Ahead of his return to the octagon against Derek Brunson at UFC 208 this Saturday in Brooklyn, former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva spoke with Luke Thomas on Wednesday about the state of the Middleweight division, a potential fight with Georges St-Pierre, discussed who he thinks is the best striker on the UFC roster, and why Yoel Romero may have to wait for his chance at UFC gold.
As Thomas revealed his UFC 208 Live Chat Preview Wednesday, he asked ‘The Spider’ on media day who should get the next shot at Michael Bisping and the UFC Middleweight Championship. According to Luke, Silva thinks Yoel Romero is the rightful number 1 contender — but, when it comes to business, he is the correct choice.
Anderson Silva also said during their chat that he thought Conor McGregor was the best striker in the UFC, which is a big reason why he previously stated he wants to face the UFC Lightweight Champ in the future.
Would he consider a fight with Georges St-Pierre? Yes, but he would rather face Bisping and regain his Middleweight Title. That fight was once rumored to come about while both men still held UFC Championships, and it likely would have shattered all company records at the time — but it never came to be, and before long both men were no longer relevant in their respective divisions.
“I think getting that title back matters to him,” said Thomas.
Before any of those potential fights come to fruition though, Silva will have to get past Derek Brunson, the 16-4, 33-year-old, seven-win UFC veteran who rattled off 5 straight before losing to Robert Whittaker by TKO in November.
Anderson Silva hasn’t won a fight in 1579 days (Diaz win is a No Contest) and hasn’t been the UFC Middleweight Champion since July 6, 2013, the night he was knocked out by Chris Weidman (UFC 162).
UFC 208 will air live on pay-per-view and is headlined by the inaugural UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship bout between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie.
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