SuperFights: How much value do they have?

How much value do you think Super Fights would have for a young sport?  In other sports, many, many of the best competitions never happened.  And the sports world was the poorer for it.  

The boxing community may never see Floyd Mayweather fight Manny Pacquiao?  Would it really be that much of a loss if they never got it?  

The MMA fans never saw Fedor Emelianenko fight Randy Couture or Brock Lesnar.  We did get to see Brock fight Randy and it was interesting if not that competitive.

So here are my questions for the house.

Would you get excited if GSP announced he was moving up to MW to fight Anderson Silva?

If that fight happened, would you get excited if Anderson Silva announced he was moving up to LHW to fight Jon Jones?

If that fight happened, would you get excited if Jon Jones announced he was moving up to HW?

Would you get excited if Renan Barao was moving up to FW to fight Jose Aldo?

Would you get excited if Jose Aldo were to move up to LW?

Besides exciting the fans, do SuperFights really bring that much value to a sport?  Is the sporting element that important?  After all, a sport will go on whether or not the best people ever meet in competition.  

I've heard over and over here that many fans are sick of talk of SuperFights and I wonder how deep that sentiment really goes.

Any thoughts?  Discuss.

* Edited at 08.04.2012, 3:04 PM ET *

I am not even arguing for super-fights at this point.

If I had the chance for seeing GSP vs. Silva, OR, having GSP finish his career in MW, I'd pass on the super-fight between GSP and Silva and look forward MUCH MORE to GSP fighting guys more on his own level.

Same thing for Silva vs. Jones.  If I had the choice between seeing that fight OR, having Silva finish his career in LHW, I'd pass on the super-fight and choose to see Silva finish his career in LHW.

Super-fights are cool, but I am arguing for a MUCH BIGGER prize.  I want to see the best guys fight guys on their own level.  And if that requires them to move up, so be it.  MOVE UP!  Do your sport a favor and show some damn appreciation to the sport that made you rich and famous and respect the wishes of your fans!

Personally, I'd love to see some super fights...

I don't get how moving up=fighting some at your own level. You don't move up and find people with the same skills as GSP, just bigger guys on a lower level. The only thing is their size may be able to overcome despite being on a lower level of skill. 

It's not GSP or Silva's fault people can't find how to beat them. They shouldn't have fight more and more out of shape against bigger and bigger people until they find someone who can. 

If GSP finished his career at MW fighting guys like Munoz, Belcher, Boetsch, and Palheres and went 2-2 or 1-3 it would hurt his career and legacy.  

only super fights I want too see are
1# cv VS jon jones
2# gsp vs Anderson silva
3# ben henderson vs jose aldo

Super fights are money grabs and equate to no more then fanboy masturbation. The fighters involved are never both in the prime of their careers. Pointless from my fan point of view.

I don't mind superfights. The more fights the better.

@Bigj  Since you are discussing with respect and total civility, I will engage you.  I am not seeking to disparage your opinion at all in any way and know you speak for many others.

I don't know how if GSP moved up to MW, and finished his career with a few losses, how that would diminish his greatness or tarnish his reputation.  

In sports, most people lose occasionally.  Very, very few athletes retired undefeated.  Rocky Maciano comes to mind.  But even the greatest lost.  Because they fought the best available and didn't duck.  Jim Ryun in track, Ali, Dempsey, Joe Louis, Tyson, etc.

Losing didn't diminish those great champions.  And it didn't tarnish their legacies.  Fedor's several losses at the end of his career doesn't diminish his greatness.  I think his refusal to fight Couture and Lesnar DID make him look chicken.  Only one man's opinion.

But if GSP, Silva and Jones moved up and sustained some losses, it would show their competitive fires, and give their public a chance to see cherished sports events, and we'd all laud them for their guts in rolling the dice and putting it all on the line.

One of the things that awes me in sports champions is when they have nothing to gain yet fight or play events to test themselves.  Remember when Carlos Condit beat Nick Diaz and then offered to fight him immediately again right afterwards?  But Diaz tested positive for marijuana particles.  But Condit's offer to roll the dice when he didn't have to, and had absolutely nothing to gain, was one of the deepest glimpses into a real champion's heart and soul.

GSP and Silva are 2 of the very greatest MMA fighters ever, yet have such a fear of losing that they will probably never move up.  Just too afraid of losing.  But Jon Jones is not afraid of rolling the dice.  He will move up and find out where his destiny lies.  And that makes all the difference.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.---Robert Frost

I think the point is Bill that if GSP fought at 185 he would be quite undersized against whoever he fought. For instance let's say GSP moved up and fought Vitor at 185 and lost. What would that prove? That GSP is fighting a guy who is much bigger and the size difference was too great to overcome. It's not an excuse for losing it's a simple fact. When 2 fighters are close in skill it usually comes down to the bigger guy controlling the fight. 

GSP has dominated what many believe to be the deepest most talented weight class in the UFC. There are still some very skilled fighters that GSP hasn't fought at 170 such as Hendricks, Ellenberger and possibly Benson moving up. 

I'm torn on it. It seems like the superfights often come too late in one of the fighter's primes. I do remember the Gracie v. Shamrock "SUperfight" It sucked!!! That was because both men fought to not lose and they fought o a 30 minute draw.

I do think this sport could use them but why would GSP go up and fight Silva and vice versa since they both have belts and are getting paid a few hundred thousand dollars for every defense?

Didn't Sugar Ray Leonard, Macho Camacho, Roy Jones, Tommy Hearns and lots of other boxers continually move up in weight classes as they got better and better.  They could have remained light and dominated but they chose to go where the best, most competitive fights were.

I miss that era.

Now this is a super fight with both in or maybe even a little before their prime.

I humbly submit the proposition that if Jon Jones were to move to HW, and eventually fought Cain Velasquez, assuming Cain was still the HW champion, THAT would be the biggest Super-Fight ever.  Even bigger than a potential fight between Anderson Silva and Jon Jones.

It would have the virtue of uncertainty and intrigue.  If Jones fights Silva, I think the odds would be heavily in favor of Jones.  Not a blowout, mind you, but maybe 65%-35% predicting in favor of Jones.

But if Jones were ever to fight Velasquez, it would be much, much more even in terms of odds.  The voting might go something like 50%-50%.  Neither would have a big size or strength advantage.

And finally, if Jones were to find a way to defeat Cain and take his belt, that would be one huge, massive step towards establishing Jon Jones as the GOAT MMA fighter, thereby forcibly taking that hypothetical title from Anderson Silva.

After all, if Jones were to beat Cain, what criteria would there be to argue against his becoming the new GOAT?  That would make Jones only the 3rd UFC fighter to hold championship belts in multiple divisions, after Couture and Penn.

Neither Anderson Silva nor Fedor ever held belts in multiple divisions.

Any thoughts?  

I honestly think that Silva could step up to 205lbs and beat Jones and still be the GOAT! I would much rather see Jones/Silva because they are already both right up there in P4P. Velasquez has yet to defend the UFC belt so to me he isn't in the conversation.

If we are talking down the road and Velasquez has defended the belt numerous times I guess it would be a good super fight but I really think Jones/Silva is the fight everyone wants to see and would be the biggest seller.

* Edited at 05.14.2013, 12:19 PM ET *

@poir  I do agree with you that Cain Velasquez has a ways to go to establish himself as a dominant champion.

He needs to beat Bigfoot first.  Then, I think he needs to beat JDS maybe once or twice more, just to make believers out of those who are still sceptical at this time as to who is the better man.

And I also think Cain needs to beat Overeem once or twice.  And maybe Roy Nelson, Werdun, Hunt and maybe even some others.

Then, if Jones beat Cain, it will mean so much more.  I agree with you.

I fully belive Jones would finish Silva right now before the 4th rd. That does mean I that I think he would be the G.O.A.T.  yet. A early/mid 30's Silva vs Jones would be a tough one for me to call.