MMA was dealt some extremely exciting news this past weekend when it was announced that Anderson Silva would be fighting surging contender Israel Adesanya. The two will face off at UFC 234 next February. It’s time Silva reveals his biggest motivator for accepting the dangerous fight.
The fight was viewed as a potential changing of the guard. It’s hard for it not to be. The 43-year legend has been out of fighting since a thin decision win over Derek Brunson at 2017’s UFC 208. By comparison, “The Last Stylebender” finished Brunson with dominant ease at UFC 230.
But “The Spider” has never been about taking the easiest fight. He fought two-division champion Daniel Cormier on days’ notice at UFC 200. Now he’s taking on the competitor most feel is the clear future of middleweight. The fight, not surprisingly, is one Silva is expected to lose.
He has his own reasons for that, however. Discussing the blockbuster booking with ESPN recently, Silva said he wanted the best challenge, and Adesanya provides just that:
“This is a great challenge for me. My entire life, since I started martial arts, I have taken the best challenge. Israel is a young guy and the future of the sport. Everybody is talking about Israel. I think this is the best fight in the sport.”
A Talk With Dana
He may be reaching the upper levels in terms of age for fighters, but Silva is still aiming to fight for a title. ‘The Spider’ said UFC President Dana White came to his adopted home of Los Angeles to talk him into taking it. When the face of the UFC promised a title shot, Silva jumped at the chance:
“Dana came to Los Angeles to talk to me. I said to him, ‘Why am I going to take this fight?’ And Dana said, ‘You know, you win this fight, you go to the title belt.’ I said, ‘OK, now you are talking good business for me.’”
If Silva were to beat the odds and get past “The Last Stylebender,” he’d most likely be taking on the winner of UFC 234’s Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum main event. That would no doubt be a huge fight, but Silva teased a bout that was even much bigger than that recently. Rumors surfaced he may be facing Conor McGregor, and Silva claimed that may still happen:
“At first, I talked to Dana about a fight with McGregor, because McGregor challenged me,” Silva said. “Maybe that will be my second fight after this layoff. We’ll see.”
One That Won’t Happen
That would be a super fight of epic proportions, and a departure from the super fight Silva has been linked to for years. That fight is his rumored match with longtime former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. The booking never came together, and Silva said it most likely won’t happen.
In his opinion, St-Pierre only accepts fights he knows he can win and doesn’t take on the biggest challenges. He even said St-Pierre “runs” from huge fights:
“That’s an interesting fight, but Georges has never come to accept the challenge,” Silva said. “Georges just runs, runs, runs, It’s crazy. I do not think Georges wants the fight — but that’s OK. I respect Georges. He is a great fighter. Maybe he just has a different view — to take easy fights. That’s not me. I like to take the big challenges in my life.
“Georges is very lucky and very smart. He never goes to take a fight if it’s not easy. That’s the point. Georges, for me, is a great fighter, but he never takes the real challenges in life. That’s my opinion. I respect him, but that’s my opinion.”
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