Multiple reports indicated that mixed martial arts fans might see a fight between Conor McGregor and Georges St-Pierre along with a rematch involving Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping this year.
According to a report from Sports World News, UFC tried to stage a fight between McGregor and St-Pierre this year, but the plan was shelved after the reigning featherweight champion took an upset against Nate Diaz at UFC 196.
McGregor will earn another crack at Diaz at UFC 200 in July, where a win could line him up to a dream showdown with GSP, who is reportedly planning to come out of retirement. St-Pierre has not fought since scoring a split decision win against Johny Hendricks in November 2013.
Audie Attar, McGregor's manager, told Submission Radio that there were no formal talks about the bout against GSP. But if the opportunity comes, Attar said that McGregor will not hesitate to face the former welterweight champion despite GSP's size advantage, saying that "The Notorious" is ready to face the best in the business.
"Having the best records all around in the game is something Conor has publicly stated he wants to do. And I think for us we share that ambition at Paradigm," Attar added. "At the end of the day, whether it's GSP or whoever it may the super-fights are what we want and we want to continue to grow the sport globally."
On the other hand, Silva, the former UFC middleweight champion, also has a big goal this year -- to get a rematch with Bisping, who ran away with a unanimous decision win over the Brazilian superstar during their non-title fight at UFC Fight Night 84 in February.
Silva praised Bisping for coming well-prepared during their fight, but the 40-year-old thinks his opponent did not do enough to deserve a unanimous decision victory that night.
"I give him merit for winning, but I take merit away from the judges for judging it that way," Silva, who will face Uriah Hall at UFC 198 in May, told Daily Star. "I was very happy with how I performed. I showed everyone my technique and superiority."
Silva, who is considered by many as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, has not scored an official win since his knockout win over Stephan Bonnar in October 2012. He defeated Nick Diaz in January last year, but he tested positive for banned substance before and after the bout.
