BURBANK, Calif. — This one won’t be lost in translation.
UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, considered by many the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all-time, doesn’t like his chances in a potential superfight with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Speaking in English without a translator at a Monday media luncheon, Silva was asked his opinion of Jones, one of two fighters often named as potential superfight opponents for Silva, along with welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
“Jon Jones, in his class, is the best, Silva said. “If I fight Jon Jones, I don’t think I’m going to win.”
Silva, who puts his UFC record 16-fight win streak on the line when he meets Chris Weidman in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 162 in Las Vegas, was asked by MMAFighting why he feels as he does. Silva said that it comes down to seeing a little bit of his younger self.
“Jon Jones is different,” Silva said. “He’s large. He’s young. But, in the fight, I see in Jon Jones, I see myself from a long time ago. He’s very smart.”
Asked in what ways he might have advantages over Jones if such a fight were to take place, Silva (33-4) gave himself the edge in experience and not much else.
“I don’t know,” Silva said. “In my opinion, Spider has more experience than Jon Jones, but that’s the only advantage.”