Getty Georges St-Pierre
MMA superstar and former UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva recently expressed interest in boxing a fellow fighting legend, Georges St-Pierre.
“The Spider” is gearing up to battle Jake Paul inside the ring on Saturday via Showtime PPV. The match, in which both fighters officially made weight under the 187-pound limit on Friday, is set to take place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Ahead of his meeting with “The Problem Child,” Silva pointed to a future potential showdown with “GSP,” the longest-reigning 170-pound champion in UFC history.
“Wow, I think that’s good [on a meeting with St-Pierre in the boxing ring],” Silva said during a press conference on Thursday (h/t BJPenn.com). “You know, wow. First of all, you would need to check if GSP is out of the contract with the UFC. Because, I think that GSP could come and do something special same as us, you know. I love it, I love it, it’s so amazing.”
Both GSP and “The Spider” ruled their UFC weight classes during the same era, and at one point, the possibility of a superfight between the two was one of the most exciting topics in mixed martial arts.
The two never met inside the Octagon, however. Further, St-Pierre retired from the sport after he returned to the cage to claim the 185-pound title by besting Michael Bisping in 2017.
GSP Wanted to Box Oscar De La Hoya Last Year, Couldn’t Because He’s Under Contract With UFC
In 2021, GSP was all-in on boxing Oscar De La Hoya, but the match never came to fruition because St-Pierre is still contracted by the UFC. In a June 2021 interview with Sports Illustrated, GSP revealed that he had around two years left on his UFC deal and that UFC president Dana White shut down the boxing match with De La Hoya.
“Trust me, if this fight would have happened, I would have moved to Los Angeles to [famed boxing trainer] Freddie Roach’s gym and made a full training camp, leaving no stone unturned,” St-Pierre said. “Unfortunately, Dana White didn’t want it. It is what it is. I can’t be mad at him. People have said to take him to court, but that makes me look like the bad guy, and I don’t want to spend money on lawyers and all that.
“My contract with UFC will finish in almost two years, and I will be free—and I will still be in shape.”
St-Pierre continued, reiterating that there was still a possibility of him returning to combat sports after his contract expires. “I’m still a fighter and an entertainer,” GSP said. “If there is an exhibition fight or a novelty fight for charity, then never say never.”
GSP Is One of the Greatest Fighters of All Time
St-Pierre, like Silva, is in the discussion as the greatest fighter of all time. With a professional mixed martial arts record of 26-2, the Canadian held both the UFC middleweight and welterweight titles.
He beat several notable names from different MMA eras, including fellow former UFC champions BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, Sean Sherk and Johny Hendricks.
He avenged both his professional losses and left the sport on a 13-fight win streak.