Georges St-Pierre tips his hat to fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend Anderson Silva.
Former UFC Middleweight champion Silva is preparing to box former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz inside the Hard Rock Seminole in Hollywood, Florida on Sat., Sept. 11. via Triller pay-per-view (PPV). Silva is coming off a split decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (watch highlights) in June, a performance that inspired former UFC Welterweight king St-Pierre.
“Bro, it was one of his best performances in life — I would say among the rest of his elite performances that he did in MMA,” St-Pierre recently told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour (h/t MMA Fighting). “To me, the way he beat César Chávez, it was incredible. And I was under the impression before the fight that César Chávez would dominate him because of his boxing experience. Man, he took everybody by surprise. It was very inspiring to see him perform that way. It was very, very inspiring.
“And what a great ending for Anderson Silva right now. I hope if he comes back into these kinds of fights, it will be something worth it. Not only about money, but in terms of legacy — something that, it will make him shine, make him look good. Because, man, if you check his last (UFC) performance against Uriah Hall, it was kind of disappointing, it was kind of sad. But what a way to come back. What a way to get back on top. Man, that was amazing.”
Silva vs. Ortiz takes place on the undercard of Triller’s PPV headlined by Evander Holyfield vs. Vitor Belfort. GSP is siding with Silva as his official prediction.
“I think it’s a good fight,” he said. “It could be a good fight for Anderson Silva because he’s more into his field of expertise [than Ortiz].”
GSP previously revealed a potential boxing match against the legendary Oscar De La Hoya which was intercepted by the UFC.
Finished reading this story? The party doesn’t have to stop. Click here to get more of the latest UFC news.