Anderson Silva wants to be Conor McGregor's next opponent. The MMA legend accepted a challenge McGregor issued prior to his chaotic fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
"I would be interested in an Anderson Silva bout," McGregor said. "I swear to God. Anderson is a legend in the game. What's the difference between him and Georges [St-Pierre]? Same damn thing. I'm going to do fights that interest me or have meaning."
Since then, Silva has shared that he would love to take on McGregor on multiple platforms. On Instagram, he said that he thought of the fight as a test of his abilities and noted that plenty of fans would want to see the two superstars go at it.
"It would be a great honor to test myself for fighting with Conor McGregor," Silva wrote. "He is an eclectic fighter and has already proven that he has to be respected. Let's make this happen! The UFC wants superfights. I'm sure fans from all four corners of the world want to see this fight."
TMZ Sports cornered him outside of his gym in West Hollywood and Silva still kept that energy. After reiterating that he accepts Conor's challenge, he became a pitchman and attempted to sell the idea to anyone who was listening.
"Two big names. Two big legends. And, why not?" he said.
He also said that he doesn't need the money and is more interested in the challenge of fighting McGregor.
"It's not about money, Conor. It's about martial arts challenge," he told the tabloid.
There are several hurdles to McGregor and Silva going at it. They've spent the majority of their careers in different weight classes. Silva tends to fight in the middleweight class at 185 pounds, and McGregor has never fought in a class higher than welterweight at 170 pounds. Silva is also currently serving out a suspension for failing a drug test; his last bout was back in February 2017. He'll be eligible to fight again in November. Meanwhile, McGregor is facing a possible indefinite suspension after the post-fight brawl at his match with Nurmagomedov.
