The argument could be made that Conor McGregor was overlooking Khabib Nurmagomedov heading into their bout.
McGregor was submitted by “The Eagle” at UFC 229 last month in his highly-anticipated Octagon return. Prior to their fight, however, McGregor was already speculating about who his next opponent could be. The Irishman threw out a potential fight against Anderson Silva as something that seriously interests him. Silva picked up on the statement and accepted “The Notorious’” challenge.
Silva held a live stream on his Instagram account to discuss his potential Octagon return. He mentioned the rumored fight against McGregor and noted that he hasn’t talked to the UFC about it (via MMA Fighting):
”I’m waiting for the UFC about my next fight, and I’m training hard,” Silva said. “I accepted the challenge (from) Conor McGregor, but never (discussed) about this fight (with the UFC). But I’m ready, guys. I’m here, I’m training every day. I never lose my focus. I’m waiting for my next challenge.”
The 43-year-old recently snapped a four-fight losing streak. He defeated Derek Brunson via unanimous decision at UFC 208 in February of last year. Silva seems game to fight McGregor, but towards the end of his live stream, “The Spider” said in Portuguese that he thinks McGregor “is afraid to lose, supposedly, to an old man, but I’m here.”
While McGregor initially had Silva on his radar, it’s likely a rematch with Khabib is at the top of his priority list at the moment. With other challenges such as Tony Ferguson, Georges St-Pierre, and others on the table – it’s unlikely we ever see a McGregor vs. Silva bout.
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