LOS ANGELES — We’re still far away from finding out UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s next opponent.
But on Wednesday, Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, emphatically stated he doesn’t think a bout with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is the right fight to make.
Speaking with reporters at the UFC on FOX 4 open workouts at the JW Marriott hotel in downtown Los Angeles, Soares ridiculed the notion of making a champion vs. champion superfight.
“I don’t think it’s a good fight,” Soares said. “I think No. 1, Jon Jones, said he doesn’t want the fight, and Anderson said he doesn’t want the fight. What is it going to do for Jones if he goes go down in weight to fight Anderson? If he loses it’s going to ruin him. If Anderson Silva moves up in weight and fights Jon Jones, here’s a lighter guy who’s going to take my title? C’mon dude.
“Anderson is fighting a much younger guy, a much bigger guy, and Jon Jones is going to be fighting a smaller guy who technically could be better than him. I can see why each guy wouldn’t want to fight. What’s the upside?”
When a reporter replied “money” to Soares rhetorical question, Soares answered “There’s money out there regardless.”
“[UFC president] Dana [White] can’t force anyone to fight at a bigger weight class,” Soares continued. “Anderson is the 185-pound champion. He’ll fight anyone you put in front of him. So make Jon Jones make 185 pounds if you want that to happen.”
With Soares insisting that Jones vs. Silva is unlikely, that leaves the question of Silva’s next title defense open. There’s a pack of fighters looking to make their case, the most vocal of whom has been Chris Weidman, who is ranked No. 3 at 185 pounds by MMAFighting.com. But Soares summarily dismissed Weidman when asked.
“I mean, because he had an impressive win over Mark Munoz and [Demian] Maia?” Soares paused and rolled his eyes before adding “Sure.”
One name that Soares didn’t reflexively reject was former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz, whose manager, Cesar Gracie, said on Friday that Diaz would like a fight with the champion.
“Sure, we’ll consider anyone the UFC puts in front of us, I don’t have a choice,” said Soares. “Nick Diaz is a good opponent possibly, I mean, he’s a smaller guy, but he’s a guy who comes out and fights every time, he’s going to put on a good fight.”
Of course, Diaz is under suspension until February, so Soares, like the rest of us, will wait and see what the UFC offers Silva.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, that’s a question for Dana and [UFC matchmaker Joe] Silva.”