Present Hardships and Future Glory: Anderson Silva to Take First Step Towards Superfight with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 126

Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre, two of the best pound for pound fighters in mixed martial arts, and champions of their weight classes, are two fights away from meeting each other in the UFC octagon.  These two men are without a doubt, two of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport.  For the past year, or longer depending on who you ask, fans and media have discussed the chances of a fight between the two, debating on who would be the better man.  UFC president Dana White had no interest in making the fight happen in the past, but with both champions still dominant today, White has budged on his stance.  Should Anderson Silva defeat Vitor Belfort at UFC 126, and Georges St. Pierre defeat Jake Shields at UFC 129, White feels that it's the next logical fight to make.  

No doubt, a fight between Silva and GSP would be incredibly surreal.  Not only would the lead up to the fight be gargantuan, the winner would without a doubt be the best fighter on the planet, pound for pound.  It would be the best, fighting the best.  Although fans debate what weight class the fight should happen in, GSP and Dana White appear certain that the fight would require a move to middleweight for GSP, and he would relinquish his welterweight title.  Cageside Seats' own Subo asked if the fight was worth shafting Yushin Okami, who earned a middleweight title shot by beating Nate Marquardt at UFC 122 in Germany.  For a fight of this magnitude, I could not care less who was in line for the title shot, time waits for no man, and it's time for this fight to be made...but it's not that certain.

Before getting our hopes up as fans, the champions must first defeat their scheduled opponents.  This weekend, Anderson Silva takes the first step on the road to this hypothetical superfight between himself and Georges St. Pierre.  In his way, Vitor Belfort, The Phenom, a fellow Brazilian who's hands were made for crushing opponents, and they'll not be idle come UFC 126.  To simply call fighting Vitor Belfort a hardship is a disservice to the man, he has true one punch knock out power, one mistake, and Silva's chance for future glory would be ripped from his grasp.  

Silva's legacy is cemented, to lose now will not erase his past deeds, and his reign as the most dominant middleweight in the history of the sport...but a victory of Georges St. Pierre while he's at the top of his game is an accomplishment far beyond crushing his middleweight peers.  Should Silva go on to defeat GSP, it would be a glorious golden cherry on top of a career that has left a path of broken, beaten fighters, and crushed title dreams.  Saturday night, Silva begins on the road to the biggest fight in the history of the sport, but it's up to him to make sure that the road doesn't end right where it begins.