For nearly five years, Anderson Silva has reigned over the middleweight division. Now, Silva will look to defend his UFC belt for the ninth time in a row. When Silva steps into the Octagon against Yushin Okami at UFC 134, it will be the Brazilian’s first fight in his home country since December 2003.
After an open workout event on Copacabana beach, Silva talked to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani about what the opportunity to fight in front of his compatriots means to him.
“I’m very happy,” Silva said. “This is the big dream for all the [fighters] in Brazil.”
This meeting between Silva and Okami at UFC 134 will not be the first between the two fighters. The middleweights also met in a welterweight tournament in January 2006. After getting off to a strong start in that fight, Silva was taken down.
Shortly after the takedown, Silva landed an illegal upkick that rendered Okami unable to continue, which results in a disqualification loss for the Brazilian. If Silva can avenge that loss at UFC 134, it will further cement him as the greatest fighter in MMA history.
Despite the history between the two fighters, Silva is not concerning himself with anything that happened in his prior meeting with Okami.
“This fight is not about avenging a loss,” Silva said. “Some fights you win, and some you lose, so it’s just another fight.”
Silva and Okami will meet in UFC 134’s main event. The event’s main card will be aired on pay-per-view at approximately 9:00 p.m. ET.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.