Every generation needs a superfight. That’s also the one thing the UFC has failed to produce and what boxing hasn’t accomplished since the 1960’s. Let’s not forget this is boxing’s fault to begin with.
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao was supposed to be our generation’s Ali vs Frasier. This has been old news lately, especially with Pacquiao dropping two fights, making the superfight talks all but dead in the boxing world.
More recently we turned to another very interesting matchup in the newest form of combat sports known as mixed martial arts. The possibility of the two most dominant champions in the youngest stage of this sports career in middleweight champ Anderson Silva and welterweight champ Georges St Pierre seemed poised to face off in spite of the contenders who waited for them at their respective weight classes. In front of our faces at the time it felt like a real possibility, but looking back, it probably was never going to happen.
At first Anderson Silva seemed more inclined towards a superfight matchup than his lighter counterpart champion, but once Jon Jones rose up the ranks a weight class ahead of him and was vicariously added to the superfight talks, Silva flat out refused to take that fight. Apparently he only was open to fight the lighter champion but not the heavier one. So just in kind to GSP refusing to move up to fight Silva out of his weight class, Silva refused to move up and fight Jon Jones as well. That’s the closest superfight talks have come towards becoming reality in the last 50 years.
Right now we live in a state where former champions have fallen, walked away, or been replaced by younger more athletic competitors. Anderson Silva has lost twice and GSP has relinquished his belt for the moment. Jon Jones is pound for pound king, Chris Weidman is the unbeatable question mark at middleweight and interim champions have turned legitimately undisputed in featherweight champion Renan Barao. Cain Velasquez took his belt back and reclaimed the dominant status as the world’s baddest man, all in the span of a year.
Now we sit, we wait for the divisions to sort themselves out before deciding who really are the top men in the sport at the moment and who may possibly become the next logical solution for a superfight. But if we look closely, there has been rumblings of a superfight matchup that however unlikely, will only become talked about more and more as both fighters put away opponents in the wake of a dwindling cast of established superstars.
At some point people started to realize that Jon Jones who began talking about moving up to heavyweight eventually, might wind up facing the heavyweight champ in Cain Velasquez. This is more than a strong possibility if you look at the history of the two men and the numbers.
The stars really could line up on this one because both men are at the top of their game in divisions that have a couple top contenders left who haven’t been touched by these two. A few more fights a piece and the road leading to the two heaviest weight classes will be paved with all the current competition available.
Where Cain Velasquez has defended his only loss in the sport twice, Jones has only lost once as well, but not really. He knocked out Mat Hamill and Steve Mazagatti stepped in and history was ruined. Look it up if you require the painful details.
Let’s look at the numbers and really break down why the potential matchup between Jones and Velasquez would be our generation’s first superfight. Both competitors are considered two of the best in the world pound for pound and are definitely the number one fighter in their weight class.
Then look at the weight disparity between the two. A superfight is hard to watch if one fighter holds a clear physical advantage. Sure Jones fights at 205, but he’s a massive light heavyweight while Velasquez is a small heavyweight. Both of them would be a fun fight to see just because no one would have a clue on what would happen.
Then finally we come to the most difficult aspect of a superfight in recent times that will become a reality if this dream fight happens. It’s been a long time since heavyweights really stood on top of the combat sports world.
Lately the biggest superstars have involved the light weight classes, vicariously reducing the draw for bigger fighters who just weren’t known until the UFC changed the landscape of MMA and helped develop talent in the 225-265 heavyweight division.
Velasquez vs. Jones would happen at 225 and become the first viable superfight of our generation since the 1960’s. That’s over half a century ago and combined with some of the greatest fighters in the sports leaving the scene, this fight will only create more pressure for the UFC to make happen.
Who would win? Who cares. Just as long as it happens, if the stars align this time.