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Doubts surface over St-Pierre v Silva superfight

Georges St-Pierre has no obvious successors to his UFC welterweight title if he vacates his crown © Getty Images

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Major doubt exists over whether Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva are still heading for a UFC superfight later this year.

The two champions of the welterweight and middleweight divisions respectively had been expected to finally put on the most eagerly awaited fight in UFC history if they both came through their latest title defences. Silva was successful in his collision with Vitor Belfort at UFC 126, which has just left St-Pierre to follow suit against Jake Shields at UFC 129.

However, doubts have begun to emerge over the bout following BJ Penn's uninspiring draw with Jon Fitch. In previous interviews St-Pierre has explained that once he steps up to middleweight he will stay there, and the Penn v Fitch draw leaves no obvious successors to GSP's 170lb throne.

Now St-Pierre himself is casting doubt for the first time over a future collision with Silva, pointing out the one problem that UFC president Dana White has always alluded to, that Silva is significantly larger than the Canadian.

"I don't know [about fighting Anderson Silva]," St-Pierre recently said on UFC on Versus. "I need to sit down with my entourage and see first where this fight will take place and what weight, and a bunch of stuff. Right now I'm focusing just on Jake Shields, I don't see further than Jake Shields.

"It would take a long time [to add the size]. Anderson Silva is a huge guy; he's weighing around 230 pounds. He's very big. Even when he fights as a light-heavyweight, he looks bigger than the other guys.

"I don't know if I'm going to go up [to] 185. I have no idea; it's a complete reorientation of my career. I have a lot to lose and I haven't thought about it, I haven't sat down to talk about it."

It is believed St-Pierre may only be tempted by a catchweight bout with Silva, preferring to stay at 170lbs in order to build his legacy as the greatest welterweight of all time.

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