Jon Jones Says Anderson Silva Superfight ‘Can Happen’
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones may consider fighting middleweight champion Anderson Silva, MMA Fighting reports.
Jones initially had little interest in a “superfight” with Silva, but has changed his tune recently. He told Correio Braziliense that there’s a possibility the two can meet in the Octagon. Jones said:
“I respect [Silva] a lot. As I said several times, I do not want to be the guy who beat Anderson, and do not want to be the guy who lost to him. Anderson is a great champion, I’m a great champion. We both … I don’t know. I don’t know.”
Jones then said the fight can happen, but that it wasn’t something he was “chasing” at the moment. The 25-year-old, who is the youngest champion in UFC history, said he doesn’t feel he needs to beat Silva to prove he is the best in the world.
Silva, however, said it would be difficult for Jones to turn down the amount of money that would be offered for the fight. However, Silva wouldn’t like to fight Jones, but if he had to, it would have to be at a non-title catchweight.
While a Silva vs. Jones card is just a dream for the time being, fans can take solace in the likelihood of another superfight — Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre. Silva’s manager Ed Soares said he wanted a catchweight fight at 177.5 with GSP to settle who is the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
GSP has been out of the Octagon for 19 months, and will be returning next month at UFC 154 against Carlos Condit. If he proves himself during that matchup — he is favored at 3-to-1 — it is even more likely he and Silva will meet in the ring in the future. UFC president Dana White has even said a Silva vs. GSP match would be perfect for Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. The promotion for the fight would have the potential to break UFC’s North American attendance record of 55,000.
Which would you look forward to more: A Jones-Silva fight or a GSP-Silva fight? Do you think either of them will happen anytime soon?
