Just when it seemed that the final fights of 47-year-old Anderson Silva’s legendary career were going to take place in the boxing ring, ‘The Spider’ has revealed that he actually intends to have his swansong back in the sport that first made him a star.
Silva beat former boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and then Tito Ortiz in the boxing ring last year and is now scheduled for a money-spinning bout with Jake Paul next month, but while a win their could open all sorts of doors for him in that sport, the former UFC champ doesn’t envisage his career coming to an end with his boxing gloves on.
“When I did my last fight in the UFC, I talked to Japan about doing my last fight there,” Silva said. “Because it completely makes sense. My first title belt, I took in Japan, in Shooto.
“Maybe I fight in Japan, my last fight, to prove my respect for the people in Japan, for my fans in Japan too. We’ll see, I don’t know.”
“…Probably my last fight is MMA,” Silva went on to confirm. “I think probably my last fight is MMA in Japan.
“I talked to RIZIN, I talked to the different companies there, make a show there. I don’t care about the [size of] the shows, big or not. Because when I started in Shooto, it was a small show, very good, and it made me so happy because at the time I just went there and did my best and I showed my respect for my country, to my masters, and to my academy.
“I feel I can do this again and finish this part of my life and not think about, ‘I think I go back to do something.’ No, when I’m done, I’m done. I just close the door. This is part of my past, thank you, and I’m out.”
