Anderson Silva Hasn’t Given Up On Title Aspirations After All

During his struggle back to fitness after the gruesome leg break he suffered late last year in the Octagon, former champion Anderson Silva has stated that he no longer had any interest in fighting for the middleweight title he held for many years, but in his latest interviews he seems to have changed his mind.

Just a month ago Silva was quoted as saying, “In a way you’ll see me [fight again], but not for the belt, that thing of being champion again. I don’t have patience for this. I think I’m closer to retirement every day,” during an interview with Fantastico in his native Brazil.

However, late last month in another Brazilian publication Veja, he stated that, “besides returning well in 2015, my project in the UFC is only one: I won’t stop (fighting) until I get my title back. I want to at least try.”

He has again reiterated those sentiments in his latest interview on the Passando a Guarda show this week.

“I think about fighting for the title again, of course,” stated during an itnerview with his manager Jorge Guimaraes. “I have seven fights left in my contract and, if I have a chance to fight for the title again, I will fight.

“I will fight the fights I have left in my contract and, if I earn a chance to fight for the title one day, against [Weidman] or not – not being a friend or a training partner -, I will be happy.”

That last statement also shows a change of heart as he’d previously indicated that he wouldn’t fight Weidman again after having now lost on two separate occasions to the man who replaced him as the 185lb divisions kingpin.

We’ve seen this kind of behavior from Silva before. Several years ago he stated on multiple occasions to the media that it was his intention to retire when he was 35, but of course that proved not to be the case. Indeed he then went on to sign a new 10 fight deal with the promotion, and even his leg break and the fact he’s now 39 hasn’t stopped him from vowing to return to the Octagon.

There’s been other instances of him saying one thing and then doing another, so it’s probably best to take this all with a pinch of salt for now and just see how things play out from one fight to the next starting with his blockbuster comeback bout against Nick Diaz that’s currently scheduled to headline UFC 183 on January 31st of next year.

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.