Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4 results leads to UFC boss feeling 'super fight' pressure

When Juan Manuel Marquez knocked out Manny Pacquiao in the sixth round of their 147-pound bout on HBO boxing pay-per-view (PPV) last night (Sat., Dec. 8, 2012) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, it didn't take long for someone at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to make mention of it.

Surprisingly enough, it was company co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta who took to Twitter with the following remark:

"Gotta strike when the iron is hot boxing! Lost manny/Floyd 4ever. #gspvssilva #silvavsbones #superfights!"

That's an interesting tweet because it's fairly open to interpretation. One might perceive that as a higher up at UFC taking yet another shot at boxing, something the promotion has damn near made a past time of.

But this might actually be more indicative of the pressure the UFC is feeling to make the super-fights it has available right now, as mentioned by Fertitta. Indeed, promotion President Dana White had all but promised he would convince Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva fight each other sometime early next year. He also mentioned Silva possibly fighting Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones after that, assuming he emerged victorious, of course.

That would have undoubtedly equaled the two biggest super-fights in the history of MMA.

Unfortunately, the UFC is running into many of the same problems boxing has when talk comes up of actually putting these fights together. St. Pierre and Silva can't seem to settle on the weight they feel the bout should be contested at. Silva and Jones are friends who don't really want to fight each other. One side wants its concessions, the other side wants the same, and no one is happy.

That sounds familiar.

Fertitta likely recognizes that the longer the UFC waits to put those fights together, the more they risk the chance that they'll fall apart as those fighters continue taking on different challengers. A potential Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight is likely dead in the water thanks to Marquez's crushing knockout. If Nick Diaz does indeed get his fight against St. Pierre and does something similar, there goes yet another super-fight.

Like Lorenzo said, it's time to strike while the iron is still hot.