Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is always on the look out for another shot at UFC gold, but the legendary Brazilian fighter isn’t holding his breath here in 2019.
Silva, 44, only has a few fights left on his current UFC contract. He intends to finish out each and every one of them, starting with a showdown opposite Jared Cannonier at UFC 237 this May in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
If his remaining fights result in a middleweight title shot then “Spider” will be happy to oblige. But at this point in his career, Silva is content to simply compete and put his heart on the line every time he steps inside of the cage.
“I never put something in my mind like, ‘Oh I need to fight again for the belt,’” Silva told reporters earlier this week ahead to UFC 237 (h/t MMA Junkie). “No. That’s a part in my life I passed. But I continue to fight. But I don’t know – maybe I have a new opportunity to fight for the belt. I don’t know.
“But I’m not putting my whole energy like, ‘Oh, I need to get back to fight for the title.’ No. That’s the (second) point for me, the first point is just continue to fight, continue to put my heart in the sport, then maybe I have a chance to fight for the belt again.”
Silva, who is still widely regarded as one of the best fighters of all time, is coming off an impressive performance against Israel Adesanya back at UFC 234 this past February. The Brazilian legend may have lost a decision to Adesanya, who has since gone on to defeat Kelvin Gastelum to win the interim UFC middleweight title, but Silva looked damn good considering the matchup and difference in age with “Last Stylebender.”
While most fighters would try to parlay a performance like Silva’s into another shot at a top contender, “Spider” isn’t looking to pick his shots en route to a title shot. He’s simply trying to provide everlasting memories for fight fans everywhere.
“Everybody talk about ‘fight this guy or this guy,’ but for me I think it’s more important you make something special for the fans,” Silva said. “In my opinion and my position now I’m trying to do something very special for my fans. When I fight Israel (Adesanya) everybody talk about, ‘Why you fight him? Why you take the fight?’ Because it’s a good challenge for myself, for my mind.”
When asked how many fights he has left on his current UFC contract, Silva couldn’t give an exact answer although he believes it’s three or four. Regardless, “Spider” is eager to make every single one of them count, whether we all like it or not.
“I feel good – I intend to do all of them,” Silva said with a laugh. “For the joy of some and sadness of others, I intend to keep bothering people.”
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