Opinion: GSP-Bisping Superfight Lacks ‘Super’

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

It’s official: Georges St. Pierre is coming out of his three-year hiatus to compete in the UFC.

The former UFC welterweight champion has plans to return to the Octagon before the end of the year, and his target is none other than... Michael Bisping.

Three years ago, the idea of St. Pierre fighting Bisping was laughable. Hell, the though of these two squaring off would have been fairly absurd three months ago, even after Bisping got past Anderson Silva. But, here we are, discussing the possibility of the two winningest fighters in UFC history battling one another.

It sounds ridiculous, but this is what the last 12 months in MMA have been all about: the unfathomable.

From Holly Holm’s knockout of Ronda Rousey to Bisping’s shocking, first-round finish of Luke Rockhold, the past year has been anything but predictable. To match the massive upsets, there is the surprising comeback of ex-heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar at UFC 200, and now the return of “GSP.”

The UFC landscape is totally different from the one St. Pierre left in 2013. There were no Reebok fight kits, Conor McGregor and Max Holloway were just a pair of prospects, Ronda Rousey was unbeatable, the women’s strawweight division didn’t exist, and Daniel Cormier had yet to debut as a light heavyweight.

Back then, Bisping wasn’t on anyone’s radar as a potential champion. As a matter of fact, “The Count” had gone 2-2 in his last four fights with losses to Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort. Much has changed since then. The level of unpredictability is something that St. Pierre will have to be aware of if he is able to secure a bout with Bisping.

But is that the fight people want to see?

Of all of the unexpected things that have happened in the UFC, perhaps nothing has been more surprising than the potential pairing of St. Pierre and Bisping. It sounds good in theory, because of the record for the most UFC wins, but who really cares about that record? Does it really matter? Is it something that will entice fans to watch?

People will be watching because they want to see the return of GSP. How much of a difference will it make if he’s fighting Bisping? Don’t these two have better things to do than fight each other? Of course, Bisping has business to take care of as UFC middleweight champion. Whether it is getting revenge against Dan Henderson or facing either Rockhold, Chris Weidman or Ronaldo Souza, there are quite a few things I would expect to see other than this matchup.

St. Pierre has made it a point to say that it’s not about championships for him anymore, but what’s the point of fighting Bisping if it isn’t about becoming a two-division champion? Surely, it’s not because of that silly idea that they are competing for the most wins in the UFC... right?

There is a plethora of welterweight matchups out there for GSP which could prove just as intriguing. A fight with current champ Robbie Lawler or a rematch with Johny Hendricks sounds a little more enticing than a Bisping fight. If St. Pierre really wants to fight someone at middleweight or in a catchweight fight, why not take on Anderson Silva? Sure, Silva is far from the unbeatable entity he once was, but that fight would still be intriguing to fight fans looking for a showdown between a pair of UFC legends.

This isn’t to say that St. Pierre-Bisping is a fight that nobody cares about. Of course people will care. We’ll care because it’s the return of St. Pierre. If you need another reason, it’s because Bisping has paid his dues and deserves a big payday. But, what happens if GSP wins? Does he defend a title he doesn’t care to have? Obviously, it’s a much bigger deal for Bisping if he wins, but it still clogs up a middleweight division that is ripe with contenders.

Ultimately, the whole idea of a St. Pierre-Bisping superfight kind of lacks the “super.” It’s really just a fight. But, like much of the past year, it’s about the unexpected.

Andreas Hale is the editorial content director of 2DopeBoyz.com, co-host of the boxing, MMA and pro wrestling podcast “The Corner” and a regular columnist for Sherdog.com. You can follow on Twitter for his random yet educated thoughts on combat sports, music, film and popular culture.