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“Our team talked to his team and we agreed upon a bout at [170 pounds], but something happened and UFC decided to not make it.”
The UFC owes Anderson Silva a super fight.
The former UFC middleweight champion and pound-for-pound great revealed in a recent interview with Brazilian MMA outlet Combate (h/t Marcelo Alonso of Sherdog), that a mega fight with Conor McGregor had been agreed to at 170 pounds but that the UFC stopped the bout from happening.
“UFC owes me a super fight by contract,” Silva said on Monday. “Conor [McGregor] called me out right after my fight with [Israel] Adesanya. Our team talked to his team and we agreed upon a bout at [170 pounds], but something happened and UFC decided to not make it.”
Silva is also open to a super fight with former WEC and UFC lightweight titleholder Anthony Pettis but says he is not willing to face any new up-and-comers at this late stage in his career.
“Then Anthony Pettis proposed that super fight, and I liked it because he was already a champion who has impressive knockouts,” Silva added. “Of course, it would be a great super fight.
“At this point of my career and for all my legacy it doesn’t make any sense to face new talents that are entering the game now. I don’t want to be a ‘step’ for the new generation. I want to face relevant champions for the sport. And definitely Pettis is a great challenge that will make me train a lot.”
Silva, 45, is the oldest fighter on the UFC roster and is 1-4 in his five fights. ‘The Spider’ last fought in 2019, when he suffered a leg kick TKO loss Jared Cannonier in the first round of the UFC 237 co-main event.