Is Anderson Silva ready to get on board and give UFC fans the biggest fight in MMA history or is he just playing games? Silva recently told Brazilian media that a fight against Jon Jones is very possible, continuing to tease MMA fans and the UFC into believing that this fight is going to happen.

I am always dubious of Anderson Silva. The UFC middleweight champion is great at telling MMA fans what they want to hear in interviews, yet hasn’t delivered much of the goods in recent years. Silva is continuing to talk about fighting Jon Jones, a fight which he once said he’d never take. Yet a deeper look into the big picture gives me hesitation for excitement.

Silva was asked about the fight and previous reports that the UFC is gearing up to headline a 20th anniversary event in Madison Square Garden with the mega fight. Silva told Lacent/Brazil that he is game for the challenge.

“Look, if I still be alive until there… (he laughed). But I believe yes. Anything can happen and, yes, I think it is possible to happen. I’ll have to train, you know, to put a great show to the fans.”

That all sounds great but there is one lingering issue here that is hanging over the fight. Silva has not signed a contract extension with the UFC. Silva has two fights left on his current deal. Silva was recently offered a 10-fight extension but has refused to sign it. Silva recently told Tatame that he isn’t a rush to sign it.

“We are still negotiating, but we have more time to decide that. Let’s see how it goes.”

So what really gives here? Is The Spider using this Jon Jones fight as a chip in negotiations with the UFC? According to UFC president Dana White, the company has already drawn up a 10-fight contract for their world champion. I have to wonder at the end of the day if Silva’s new fondness for a fight with Jones is merely just business, using fan interest as the biggest pawn in the game.

The other pink elephant in the room here is Jon Jones. The UFC light heavyweight champion has made his intentions clear for 2013. Jones has said on numerous occasions that he wants to move to heavyweight by the end of the year. That would conflict with a potential Silva fight in November. Even if Silva says he is on board, maybe he knows that Jones has no intentions of taking this fight?

It is just hard to believe that a guy who has said no to this fight for so long is all of the sudden interested, coincidentally when he is negotiating a new deal. As a fan I hope he is sincere in his desire to fight Jones, but as a longtime Silva observer I’ll still admit I am more skeptical than excited.

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Just when you thought Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre was dead it is brought back to life. Yet the fighter bringing it back to life is ironically the one who keeps turning it down. According to a report GSP is dreaming of fighting Silva and plans to do so before retiring.

UFC president promised to make the fight happen and has failed to deliver. White was adamant during the Condit vs. GSP promotion that St-Pierre’s next fight would be against Silva. Well here we are several months later and both fighters look further apart than ever. However, a recent report that was published shortly before UFC 158 indicates that there still may be some life left in this super fight.

The source of this news is GSP’s ex-manager Stephane Patry. Patry who no longer manages GSP so keep that in mind, recently revealed GSP’s three-fight plan which ends with the UFC middleweight champion. Patry says that not only does GSP plan on fighting Silva, but he dreams about it. Here is what Patry said thanks to a translation by MMA.TV regarding the third and final chapter of this master plan.

“But what is the 3rd chapter of the plan drawn up by Georges St-Pierre himself? Yep, you guessed it – it is Anderson Silva. Stop believing he does not want to face Silva, Georges dreams of the clash. He dreams to retire at the peak of his glory in being recognized as a legend, as the greatest fighter of all time. And to do that, it must be considered the best fighter on the planet “pound for pound” … Why not super fight now? Because George has a well-established plan for the rest of his career, and he will follow it to the letter. There are now many stars to align so that the plan remains perfect … He must defeat Nick Diaz on Saturday night, defend his title once more against the winner of Condit-Hendricks, and then prepare for a clash of the titans.”

If this is true than St-Pierre is keeping the best poker face in MMA. GSP has shown little to no interest publicly when asked about fighting Anderson Silva. Initially he appeared receptive but he has gotten more reluctant with every interview since the fight was first discussed. From all accounts I have read from GSP himself, he has very little interest in this fight. Needless to say this would be a complete about-face by St-Pierre.

It should be noted that GSP’s camp is denying this whole idea of a three-fight master plan. GSP’s trainer Firas Zihabi told Mike Chiapetta that he thinks this whole idea of a master plan by GSP is not true.

“I have nothing bad to say about Stephane,” he said “I don’t think Georges probably said that in that way, the way it was written. I read the article. It was very strong. I don’t think Georges thinks that far ahead, honestly. He would not overlook Diaz. That’s part of the lesson he learned once upon a time against [Matt] Serra, and I think it’s so ingrained in George’s brain, he’d never make that mistake again. I don’t think you can get Georges to say that.”

The one thing I have noticed consistently with GSP over the last few years is that he really does testy when he is asked about future fights. He is very careful, at least publicly, not to look ahead past any fights. Looking ahead at a three-fight plan would appear out of character, especially when he was preparing for Nick Diaz.

It also doesn’t make much sense. If there is one thing that has been proven in MMA it is that these kinds of master plans rarely materialize. Someone loses, someone gets hurt, someone has a contract issue, etc, etc. If he really does dream of this Anderson Silva fight as he says, you’d think he’d want to get to Silva before Jon Jones or even Chris Weidman do. A super fight with Silva won’t have the same luster if either one comes in with a recent loss.

GSP is certainly taking a big gamble if this truly is his master plan.

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Stephan Bonnar went from unsung hero to cheating coward in a matter of 24 hours. Bonnar tested positive for steroids after his his UFC 153 fight with Anderson Silva. Bonnar is now speaking out and is asking those same fans and media to give him another chance.

The story of Stephan Bonnar’s career is a fascinating one. Bonnar was highly respected for his tough style and famous Ultimate Fighter Finale fight against Forrest Griffin until his final fight. When he stepped up on short notice to fight the G.O.A.T. Anderson Silva, he was heralded as something of a hero and a people’s champion. That soon changed thanks to a positive PED test.

Bonnar’s career since then has hit rock bottom. Bonnar has become an unwelcome figure in the MMA world. Before this fight, Bonnar was looking at a secure post-fight career with the UFC as a public figure and broadcaster. Since this test, he hasn’t even spoken to his former employer. Bonnar is now asking for forgiveness.

Bonnar broke his silence recently when he appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour. Bonnar doesn’t want his entire career marred by one mistake. Bonnar would like to mend fences with the UFC and misses what he calls his old “home.”

“That was really important to me, to be part of the UFC in ways other than fighting,” he said. “That’s been hardest thing for me. I worked so hard over the years doing all those things to kind of give myself a home in the UFC outside of the actual fighting part of it, and I feel I ruined that.”

According to Bonnar he had no plans to ever fight again until he received the most unexpected call of his career to fight Silva on late notice at UFC 154. Bonnar said he was 35 pounds overweight but it was a lingering injured knee that precipitated the use of PED assistance and not the weight cut.

“I’m not a stupid person,” he said. “Of course, I know I’m going to get tested. I got three weeks to train for the fight, and 35 pounds to lose, and you really think after that I’m going to take something that’s detectable for a month? That makes no sense. Absolutely none.”

Here is the biggest problem I have with Stephan Bonnar. A few days before his fight with Silva Jonathon Snowden wrote a critical piece on Bonnar on BleacherReport.com. The article is no longer on the site. Snowden took issue with Bonnar’s popularity and brought up Bonnar’s positive test for bondenone after UFC 62. Bonnar in turn took to Twitter and asked fans to boycott Bleacher Report and ripped the writer apart for having the gall to judge his character.

All this as steroids were passing through his system. He may not have known that the steroids would still be in his system at fight time, but he knew exactly what he was up too when he called out this writer’s ethics and the website. To me, that is the height of hypocrisy.

That brings us back to UFC 62. This isn’t a one-time mistake by Bonnar. This is the second time in his career he got busted for a PED. What is the common denominator here? He was fighting two guys he probably knew he had no chance of beating. Griffin beat him already and he knew he had no shot against Silva. Is it coincidence that he tested positive for PEDs here and not when he was signed to fight Sam Hoger, Mike Nickles, etc?

I don’t believe anyone uses steroids by accident. He could have easily said no to the fight. I can understand why he wouldn’t but he could have. This wasn’t a situation where he was forced into a fight. Imagine the damage he would have done if he actually did beat Silva and the test came back positive for a PED? There would be no turning back at that point and everything would be up in arms.

I would also love to point out the double standard of the UFC here. They routinely welcome back fighters who test positive drugs. Not only that, rarely are they ever truly punished. Guys are generally welcomed back right at the top of the division. Now all of the sudden Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta are upset? Ironic that they would be so upset with a guy who is never going to fight again and allow others who have committed those same indiscretions without prejudice isn’t it? One is fighting for a title this weekend!

I certainly don’t want to defend Bonnar here but this is a great example of why I won’t judge anyone who doesn’t take a fight on short notice. What do you expect when you call a guy up and ask him to lose 35 pounds in a few weeks? What if he said no? Dana would have been the first to post on Twitter or tell the media that Stephan Bonnar turned down a fight. The pressure on fighters in these situations is enormous and I do empathize with the guys that feel pressured to take the fight in these instances.

Should Bonnar be forgiven for his mistake? That is not for me to decide. At the same time I think the attitude of the UFC in this situation is a joke.

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The UFC has had a rough time pulling off promotional super fights over the last several years but that could change. The biggest mega fight in the pipeline appears to be itching a little bit closer and it could wind up in all places, New York City.

I don’t think that there is any question the biggest fight the UFC could pull off right now is Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones. They, along with Georges St-Pierre are the most dominant fighters in the UFC today. A year ago both fighters said no regarding a potential showdown but one of them is saying yes and even predicting locations.

Anderson Silva was recently asked about the big fight at of all places a business lecture. The following is translated off of Portuguese website SporTV.globo.comso the translation may be a little rough. But according to this story, The Spider is preparing for a 2013 showdown with Bones.

“Besides confirming their willingness to face it and say that this should occur in 2013, said the Spider to be fighting at a weight of about 87kg intermediate and not worth nor his middleweight belt (up to 83.9 kg) nor the light heavyweight belt (up to 93kg) Jones. Also according to the Brazilian, the idea is that the event takes place in New York City”

So there you have it! The Spider appears to be on board to fight Bones. Silva thinks the fight could take place in Madison Square Garden at a catchweight or at a soccer stadium in Brazil. Debuting in New York with the biggest fight in UFC history would be something magical for MMA. There are reports that the UFC are gearing up for something big to celebrate their 20-year anniversary in November. These plans for Silva vs. Jones in MSG would seem to indicate that this the fight that would be at the top of the company’s wishlist.

Silva’s comments also come at a time where Dana White told reporters last week that he must make Silva vs. Jones or GSP. GSP appears to have no desire whatsoever to either move up in weight or fight Silva as opposed to Jones who appears to be more interested by the decimal point. Whether this is Silva posturing and trying to pain the UFC into a corner or if this really is the working plan is something we won’t find out for awhile.

There are comments towards the end of the article from one of Silva’s reps who told the website that current plans are for Silva to fight Chris Weidman and there is nothing scheduled beyond that. He also confirmed that while the fight isn’t scheduled, “everyone has that in mind.”

If the fight doesn’t come off at this point it would appear to be one of the biggest blunders of Dana White’s tenure as UFC president. The fighters are saying yes, the promotion is saying yes, so it’s time to sign the fight and make it happen.

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2012 will go down as a mixed year in the UFC. Unable to deliver the big super fights, the UFC will attempt to rebound in 2013 with several highly anticipated fights both scheduled and in planning.

If there was one disappointment with the UFC in 2012 it was the inability to pull off big fights. Even realistic super fights in division like Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz failed to materialize for a variety of reasons. With an all-star roster on deck featuring new fighters from Strikeforce, the UFC has the potential to blow away 2012 with several big fights this year. Now whether the UFC can pull these off or not is another story altogether.

I sat down with the idea of writing about the 10 most anticipated UFC fights of 2013. Unfortunately I had a rough time coming up with anything past five. It isn’t as if the big fights aren’t available, it just appears that the biggest ones aren’t close to taking place. So in order to get to ten, I had to throw a lot of hypothetical matchups into the mix. I tried keeping it realistic and staying away from fights like GSP vs. Silva which while gigantic, doesn’t appear to be taking place in 2013. Of course the UFC is always full of surprises but on the first week of January, here is a look at what I think are the 10 most anticipated fights both signed and likely to happen in the next twelve months.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz UFC 158 - This one is signed but is far away from being sealed, and further away from being delivered. Diaz is still unlicensed so until he appears before the NSAC to get reinstated, this fight is far from a lock. However, if everything comes together as planned this is undoubtedly the biggest fight on the docket in 2013 now and for the rest of the year. Grudge fights sell in the UFC and I can’t think of a bigger grudge that will be settled in 2013 than this one.

Chael Sonnen vs. Jon Jones UFC 159 - If you are a hardcore fan and have followed Sonnen and Jones over the last few months, you are probably less excited about this fight than you were when it was announced. If you are a casual fan who peeks in and out, well then you are probably just as amped. So far the “grudge” between these two has turned into a bit of a love affair. I have to think that as the fight grows closer that Sonnen will go into his usual bag of promotional tricks and start talking. Regardless you have a fight between two stars with a title on the line. That will always draw to an extent.

Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping/Chris Weidman TBD - Anderson’s next move is as much of a mystery as anything else in the UFC. Dana White has said that Silva would fight Bisping if he wins his next fight but when is the last time Bisping hasn’t choked in this scenario? If it isn’t Bisping than Chris Weidman looks to be the next man up for the Spider. Regardless of the opponent, Anderson will always be a draw on pay per view. Unfortunately it isn’t likely to be the two opponents that would draw him the most money in either GSP or Bones Jones.

Frankie Edgar vs. Jose Aldo UFC 156 - I am probably one of the few MMA fans incredibly psyched for this fight. I am a big fan of both and I think that this one has enormous potential to be fight of the year. Unfortunately neither are a draw on pay per view, yet I think the weak schedule puts this one at least in consideration for top 10 anticipated fights.

Cain Velasquez vs. Alistair Overeem TBD - Now is where we start diving into hypothetical fights. Have you seen Bigfoot Silva fight elite competition? He doesn’t fare so well. So I am going to presume that Overeem beats him. This one has the makings of a classic. Overeem has something that nobody else in the heavyweight division has had since Brock Lesnar left…charisma. That charisma equals money and that charisma matched up with Velasquez’s mystique will draw mega money here.

Ronda Rousey vs. Cristiane Cyborg Santos TBD - Rousey and White can scream all that they want about Cyborg having to make 135 but at the end of the day I am still of the belief that this fight happens. Dave Meltzer recently reported that negotiations are very close to making this fight happen at 135. I think you have the makings of what could be the third or fourth biggest fight of 2013 in the UFC. I hate to say it but the fate of the women’s division rests on this fight.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks TBD - This one could come sooner than you think if Diaz can’t play ball in time for UFC 158. Hendricks is on an impressive winning streak in the division and by rights, should be the number one contender. Hendricks has one more hurdle to jump and I can’t imagine him stumbling at this point. Another Hendricks KO will bring some big money to this welterweight title fight. The KO artist vs. the supreme athlete is gold. Hendricks is already running his mouth about GSP. By the time this fight happens you’ll have yourself a nice grudge match. I smell a lot of green here.

Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson TBD - I’ll continue with the hypothetical fights here and go back to the light heavyweight division. Dana White has talked about Daniel Cormier getting the next title shot but I think a Hendo win over Machida seals the deal. Henderson continues to talk trash about Jones and as fickle as Jones is, I can see him demanding a fight to shut him up. Ticket sales weren’t strong for their first scheduled fight but I think this one is different. Henderson’s streak and list of victims will be a who’s who in the division and will make him a believable contender against Jones. This division desperately needs a credible contender. Continuing the circus with Cormier will do nobody any favors. I think Henderson gets the next shot and these guys do some better than expected business.

Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez TBD - There are grumblings that this first time battle of Strikeforce vs. UFC champions will take place at the UFC on FOX 7 broadcast, although those are just rumors right now. One thing is confirmed and that is that the UFC is working hard to make this fight happen. I think Henderson has now solidified himself as one of the faces of the UFC and the idea of someone with Melendez’s pedigree and winning streak coming in to challenge him is money. Additionally, there is always added intrigue when you have a battle of champions. I know this division has struggled for attention since BJ Penn lost the title but I think Henderson brings it back to relevance in 2013.

Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira TBD - I’ll close out the hypothetical schedule with a fight that I think could be absolutely huge. Unfortunately Teixeira did himself no favors in his fight with Fabio Maldonado. He won but I think a bit of the mystique was off. He’ll have the chance to snatch that back when he fights on network television against Rampage Jackson. If he can brutalize Jackson as most expect, he’ll make himself a star overnight. He will look like the unstoppable killing machine getting ready to end the reign of Jones. There is major money in this fight if Teixeira gets past Rampage convincingly. Maybe they go with Teixeira vs. Henderson, Gustaffson, or Cormier in an eliminator first, but I think Teixeira gets his crack at Jones by year’s end in what turns out to be a big time fight.

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Chael Sonnen: The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment

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UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta was checking out the competition over the weekend when Juan Manuel Marquez KO’d Manny Pacquiao. Fertitta was quick to react to the business lesson learned yet whether the UFC actually applies this knowledge or not is a whole other story.

Outsiders looking in at the knockout heard around the world Saturday immediately noted the totality of the event. It wasn’t just a boxing knockout or a big upset. This was millions of dollars that hit the canvas with the Pac Man. The UFC owner knows all too well about these kinds of dollars when it comes to promoting fights and he quickly took to Twitter to comment on it.

“Gotta strike when the iron is hot boxing!Lost manny/Floyd 4ever.#gspvssilva #silvavsbones #superfights!” – @LorenzoFertitta

This isn’t just Lorenzo’s mindset. UFC president Dana White has ripped boxing for years for failing to pull off the biggest fight of this generation between Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao. White has called out Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum on several occasions for his inability to make the fight.

“(Pacquiao) and Floyd Mayweather need to cut the bulls*** and do the fight that everybody wants to see,” said White. “If there was ever a fight in history that should be fifty-fifty split, it’s this fight. Split the money, it’s a-f***in’-hundred million dollars or two hundred million — who knows what it’s gonna be? I think it’s gonna be the biggest pay-per-view ever, probably 2.6 million buys. Shut the f*** up and fight. Split the money. Just f***ing do it. People are tired of it.”

While what White and Fertitta are saying is 100% correct, there is only one problem. The UFC hasn’t been able to pull off their own superfights in years.

It is one thing to talk big and take shots at another business for failing to capitalize on opportunity, but it is another to do it when you have even less excuses at making those same mistakes. White and Fertitta have failed to pull off megafights between fighters in their own company! It isn’t as if they had to work with another promoter in the case of Golden Boy and Bob Arum. White and Fertitta theoretically should have a much easier making these fights yet they continue to fail to do it.

Even worse than failing to make the big fight is promoting it and promising it while failing to deliver. Nobody ever gave false expectations in boxing that Pac vs. Money was going to happen. Yet you had Dana White promising that Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva would happen, even going as far as naming a date and possible place. Now here we are a month later and the fight is neither signed or even close to coming to fruition. I’d say White looks a lot worse than Bob Arum in this case.

Speaking of Silva vs. GSP, I don’t think anyone even expected the fight before the UFC started talking about. Did any UFC fan really expect GSP to move out of the division? Why would you? Yet when you have the UFC president and owner start talking about this fight as a reality, fan’s expectations change when at the end of the day GSP was never coming out of the weight class anyway. The UFC has nobody to blame but themselves for even putting this fight into the mindset of its fans.

In boxing we are only talking about one fight. In the UFC there have been a handful of huge fights that the company had a chance to sign and never pulled off. Quite frankly the only real mega fight in my mind they pulled off was the last GSP vs. BJ Penn fight. That was years ago and here we are today with more UFC cards than you can keep track of yet they are unable to make these monster fights.

Say what you will about the circumstances but the UFC failed to close the door on what would have been the biggest fight in UFC history. Brock vs. Fedor was on the table in 2009 and at the end of the day Dana White couldn’t get a deal done. He can blame the “crazy Russians” for outrageous demands all he wants, yet at the end of the day isn’t it his job to get the fight signed? He doesn’t take into account any crazy demands Mayweather or Pacquiao may be making when he criticizes boxing. Letting that fight slip away is something that I think may be his biggest blunder ever as UFC president.

How about the inter-promotional Strikeforce fights he failed to capitalize on? Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson, and Alistair Overeem all entered the UFC as Strikeforce champions. Instead of putting them immediately in with the champions, Dana got cute (although in the case of Diaz he tried). Would they have been fights on the level of Jones vs. Silva? No, but they would have had something a little more special and intriguing than the fights that the UFC had on the table at the time. He did it when Henderson came over from Pride FC and it was a big fight, yet failed to learn his own lesson.

Now that GSP vs. Silva is off the table, the UFC is left with only one real megafight. Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva is it. I wouldn’t put Cyborg Santos vs. Ronda Rousey, GSP vs. Nick Diaz, and Alistair Overeem vs. the UFC champion in the league of Jones vs. Silva, but they are even what I’d call special fights. Currently he is 0-4 on all of them. He can run around making grand promises that Silva vs. Jones is going to happen yet anyone with a clue can look at their schedules and see that even if it does come, it won’t be happening for a long time. Maybe it could have been booked for April or May, maybe it couldn’t have, but you’ll never know since Jones was signed to fight Chael Sonnen instead.

The UFC does a lot of great things but closing the deal on the big fight is not one of them. Making matters worse is White either purposely teasing his fans or living in a world of denial when he speaks about signing them. None of them appear to be anything more than talk on message boards at the moment and in all cases the blame rests with the UFC.

Maybe Lorenzo’s tweet was meant as a wakeup call to the camps of fighters like Jones, Silva, Rousey, Santos, and GSP? Regardless, you look like a fool when you start pointing fingers and blaming your competition for something you also have failed to do with multiple chances.

That iron is cooling off faster than you know it.

Chael Sonnen: The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment

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If you were waiting for the Anderson Silva vs. GSP UFC fight, you’ll have to keep waiting. GSP has officially declined the fight and instead hopes to settle a long standing grudge with Nick Diaz once Diaz returns from suspension.

UFC president Dana White made official what I had predicted a month ago to reporters this week. White told reporters that the UFC welterweight champion has declined the invitation to fight Anderson Silva and instead is begging the UFC to sign a fight with Diaz.

“Georges St-Pierre went on vacation,” White said. “When he came back, we were talking about Anderson Silva. He said, ‘I want Nick Diaz. Me and Nick Diaz have unfinished business. We were supposed to fight. That’s the fight I want now.’”

Now this fight is far from a definite. White said that he has not approached Diaz with this idea, nor can he even find him.

“I haven’t even talked to Nick yet,” White admitted. “I was trying to track him down this week, which is always fun. So I called (Nick’s brother) Nate (Diaz), and Nate told me, ‘Listen, if you talk to him, tell him I’m looking for him, too.’”

This is not a surprise at all. As soon as it was revealed that UFC 154 did not sell out immediately I knew that they would be going back to Diaz vs. GSP, even though Dana said publicly a few months ago that Diaz would have to win a fight first before getting a title shot.

The bigger story here in my mind is that you had a promoter running around promoting a fight for the last month or so that had very little chance of happening. White spent the last month not only promoting Silva vs. GSP, but promised that it would happen. GSP showed zero interest in the fight from day one, yet White promised and promoted this fight. Why would a promoter run around for a month promising a fight to fans and media that he had very little shot of delivering on?

Unfortunately here the biggest loser is once again championship credibility. The UFC right now has two, three if this one gets signed, championship fights signed right now with challengers coming off of losses. The big story I think for 2012 and forward is the absolute disregard for sport over business the UFC has shown regarding their championships. I am not saying there is anything wrong with it because as a fan I’d much rather watch Diaz vs. GSP than GSP vs. Hendricks, but it is certainly a more blatant shift to business than past years.

So where does this leave Anderson Silva? The UFC really screwed up by signing Jones vs. Sonnen when they should have worked towards Silva vs. Jones. That fight isn’t happening now. Chris Weidman is hurt which takes the number one contender out of the UFC middleweight title mix. I am really not sure what you do with Silva. Maybe you sit him out until the July event hoping to sign Silva vs. Jones or Silva vs. Weidman?

There is also the little hurdle of Diaz’s suspension that the UFC needs to get past. Diaz is still suspended. The UFC couldn’t even begin to promote this fight until February. That means we are probably looking at May before this fight takes place if it does. That is a long time to sit out your two biggest drawing cards in GSP and Silva.

My hunch is that if Diaz doesn’t get cleared GSP agrees to fight Silva. Sorry Johny Hendricks but as the boss said, you have zero leverage here.

Chael Sonnen: The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment

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