Former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva returns to action next month at UFC 208, where he will be taking on Derek Brunson. Silva wants to step into the octagon against another foe down the line.
“I'd like to test myself against Conor because he’s an interesting martial artist,” Silva said during a UFC 208 media scrum. “His stand-up game is an intelligent game. Not because he’s champion now, but for the martial arts challenge. I’d like to see how these stand-up techniques, his and mine, would mix, and how that would go. But not to fight for a belt or anything like that. For the challenge, an interest, that thing about knowing how a fight like this would go."
If the fight were to come to fruiton, Silva is willing to drop some weight.
“I believe he can make 176, 178 pounds, right? That’s a weight I can get,” said Silva. “We started this work and I got to 174, but we thought it would be better now to do these tests. There was no fight booked, we made 174, and master (Rogerio) Camoes said ‘man, you don’t need this, you’re fine, so go back to your division.’ I know I can make 174 now, but my team and my doctor, Marcio Tannure, decided to stay in my division.”
UFC 208 takes place on Saturday, February 11 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York with Holly Holm and Germaine De Randamie headlining.
