The Notorious vs The Spider is Conor McGregor’s Dream Fight if Things Go His Way…
Conor McGregor has some big business coming up this week, as he fights Khabib Nurmagamedov at UFC 229 on Saturday night in Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena. It’s the biggest fight of the year without a doubt (across all combat sports) and could prove to be the biggest MMA fight of all time in terms of numbers.
While ‘The Eagle’ is the man on McGregor’s mind right now, it hasn’t stopped him from thinking about who he could clash with in the future. He’s namechecked a few people over the last few days, with welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, and former opponent Nate Diaz two of the most obvious potential fights.
However, there’s one potential fight that has everyone talking. Conor McGregor v Anderson Silva. Is it even physically possible? Who cares… it’s what the Notorious wants, and things tend to turn out the way he wants them to.
Really?
Of course, you’re entitled to look at this with disbelief, but the words came straight from Conor McGregor’s mouth. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, he made it very clear that he totally respects Silva as a pioneer of MMA and as a legendary striker. He said:
“We’ll see what happens, but I don’t think GSP is next. He doesn’t really have anything for me personally. I’m not going to shut the door on that down the line. You know what would be another great one? Anderson Silva.
”I would be interested in an Anderson Silva bout. I swear to God. Anderson is a legend in the game. What’s the difference between him and Georges? Same damn thing. I’m going to do fights that interest me or have meaning.”
Unlikely
If we’re honest, the main difference between Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva is that the Brazilian is 43, has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs twice in the last three years, and has lost four of his last six (with one no-contest against Nick Diaz.
He’s also a former middleweight who has fought at light-heavyweight. Silva actually had the longest title reign in UFC history and has the most KOs in the division. He’s just way too big for McGregor, especially with the Brazilian the wrong side of 40. McGregor has shown interest in fighting at 165, but classify this under never going to happen.
GSP
There’s very little doubt that GSP is the biggest name possible for McGregor in MMA after the Khabib fight. It’s a clash that is possible regardless of whether he wins or loses – although if he recaptures the lightweight title there will be added lustre. It would mean St. Pierre would have the opportunity to become the UFC’s first triple champion.
Even if it was fought at a catchweight it would still capture the imaginations of fans. Let’s see how McGregor comes through against an elite wrestler in Khabib. He might never want to deal with that sort of physical pressure ever again.
