Anderson Silva will be far away from Japan when he meets Jake Paul in a boxing match tomorrow night (Sat., Oct. 29, 2022) live on Showtime pay-per-view (PPV) and FITE.TV from inside Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. However, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) king still plans on returning to the “Land of the Rising Sun” to top off his illustrious mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
Silva, who turned 47 this past April, parted ways with UFC back in Nov. 2020 after compiling one of the most historic MMA careers of all time. Since then, Silva has dedicated his time to the sweet science. This includes boxing wins over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and MMA veteran Tito Ortiz. It has led Silva to a high-profile bout with Paul this weekend on PPV.
While Silva plans on continuing his boxing career beyond Saturday’s main event the Brazilian veteran still has his sights set on an eventual return to the cage. In fact, “The Spider” is hoping to have his final fight back in Japan where his storied MMA career first took flight.
“You know, my goal is my last fight in MMA in Japan because I start my international career in Japan and that’s why I try to do it,” Silva told MMA Junkie. “That’s my plan. My last fight in MMA is in Japan.”
Earlier this year rumors swirled that a massive superfight between Silva and fellow MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko was being discussed for New York City, but that’s unlikely given Silva’s plan to return to Japan. It would be nice to see Silva and Fedor step inside of the cage opposite one another, but “Spider” doesn’t necessarily care who he fights. He simply wants to give back to the Japanese fans.
“I don’t have (an opponent in mind) because I need to give back to Japan everything Japan gave to me,” Silva said. “I believe my last MMA fight is go to Japan for my fans in Japan. Of course my fans in the world, but especially my fans in Japan.”
Silva will have his hands full this weekend against Paul, but who would you like to see him fight for his final MMA bout in Japan?
Let’s hear it!
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the ‘Paul vs. Silva’ PPV main card right HERE. The $59.99 FITE.TV/Showtime PPV kicks off at 9 p.m. ET, with Paul and Silva likely to make the walk closer to midnight.