Remember when Anderson Silva said he wouldn’t fight Chris Weidman again? Four months later, “The Spider” changed his mind.
The former UFC middleweight champion, who is scheduled to make his return to the Octagon against Nick Diaz on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas, said he would be “happy” to fight for the title again if he earns his shot, and he wouldn’t mind facing Weidman again.
“I think about fighting for the title again, of course,” Silva said in an interview to his manager Jorge Guimaraes on Passando a Guarda. “I have seven fights left in my contract and, if I have a chance to fight for the title again, I will fight.”
“The Spider”, who once said he was not interested in a third bout with “All American” after he “defeated me twice (and) everybody saw this,” changed his mind again.
“I will fight the fights I have left in my contract and, if I earn a chance to fight for the title one day, against (Weidman) or not – not being a friend or a training partner –, I will be happy,” he said.
An impressive win over former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz in January could be enough for him to earn another shot at the gold, especially if everything goes as the Brazilian expects.
“It’s going to be a show for the fans,” he said. “It will make history as the best striking match of all-time.”
Weidman, who handled Silva both of his loses under the UFC banner in 2013, is expected to put his title on the line against Vitor Belfort in February. However, Silva is focused on Diaz now.
“I’m really excited. It’s my comeback, I have to be excited,” “The Spider” said. “I’m training a lot, really happy with everything that is happening. Nick Diaz is a tough guy. He fights really well, has a great physical condition and a great technique, so it’s going to be a nice fight.
“If Nick does a clean fight, if he fights standing without stalling, we’ll do a spectacular fight,” he added. “Nick has a great boxing and it’s going to be a fantastic fight. Every UFC fan will like it.”