Anderson Silva is believed by many to be the best fighter in the world. There is very little left for him to accomplish in the middleweight division so now there is talk of Anderson possibly moving up to light heavyweight to challenge current champion Jon Jones.
It’s a super fight that fans want to see. Unfortunately, it’s one that Jon Jones wants absolutely no part of. He appeared ESPN Radio LA’s show ‘Max and Marcellus’ to speak with host Max Kellerman about a potential fight.
His reasoning may surprise some fans. As for Jones, it’s not just about the L. He doesn’t see a need to fight Anderson to cement his place in UFC lore, nor does he want to risk his own growing legend by taking a loss to the middleweight champ.
“It’s not that he won’t fight me or I won’t fight him. To be dead honest, it’s that we both have a lot to lose and we both respect each other a lot and we both are striving for personal greatness. I don’t want to crack on his greatness and I don’t want him cracking on my greatness.”
For Jones, it’s strictly a matter of dollars and cents. Both are paid extremely well and considered incredibly valuable assets for their sponsors.
“We’re in completely different weight classes. We both have sponsor deals and things that are really important to us and a big part of that sponsorship package is being a winning—being a champion. Having us fight each other means one of our championships goes away.”
“I respect Anderson Silva so much that I don’t want to be the guy to beat him. I don’t want to lose to him either. It’s a lose-lose situation for me.”
Both fighters are up for the “Fighter of the Year” ESPY award this year. While Jones does respect Anderson’s contributions, he’s adamant that he’s had the better year in sports.
“Well Anderson Silva is someone I respect dearly. He’s a great athlete. He’s the fighter of our generation but when it’s about who had the more outstanding year, I think I’d give it to myself.”
As a fan of the sport, I hope that Dana White and company can figure out a way to put this fight together. There’s just too much interest for it to fall apart like the bout between Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva that never came to fruition.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com