Anderson Silva’s long time manager Ed Soares appeared on the latest edition of Ariel Helwani’s ‘The MMA Hour’ radio show and discussed not only when Silva might return to the Octagon, but also threw out a few potential opponents they have in mind for his comeback fight.
“There’s always a chance (he comes back in 2014), but as of right now I think his mind is set on fighting at the beginning of next year,” Soares told Helwani.
As for who he might face, Soares threw out a few interesting names, and perhaps understandably current Middleweight champion Chris Weidman was not amongst them.
“There’s Michael Bisping, there’s Cung Le. Even Nick Diaz,” Soares said. “Nick Diaz has said he’s wanted to fight him before. Nick Diaz wanted to box Roy Jones Jr. You could argue that Nick Diaz and Anderson probably have some of the best boxing in MMA, so we’ll see what happens.”
Bisping and Le are set to lock horns at UFC Fight Night 48 in Macau in August, so the winner of that fight could well end up being the favorite to take on the legendary fighter.
Diaz is something of a wildcard. He’s so far been resistant to the idea of returning to the Octagon, but he’s always maintained that if he was to be coaxed out of his early retirement it would be for a huge fight and Silva certainly fits the bill.
Speaking to UFC.com after Soares’ comments, UFC president Dana White appeared open to the idea of any of the suggested match-ups, though he stressed that a lot could happen between now and Silva’s anticipated return from the horrific leg break he suffered late last year.
“I think that the landscape changes so much in MMA that by the time Anderson comes back, we’ll see who’s where and who’s doing what,” White said. “Any of those fights can happen. … Nick Diaz has made it very clear that he would love to fight Anderson Silva.”
