THURSDAY NEWS DIGEST 12/13: Georges St-Pierre says Anderson Silva fight ‘not as interesting’ at this point in his career, Machida looking for Bellator title shot, Frank Mir prepping daughter for MMA career

By Michael Hiscoe, Managing Editor

GSP not impressed with Silva’s performance

Once upon a time, a Georges St-Pierre-Anderson Silva superfight was an MMA fan’s ultimate dream. There were times when it seemed more likely than others, but the fight never really got close to being put together. Then in 2013, Silva started losing fights and GSP took some time off. The feverish desire for the fight subsided but never really went way. With GSP dipping his toe back into MMA last year and Silva still remaining active, talk has heated up a bit but St-Pierre wants to put that idea to rest.

Appearing on “The Luke Thomas” show on SiriusXM, GSP said that the Silva fight was offered to him during his welterweight title run but that he had insisted on VADA testing, and a catchweight, two things that UFC weren’t going for at the time. He says he was also offered the fight during his hiatus after defeating Johny Hendricks in Nov. 2013. GSP maintained that he was taking a break and the fight didn’t happen. Now in 2018, St-Pierre sounds to have lost all interest in a fight with Silva.

“Now things have changed. Silva has lost. Now it is not as interesting. There’s a lot more to lose than gain,” St-Pierre told Thomas.

GSP and Silva are considered to of the greatest fighters of all-time. It’s a shame that their paths never crossed, but perhaps for both their legacies, it’s for the best.

Machida wants a Bellator title shot

Lyoto Machida, who is fighting Rafael Carvalho at Bellator 213 on Saturday night told MMAJunkie that he has his sights set on a Bellator middleweitht title shot and he is not there just for the paycheque.

“I want to be a Bellator champion,” Machida said. “I’m not here just to make money. It’s not the purpose of my life. I want to be in the top position. So even though I’m 40, look at this physique. I’m still there, man.”

A title shot isn’t out of the question for Machida, who is on a two fight win streak including a brutal knockout of Vitor Belfort at UFC 224 in May. Machida also owns a 2014 decision win over current Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. Depending how things go Saturday night, a rematch may be in the cards.

Frank Mir getting teenage daughter ready for MMA career

At 39, Frank Mir may be in the twilight of his career, but that can’t stop him from helping the next generation of fighters prepare for the sport. Ahead of his bout with Javy Ayala on Friday, Mir told MMAJunkie that his teenage daughter Bella may start an amateur MMA career as soon as next year.

“I love martial arts, and it’s a passion for me, Mir said. “It’s my religion. Now my children – and right now Bella, the heaviest – has that same passion, so it’s something now that – once I knew she wanted to be a fighter, I started preparing myself.”

The fourteen year-old has already competed in BJJ tournaments and will be in her father’s corner on Friday night. Frank says he may get Bella some amateur fights as soon as next year.

Thursday Notebook

Scott Coker is saying that he plans to have the Bellator welterweight tournament completed by September of 2019. He also announced that the Rory MacDonald-Jon Fitch first round matchup will take place sometime in March with a location to be determined.

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UFC 233 pay-per-view cancelled

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