‘Forget about it, it’s over’ – Silva dismisses Belfort rematch

Anderson Silva fends off Vitor Belfort in their 2015 fight at UFC 126. | Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

With both men competing on Triller’s latest PPV offering, and picking up first round KO…


Anderson Silva fends off Vitor Belfort in their 2015 fight at UFC 126.
Anderson Silva fends off Vitor Belfort in their 2015 fight at UFC 126. | Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

With both men competing on Triller’s latest PPV offering, and picking up first round KOs in the process, it only seems natural that a rematch between Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva take place in the boxing ring.

The new era of celebrity boxing has quickly built a reputation for making the most ridiculous matchups available; booking Floyd Mayweather against Logan Paul, Vitor Belfort against Oscar De La Hoya (and then Evander Holyfield when the ‘Golden Boy’ fell ill), pitting Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren. So maybe there’s a certain amount of sense to ignoring an obvious fight booking when it’s staring people right in the face.

Triller’s recent PPV offering, featuring said Belfort vs. Holyfield main event, ended with two former foes, both past UFC champions, picking up big first round knockouts. The ‘Phenom’ dispatched of the ‘Real Deal’ in just 1:44 seconds, immediately preceded by none other than Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva taking out fellow former UFC champ Tito Ortiz in 1:21. Silva and Belfort faced off back in 2011, with Anderson winning via spectacular front-kick KO. A decade later and a rematch in boxing seems like an easy spectacle to make.

There’s just one problem: it doesn’t sound like Silva is even a little bit interested in rematching his former victim. After all, as he put it in a recent interview with the podcast Trocação Franca, how could he ever hope to improve on his victory over Belfort the first time around?

“A fight that would be cool would be Vitor and Wanderlei Silva,” Silva offered, instead of taking on Belfort again (translation via MMA Fighting). “This fight would be spectacular. Everybody wants to see this fight.

“My opinion regarding a fight with Vitor, man, what would be more spectacular than the knockout I gave Vitor? Only if we enter the ring and I blow on him and he goes down. Outside of that, nothing cooler could happen. Forget about it, man. People have to forget about it. It’s over.”

Silva did give Belfort one possible avenue for getting the fight, however, if he’s dedicated to pursuing it.

“Unless he tattoos the ‘Spider Kick’ on his chest and writes ‘I love Anderson Silva’ right below, then it might happen,” Silva joked. “He must get the tattoo done before the fight. It must be on his chest, nicely done, really big, so everyone sees the kick. Other than that, there’s no way.”

Silva also told the outlet that he plans to fight until age 49, and hasn’t ruled out a possible return to MMA. That leaves a lot of possibilities for the 46-year-old’s next move. A boxing match against Georges St. Pierre seems as though it’s been the principle fight on the Brazilian’s radar, but unless GSP can find a way out from under his UFC contract, that fight seems entirely unlikely.