UFC 208

Anderson Silva Feels No Pressure Ahead of UFC 208

Anderson Silva Feels No Pressure Ahead of UFC 208

Former middleweight king Anderson Silva says he's having fun ahead of his matchup at UFC 208 in Brooklyn.

Jan 26, 2017 by Duane Finley
Anderson Silva Feels No Pressure Ahead of UFC 208
Anderson Silva is just over two weeks away from returning to the Octagon. 

The former UFC middleweight champion will face Derek Brunson Feb. 11 at UFC 208 in Brooklyn, New York. It seems, though, as if "The Spider" is already looking past the American and is still eyeing Michael Bisping, the UFC's current middleweight champion who defeated him in February of last year by way of close decision.

Despite having lost unanimously over five rounds, the Brazilian still believes the end result of that fight didn't show the real winner. That, according to Silva, is because he fought in London, England, against a Brit. 

In a conversation with the press in Rio de Janeiro Thursday, Silva once again disputed the result of the fight and guaranteed that if he ever gets to rematch the current champion, Bisping wouldn't beat him again -- as long as the fight doesn't take place in his rival's backyard.

"I'm ready to fight, regardless of who it is," Silva told FloCombat via A/G Fight. "It would be perfect to fight with Bisping because there was something in the air. Not only with me, but also with Dan Henderson. There was something in the air there in London. I think if it was in a neutral place I would have won for sure. Regardless of the belt or anything, it would be interesting to fight Bisping again. But of course I would not [agree to fight in England again], certainly not.

"I think I would win if I went somewhere else. There was a succession of errors in the fight, but that's in the past", added Silva, who came close to winning by knockout at the end of the third round of the February 2016 bout, only for the bell to save his dazed opponent.

Coming off five fights without a win, one might think Silva now needs a positive result to properly resume his already legendary career.  At the age of 41, though, the Brazilian ensures he no longer feels pressure to win. "The Spider" just wants to do what he likes inside the octagon.

"Now I just want to have fun and do what I love," Silva said. "I don't have any pressure. I've been through all phases of this sport. I've lost, I've already won, I've already injured myself … So now it's doing what I love--without worrying about the things people will say."

Silva owns a professional record of 33-8 with one no-contest. Brunson, his opponent at UFC 208, has accumulated is 16-4, most recently losing via first-round TKO against Robert Whittaker. 

By Gabriel Monteiro




FloCombat's hottest content, delivered to your inbox


Don't miss breaking news, feature stories, event updates, and more. Sign up for the FloCombat mailing list today.