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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Though Anderson Silva earlier this week tried to throw some water on a bout with Georges St-Pierre happening next, saying he's not planning on returning until late in 2013, UFC President Dana White is going forward with the idea that GSP-Silva will be their next fight. That's assuming St-Pierre defeats Carlos Condit on Saturday at UFC 154, of course.
White appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter on Thursday morning, and discussed that potential fight and how big it could be for the UFC.
"Anderson Silva will be there this Saturday watching, and if [St-Pierre] wins it'll be a huge fight for us," White said (transcribed by MMAJunkie.com). "It'll probably be the biggest fight in UFC history. It'll definitely be the biggest gate. We've done [55,000] up in Toronto with Georges before. We've had big gates pretty much everywhere we've gone, but this one would be either a soccer stadium down in Brazil, Dallas' Texas Stadium, or we'd do Toronto again."
As far as Silva's comments about not calling out GSP after the fight on Saturday night, White doesn't believe him, and expects a GSP-Silva bout to happen by May of next year, probably at Cowboy's Stadium, if St-Pierre wins.
"He said he wouldn't fight Chael Sonnen again either, but he did," White said. "He always comes out and says this stuff. I don't know why he does it or why he says the things he says. I guarantee you, he will be there Saturday. If Georges St-Pierre wins, those two will fight and it'll probably be in May."
"We're curious to see what we could do [at Cowboy's Stadium]. We've been wanting to bring a fight there for a long time. This fight would be the fight to do it. Hopefully we'd sell it out."
Penick's Analysis: I think Silva was doing what he often does in that recent interview, and that's stirring the pot with a comment that will garner discussion. White wholly expects him to fight St-Pierre in the spring if GSP defeats Condit, and I'd imagine that's what they get together. There's been too much talk about the fight in the last several months to have it not happen now. Saturday is the final obstacle to it happening, and if GSP retains his Championship, we'll see it by mid-year next year.
[Dana White art by Travis Beaven (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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