Anderson Silva had eight fights left on his UFC contract, including his return against Nick Diaz in January, but Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta apparently wanted more.
White and Fertitta had dinner with the former middleweight champion last Thursday in Rio de Janeiro, and they agreed to a new deal with the MMA legend.
“I had seven fights on my contract (after the Diaz fight). I met Lorenzo and Dana on Thursday and that contract was canceled. We signed for another 15 fights,” Silva told Combate. “To make Dana crazy, I signed for 15 more fights. And to make my family crazy, too.”
Silva, who meets Diaz in a middleweight contest in Las Vegas on Jan. 31, is also negotiating a new sponsorship deal. The MMA fighter is no longer sponsored by Nike, and he’s currently in negotiations with Adidas.
“I was always a Nike fan, I like the brand. The company gave me an opportunity to fulfill a dream. Thanks to Ronaldo and Corinthians, I was able to work with Nike,” he said. “It was great, I liked it a lot. I’ll miss them, always remember it.
“We’re in a good relationship with Adidas now. There’s nothing done, we’ll see what happens in the future.”