighting there anyway? I hate to draw boxing and MMA comparisons, but Pac Man vs. Mayweather may have been hindered by financial disputes-but the nail in the coffin was Pacquaio losing. He lost his half of the hype for that fight, so why would any promoter want to make it?

Back to MMA, say that Silva beats Weidman-is Jones going to be fighting Gustafsson at the end of the year? Maybe, and if he is will Silva sit out for the time it takes Jones to fight? So what if Jones loses? I’d say if Jones loses to Gustafsson, he is going to want a rematch seeing as he has dominated the division for so long. Jones could be tied up for the next 12 months, which isn’t going to give a superfight with Silva much of a chance in the near future.

Now what we do know is that Silva is fighting Weidman, and I’m hoping the reason the UFC hasn’t announced Gus vs. Jones is that they want Silva to win and hey presto! Superfight time. But in a world as fragile as MMA matchmaking, one small twist can send the whole idea down the toilet. Remember when GSP and Silva played ‘Will we, won’t we?’, I do, and it sucked.

The reality of the situation is that if this fight is going to happen, it needs to happen very soon. Hopefully Silva can get past Weidman and make this Dream a reality. Stay tuned to Lowkick!