I understand the Conor McGregor lottery.
Fighting “Notorious” means more money, greater exposure, and the opportunity to generate additional high-profile fights after all is said and done. That’s why several top names from lightweight, as well as featherweight and welterweight, have entered the conversation.
But middleweight?
Maybe in the old days of PRIDE freak-show fights, but that would be a stretch, even for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Especially when the “put me in coach, I’m ready to play” song is being sung by a 44 year-old veteran with just one win dating back to 2012.
“Come on boss,” Anderson Silva told TMZ Sports. “Give this show for the fans, give this show for the big fans of the UFC. Two big guys, two big names, you know? It’s good money for you Dana, and good challenge for me, for Conor. I believe I could cut my weight for 180, I believe McGregor could weigh for 180. That’s the good fight for me and Conor. That’s a good experience for the fans, especially the fans for this sport. That’s a super, super, super fight. Anderson Silva and Conor McGregor.”
About the only thing “super” in this fight is the advantage Silva would have in both height and reach, as well as weight by the time he was done rehydrating. And I can’t imagine there is any UFC fan who would prefer this silliness over McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone, which is a very real possibility after last weekend’s shellacking.
None of this really matters because Silva already has a fight booked against venerable middleweight bruiser Jared Cannonier. And speaking of weight classes, the “Killa Gorilla” came all the way down from heavyweight after a rocky start to his cage fighting career.
They’ll do the deed in the co-main event of this Sat. night’s (May 11, 2019) UFC 237 pay-per-view (PPV) event, booked for Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For much more on that upcoming fight card click here.