Get a 50% Bonus
Visit BetUS
Click Here
Visit Bodog
Click Here
|
|
2008-04-21 03:11:46
Who's Next for Georges St. Pierre?
|
After Georges St. Pierre's incredibly impressive victory over Matt Serra at UFC 83 in Montreal, fans are now wondering: who is next for arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world?
There are many different rumblings currently making the rounds of the Mixed Martial Arts world. Here are some of the different names that have been mentioned, along with our opinion as to the likelihood of each match-up:
1. Anderson "Spider" Silva - the proposed dream match-up between the current Middleweight champion and the current Welterweight champion. In order for this match-up to happen, Pierre would need to move up to Middleweight, as it would be much easier for him to move up than for Silva to move down. While this match may happen down the road, it won't happen anytime soon. The UFC wants to establish St. Pierre as a dominant welterweight champion before they would even entertain the idea of this match-up. This means at least three successful defenses for St. Pierre of the welterweight belt. If this happens and Silva is still the defending middleweight champion at the time, then there is a good chance of this match-up actually taking place. It won't happen for at least a couple of years though.
Likelihood: 0.5/10
2. Matt Serra Re-match. Some are speculating that there may be a "rubber" match between Serra and St. Pierre, possibly taking place at Madison Square Garden in New York. St. Pierre destroyed Serra at UFC 83, and even though this fight would draw some huge gates (being that Serra is from the area), I don't believe that it would draw much in terms of PPV buys. I know that I wouldn't be particularly interested in seeing Serra get destroyed again. It was pretty obvious to me after watching the fight last night that Serra's victory at UFC 69: Shootout was a fluke. I don't see the UFC booking this fight any time soon - maybe after Serra has re-established himself as a legitimate threat to St. Pierre.
Likelihood: 2/10
3. Matt Hughes. Maybe, but doubtful. Hughes is a former two-time UFC Welterweight champion and considered one of the top welterweights of all time, but I just don't see him being St. Pierre's next opponent, for the same reason that I don't see Serra as his next opponent. Simply put, St. Pierre has destroyed Hughes three times now (UFC 79, UFC 65 and UFC 50). Do we really need to see them fight a fourth time? Hughes has shown that he is in the twilight of his career, and most importantly, that he just can't beat St. Pierre. Look for the UFC to give a shot to someone younger and hungrier.
Likelihood: 2.5/10
4. Karo Parisyan. A great talent who holds victories over Matt Serra, Chris Lytle and Josh Burkman. However, he was less than impressive in his fight against Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night 13, getting KO'd early in the second round. Parisyan may get a shot down the line, but he will need to re-establish himself fight after his loss to Alves.
Likelihood: 3/10
5. Jon Fitch. Ok, ok - the title of this article was a trick question. UFC President Dana White has publicly stated that Fitch will be the next in line for a title shot. And why not? A 16-2 record (identical to St. Pierre's) with victories over Diego Sanchez, Josh Burkman and Thiago Alves. He is currently riding an unbelievable fifteen fight winning streak. This fight sells itself, and Fitch will certainly be St. Pierre's next opponent, barring injury.
Likelihood: 9.5/10 (unless he gets injured)
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
|
|
Bet on MMA at Bodog - Click Here
Bet on MMA at BetUS
Get up to a 50% Signup Bonus - Click Here
|
|
