Anderson Silva Really Wants To Fight Conor McGregor

UFC legend Anderson Silva reignited rumors that a fight between him and Conor McGregor might be in the cards, after he told TMZSports that he “accepted the challenge.”

Silva, who spoke to TMZ outside his newly opened Spider Kick MMA gym in West Hollywood, assured McGregor that he’s “just waiting” for the super fight.

“It’s not about money, Conor. It’s about martial arts challenge,” teased Silva, in a video that can be viewed below.

Of course, rumors of the mega-fight between the two were started by none other than “The Notorious” himself, during an ESPN interview in the lead up to his bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

McGregor appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, and talked about what his plans were after his return to the Octagon.

“I’m certainly considering a few options. There’s this fight and the co-main [Tony Ferguson vs. Anthony Pettis],” McGregor said. “Of course then there’s boxing ventures. I’m very excited about that.

McGregor was quick to take a few shots at Floyd Mayweather as well, saying he would be happy to box the undefeated fighter again.

“If [Mayweather] has the bottle to come over and deal with this, like he said he has, let’s see what happens. I would also like to box him again. Everything is being discussed. Every rule set. If it’s not an MMA bout, then I don’t want to know. It’s either a straight MMA bout or a straight boxing bout. If they come looking for modified rules, I would rather just box the kid again. If you don’t want to deal with it, then don’t deal with it and stop going on like you’re doing.”

Eventually, the topic turned back to the UFC, and McGregor described what he would consider a “great” fight.

“You know what would be another great one? Anderson Silva.” McGregor explained. “I would be interested in an Anderson Silva bout. I swear to God. Anderson is a legend in the game. What’s the difference between him and Georges? Same damn thing. I’m going to do fights that interest me or have meaning.”

Shortly after McGregor made those comments, ESPN had a conversation with Silva about the possibility of the fight, and the Brazilian born fighter was quick to show his enthusiasm.

“That’s a dream come true. That would be an amazing fight,” Silva stated. “He’s a legend, I’m a legend. Let’s go do this for the fans.”

Silva told ESPN the lowest he would go for the fight was 180 lbs and pleaded with McGregor not to do anything “crazy” in the lead up to their fight, as he had with the much-publicized bus attack on Khabib and his team, which can be seen on YouTube, in a video hosted by TMZ Sports.

“Hopefully McGregor doesn’t destroy the bus when he fights with me. Don’t go crazy. Be professional,” Silva said.