Anderson Silva scolds Georges St-Pierre for ducking ‘big challenges’

MMA fans have been dying to see former UFC champions Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva fight for years. That was true at the height of their title reigns, when St-Pierre guarded the welterweight strap and Silva simultaneously sat in the middleweight throne, and it’s true today, when Silva is a mere middleweight contender and St-Pierre appears to have once again retired.

Unfortunately, the fight has never materialized, and Anderson Silva assures that’s no fault of his own. Speaking to ESPN recently, the former middleweight champion shared his belief that Georges St-Pierre is only interested in taking easy fights, rather than truly challenging himself.

“That’s an interesting fight, but Georges has never come to accept the challenge,” Silva said. “Georges just runs, runs, runs, It’s crazy. I do not think Georges wants the fight — but that’s OK. I respect Georges. He is a great fighter. Maybe he just has a different view — to take easy fights. That’s not me. I like to take the big challenges in my life.”

Anderson Silva continued, reiterating that he respects Georges St-Pierre, but that he believes the Canadian is risk averse.

“Georges is very lucky and very smart. He never goes to take a fight if it’s not easy. That’s the point. Georges, for me, is a great fighter, but he never takes the real challenges in life. That’s my opinion. I respect him, but that’s my opinion.”

Anderson Silva will return to the cage at UFC at UFC 234, where he will take on surging UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya.

Do you think we’ll ever see him fight Georges St-Pierre in the future, or is this simply one of those dream fights that will never happen?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/28/2018.