One of the reasons GSP has been able to dominate the WW division so consistently is because he is long-limbed for a 170lber, along with his unparalleled skill at takedowns. Thiago Alves was (supposedly) close to 200lbs when he entered the Octagon, whereas GSP was at 186. BUT — GSP has longer arms and legs than Alves, and just as we saw Forrest Griffin defeat more dangerous strikers (e.g. Rampage) with his advantage in reach, GSP was able to do the same against Alves — stay just out of reach, and keep him cautious with the threat of an explosive double-leg takedown.

Notice how good GSP’s jab has become — he uses it brilliantly to disorient and frustrate his opponents. The tactic would be much less effective if he had the T-Rex arms of Sean Sherk.

Against Silva, GSP would be smaller, have a (much?) shorter reach, and (takedowns aside) the weaker man. I’ve studied Silva’s fights in slo-mo and despite his skinny physique at 185 (BTW he’s back up ~200 lbs in the Octagon) he is a STRONG dude — he manhandled Rich Franklin in both fights. And what’s more he is, bar none, the most talented striker in MMA today. He is a phenom, ahead of his time, the Bob Beamon of MMA. My unofficial nickname for him is “Supernatural”.

Silva vs. Lesnar would be an interesting fight, but unless Lesnar has a glass chin (unlikely), his massive advantage in weight, power, and reach would give Silva few options. He’s not as fast as Silva but he’s fast enough — I can’t imagine Brock getting laid out by a Ray Mercer-esque haymaker like Sylvia was. Lesnar would eventually trap Silva up against the cage, get into half-guard, and batter him until he taps.

I think GSP could be an effective fighter at MW, though to a lesser extent than Silva is at LHW. But I don’t see him defeating Marquardt, or Vitor Belfort, or (probably) Dan Henderson — much less taking on the much taller PvP king of MMA.

The ONLY reason people are calling for a GSP vs. Anderson Silva fight is because Silva is looking bored in the Octagon, and because GSP is so consistently dominant in WW. But GSP wouldn’t have any more chance against Anderson than BJ did against him in their second matchup.

Oh yeah, BJ Penn moved up in weight several times but only became victorious once in beating Matt Hughes. That’s real. Most fighters in the UFC are moving down to gain an advantage Silva and Penn are the only guys moving up. EVERYBODY talks about moving up for a challenge, but they’re not doing it.

while UFC 100 was huge and really special . . . uhmm Tito still looks like a big deal. It’s 2009 on a card with Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre ($5.1 million) and they still did not outdo Liddell-Ortiz at the gate. That really sucks that Ortiz was not invited to the Fan Expo or UFC 100. Dana White needs to grow up and put his personal gripes behind him.

Why would GSP have to fight Silva to be considered the best? Especially when the current greatest 170 pounder didn’t have to jump around…He simply dominated in typical Matt Hughes fashion…I am a Hughes guy, but GSP is one bad loss to Serra from owning that honor…

I gotta disagree about GSP “having” to fight SIlva to claim the “greatest ever” title. GSP will be a small 185, and SIlva is a big one. Should GSP have to fight Fedor, too? Now, I’m not saying he IS the greatest ever…he is up there, but if he fights Silva and loses, does that make him not the best ever?