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The UFC’s most infamous “what if” — a Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva superfight — never materialized because of three conditions GSP demanded in 2013 that the promotion never satisfied.
For years, MMA fans have obsessed over the missed opportunity: two of the greatest champions in the sport’s history, at the peaks of their powers, never stepping into the cage together. Now, St-Pierre has revealed the UFC’s half-hearted approach to making it happen — and why he walked away from the conversation after a single meeting with Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta.
The UFC’s One-Time Pitch
According to St-Pierre, the UFC never seriously pursued the fight beyond that initial conversation. “They only asked me once,” he told Demetrious Johnson in a recent interview. “I don’t know if they asked Anderson about that.” The timing was critical: both fighters were in their primes — St-Pierre had just won his second UFC championship in 2013, while Silva was in the midst of his dominant middleweight reign. Yet the UFC’s interest never translated into action.
What happened is that, at the time and when I was in my prime and Anderson Silva was in (his) prime… I can only speak from my side.
— Georges St-Pierre, via <a href="https://www.mmafighting.
The lack of follow-through is striking, especially given how much the fight would have meant to fans. Both fighters were at the top of their games: St-Pierre had just completed a 12-fight UFC title reign, while Silva had won 11 championship fights in PRIDE and the UFC. Yet the UFC never returned to the table after St-Pierre outlined his conditions.
Three Conditions That Sank the Fight
St-Pierre’s demands were straightforward: better compensation, a catchweight agreement, and mandatory drug testing. Each was designed to protect his career and ensure fairness.
- Compensation: St-Pierre wanted to be “put under contract” with improved pay, acknowledging the financial risks of moving up to middleweight.
- Catchweight: He insisted the fight be contested at a catchweight (not full middleweight) so he could return to welterweight afterward. “If I go up, I needed to go back down,” he explained, citing the struggles of fighters like Roy Jones Jr. who attempted to return to their natural weight after moving up.
- Drug Testing: St-Pierre wanted stricter anti-doping protocols, a request that reflected growing concerns in combat sports about PEDs.
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… And the third one was I wanted to have drug testing implemented. And they never got back to me.
— Georges St-Pierre, via <a href="https://www.mmafighting.
The UFC’s failure to address these conditions left St-Pierre with no choice but to walk away. “That was my intention: ‘If you make that happen, I’m in, no problem,’” he said. “But they didn’t follow up with that.” The lack of response suggests the UFC saw the fight as a fan fantasy rather than a serious business proposition.
Why This Fight Still Haunts MMA
The missed superfight remains one of MMA’s great “what ifs.” St-Pierre and Silva were the undisputed GOATs of their respective divisions, and their technical styles — St-Pierre’s precision striking and Silva’s fluid grappling — would have created a clash of titans. Yet the UFC’s half-measures doomed the idea before it could even take shape.
This is one of the biggest regrets of the fans.
— Georges St-Pierre, via <a href="https://fightersonly.
The UFC’s approach to this fight was telling: it treated the matchup as a promotional gimmick rather than a serious championship bout. St-Pierre’s conditions were reasonable — especially the catchweight stipulation, which would have allowed him to return to welterweight afterward. But the UFC never bothered to negotiate in good faith. Instead, the organization let the idea fade into obscurity, leaving fans to wonder what might have been.
The Legacy of a Missed Opportunity
Today, both fighters are retired, and the MMA landscape has shifted dramatically. The UFC now prioritizes star-making superfights (like Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier), but the St-Pierre-Silva matchup remains a cautionary tale about how not to handle a historic bout. The UFC’s failure to act wasn’t just about money — it was about vision. A superfight between two legends should have been treated as a cornerstone event, not an afterthought.
St-Pierre’s revelations underscore a broader truth: in combat sports, timing and preparation matter just as much as talent. The UFC’s reluctance to invest in this fight — beyond a single conversation — ensures it will forever be remembered as one of the sport’s greatest “what ifs.”
For fans, the regret lingers. For the UFC, it’s a lesson in how not to handle history in the making.
