One fighter Silva would like to compete against is former two division UFC champion Conor McGregor, especially since McGregor challenged him first.
“At first, I talked to Dana about a fight with McGregor, because McGregor challenged me,” Silva said to ESPN. “Maybe that will be my second fight after this layoff. We’ll see.”
Silva is returning to action for the first time since being suspended by USADA for a failed drug test in November of 2017.
Another person Silva wants to fight is another former two division UFC champion in Georges St. Pierre, but Silva says GSP continually runs from him.
“That’s an interesting fight, but Georges has never come to accept the challenge,” Silva said. “Georges just runs, runs, runs. It’s crazy. I do not think Georges wants the fight – but that’s OK. I respect Georges. He is a great fighter. Maybe he just has a different view – to take easy fights. That’s not me. I like to take the big challenges in my life. Georges is very lucky and very smart. He never goes to take a fight if it’s not easy. That’s the point. Georges, for me, is a great fighter, but he never takes the real challenges in life. That’s my opinion. I respect him, but that’s my opinion.”
UFC 234 takes place on Saturday, February 9 from the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia with Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
