While current UFC Welterweight Champion George “Rush” St. Pierre is focused purely on his upcoming fight against former EliteXC Welterweight and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields. Speculation still runs abound regarding GSP’s possible destination should he win the fight, his sixth straight title defense. Dana White has said that should Pierre win this fight, it’ll mark a move to the Middleweight division, and a showdown with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, should Silva beat current contender Yushin Okami at UFC 134.  

And it’ll be the smartest move all involved could make.

Both fighters have something in common, that being there is practically no one left for either fighter in their respective division. GSP had long cleaned out the welterweight division of competition prior to Jake Shields being signed by the UFC. While Shields is no fighter to overlook and has the tools to beat GSP, more focus seems to be on the possibility of the long-awaited move up to Middleweight for one of the pound-4-pound best fighters on the planet.

GSP made his debut at UFC 46 defeating Karo Parisyan, following that up with a win over Jay Heiron before losing his first title shot against than champion Matt Hughes. The title wouldn’t allude GSP for long, winning  five straight fights before avenging his first loss to Hughes, winning the fight via TKO. With a loss to the underdog Matt Serra, his last loss,  GSP has now won eight straight fights, including wins over Penn, Fitch, Koscheck twice, Hughes, Hardy and Alves.

While GSP has made mention that he feels comfortable at 170, but that he’d be willing to move up 185, GSP would be facing something he normally doesn’t see; a weight disadvantage. While GSP is not the biggest welterweight in the division, he would be facing fighters who sometimes cut from over 200 lbs to fight in the middleweight division. While most people consider GSP to be one of the better wrestlers in MMA, it will be interesting to see if GSP has any trouble with the bigger fighters in the middleweight division.

The process wouldn’t be easy for GSP, and he knows this, acknowledging he would have to get his body completely ready for a move up the bigger division, leaving the welterweight division permanently.

Another situation that could be in the back of GSP’s mind is the friendships he has with many of the fighters at 185. GSP knows there is a chance he could fight them and has stated on numerous occasions that he would never fight a friend, as he feels he couldn’t pull the trigger in a finishing situation.

While GSP’s eyes maybe on Jake Shields on Saturday, the rest of world is looking ahead, at the possibility of a dance with The Spider.