Here’s a story that will make your jaw drop – UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva offered to fight at light-heavyweight on eight days notice in order to save the UFC 151 card from extinction.
It should be stressed however that Silva wasn’t willing to fight Jon Jones, but would have been willing to compete at 205lbs against another opponent of the UFC’s choosing to serve as the new main event and allowed the card to go forward as planned.
That news comes directly from Silva’s manager Ed Soares who made the offer personally to Dana White. Unfortunately it came a few hours after the UFC president had announced that the event was to be canceled and so it was too late for it to be risen from the ashes.
Nevertheless, given that Silva would have had so much to loose in that situation – putting his record unbeaten winning streak in the UFC on the line at extremely short notice outside his usual weight class while by his own admission being out-of-shape, and in the light-heavyweight division where he’d pretty much vowed not to return too – it was a remarkable gesture.
Not only does it elevate Silva to even more legendary status, but it also serves to make Jon Jones stock plummet even further as his refusal to fight Chael Sonnen caused the event to be scrapped.
It should also be noted that Chris Weidman, the man many people believe is the true No.1 contender at middleweight, also offered to step in to save the card by asking the UFC to let him fight Jon Jones.
Again that’s an admirable offer and he should be commended for it.
