Until July of 2013, Anderson Silva was widely considered the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. Now, nearly four years later, the former middleweight king hasn’t tasted victory since UFC 153. Against the heavy underdog Chris Weidman, ‘The Spider’ was knocked out cold for the first time in his career. Again meeting Weidman at UFC 168, Silva suffered a broken leg. With his career in the balance, the Brazilian icon was absent for a year. Although he defeated Nick Diaz at UFC 183, the result was overturned when Silva popped for steroids.
Tasting 2016 defeats to Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier, Silva’s illustrious win streak seemed a lifetime ago. Had the fight game moved on without ‘The Spider?’ Now 41 years old, Silva will again try to turn back the clock, facing Corey Anderson at UFC 208. During this recent interview with Globo, the ex-champ made a very interesting call out. Proving he is still up to speed on current affairs, the 42-fight veteran revealed he wants to fight outside the rankings.
Silva Wants McGregor
Keeping with the current trend of ‘money fights,’ Silva said he wants to punch Conor McGregor before retiring from MMA:
“Now, [as an] old man, I’m starting to challenge everyone. Oh, I want to hit that dwarf. What is the boy’s name? Really…McGregor? It is not provocation. It’s just that I forget, I’m old. Old men know what it’s like. I have this urge to test myself against him. I think he’s a guy who has an unusual ability. I do not know if he would reach a weight of 81, 82 kg, which is the weight I can get. But it’s a guy I’d like to test myself before I end my career. I think it would be a great fight for the world of fights and UFC history.”
Thoughts
Given the amount contenders at lightweight, would this be a fight that makes sense for McGregor? With recent challenges from just about anyone and everyone, it looks like a queue is forming for the absent Irishman.
Stay tuned.
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