Georges St-Pierre Explains What Stopped a UFC Superfight Against Anderson Silva

Fans know that the period between 2006 and 2013 marked the UFC’s rise to global prominence. Fueled by the success of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter and headlined by stars such as Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, and BJ Penn, the promotion entered one of the most successful eras in its history. At the heart of that golden age, however, were two dominant champions who defined their respective divisions: Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva.

Both men captured undisputed UFC titles in late 2006, overcame setbacks early in their careers, and went on to build legendary championship reigns. Silva ruled the middleweight division for a record 2,457 days, compiling a historic 16-fight UFC win streak and 10 consecutive title defenses through his pinpoint striking and highlight-reel finishes. Alongside him, St-Pierre dominated the welterweight division during a primary reign that lasted 2,064 days. 

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The Canadian successfully defended his title nine consecutive times and amassed 12 title-fight victories overall, establishing himself through elite wrestling and suffocating control. Fittingly, both reigns came to an end within four months of one another in 2013. Silva’s historic run was snapped by Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in July, while St-Pierre vacated his title after a controversial split-decision victory over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November before stepping away from the sport for four years.

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Yet despite reigning simultaneously for much of that period, the two icons never shared the Octagon. With their title reigns overlapping and a lack of compelling challengers emerging at various points, a superfight seemed inevitable. Negotiations reportedly took place in 2012, but the dream matchup never materialized. For years afterward, fans continued debating how the bout might have played out, though those talks were the closest the fight ever came to becoming reality.

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While St-Pierre has previously acknowledged turning down the fight, he recently suggested the story may not have been that simple. Speaking with Demetrious Johnson on his podcast, GSP revealed that the UFC did approach him about facing Silva, but discussions never progressed far. He said, “What happened is that, at the time, when I was in my prime and Anderson Silva was in the prime… I can only speak from my side. I don’t know what was happening on Anderson Silva’s side.”

St-Pierre then opened up about the possibility of moving up to 185 pounds to face Silva and the conditions he believed were necessary to make such a fight happen. He said, “I was only asked once by Dana and Lorenzo… and I had the request because I was like, Ok, you want me to get out of my way to go up a weight class, I need to be compensated because it’s different. I’m full of challenges in my weight class, so if I’m fighting someone bigger, I need to change my training, try to get bigger, maybe.”

The former two-division champion explained that he had several requirements before agreeing to the superfight. He said, “So my request was to fight Anderson Silva. I want to be put under contract. I want to be compensated better, one. I wanted this to be done in a catchweight, because Anderson fought in PRIDE at 170, and I knew he could go down — I don’t know if he could’ve gone down in that moment… it seems like he got heavier as time goes by, so I don’t know. It’s only an impression.”