The Doggy Bag: The Georges and Anderson Edition

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Georges St. Pierre showed his emotions during the post-fight press conference and rightfully so. It is disrespectful how many people, the press and fans alike, have handled this super fight question. Give it a rest. Even “Beatdown After the Bell” spent more time talking about the super fight than the title unification bout that had just occurred. Let it go! Anderson Silva is more light heavyweight than GSP is a middleweight. Perhaps Anderson, UFC President Dana White and everyone else on this bandwagon can look in a more appropriate direction. -- John from Beaumont

Tristen Critchfield, associate editor: St. Pierre had precious few moments to savor his first victory in 567 days, a largely dominant -- and briefly harrowing -- unanimous decision triumph over Carlos Condit at UFC 154. However, questions about a proposed dream matchup with Silva weren’t limited to the post-fight press conference alone. The shadow of “The Spider” loomed large over the pre-UFC 154 proceedings, as well, so much so that St.Pierre released some pent-up frustration at the event’s conclusion.

“I think what pissed me off a little bit was that I hadn’t even come back yet. I was fighting Carlos Condit and everybody was asking me about Anderson Silva. I think it was disrespectful to me and disrespectful to my opponent,” St. Pierre said. “I think you should give more credit to the challengers I have. They are the best in the world, and I need to focus on my opponent and not focus on the next step.”

St. Pierre’s reaction is understandable -- Condit and recovering from a major knee injury were enough to occupy the champion’s mind without having to deal with a barrage of super fight queries. His ability to maintain tunnel vision in such a situation is part of why he has achieved as much as he has.

That said, “Rush” also has to realize that both the members of the media and UFC employees are simply doing their jobs by encouraging St. Pierre-Silva discussion. If programs such as “Beatdown After the Bell” chose to ignore the most-talked-about topic following UFC 154, listeners would go elsewhere to find their desired content. Show me an MMA writer who fails to pose at least one pertinent super fight question, and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t value his or her job. Whether or not Silva-St. PIerre actually happens is irrelevant when it comes to the amount of coverage devoted to the hypothetical bout; it’s the same reason NFL talking heads continue to debate the merits of Tim Tebow as a viable NFL starting quarterback. When there is an obvious demand for a topic, it is media’s job to deliver content.

The UFC’s place in this debate is even more simple. The promotion is in the money-making business and nothing, outside of Silva-Jon Jones, is more lucrative than a potential pairing between the UFC’s middleweight and welterweight champions. If making that happen means ruffling GSP’s feathers a little bit, then so be it. The thinking among UFC brass is that St. Pierre just needs more time to warm to the idea. Give him a nice vacation, pad his bank account and ego when he comes back, and he’ll eventually come around.

Not everyone close to the sport believes that pressuring St. Pierre to square off with Silva is the way to go. I, for one, think that it makes more sense for the Canadian to pick off more welterweight contenders, beginning with Johny Hendricks. However, there are plenty of others who feel just the opposite. If you have already grown weary of the topic, brace yourself. It won’t be coming to a halt anytime soon.

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