Anderson Silva recently signalled his interest in fighting Conor McGregor, before the Irish superstar claimed to be retired, but now another potential challenger for the legendary Brazilian has emerged.
“It would be an honor !!! @spiderandersonsilva #forthefans #185 #letsgo,” Anthony Pettis wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of him and Silva.
“This is great, my friend, let’s do it,” Silva replied.
You have to credit ‘Showtime’ for his bravery and fighting spirit here given that he’s a natural lightweight who has fought as low as featherweight, while Silva is a big middleweight who has been known to walk around between camps at 230lbs and would have a 4″ height and 5 1/2″ height advantage over him if they did step into the Octagon together.
Of course Pettis has also fought at welterweight before, and indeed enjoyed some success there, with a shock KO win over Stephen Thompson and a decision victory against Donald Cerrone, though he has also suffered a decision loss against Nate Diaz.
Meanwhile, former long-time middleweight champion Silva is now 45-years-old and has only won once in his last eight fights, so Pettis may feel he has a chance to defeat a legendary name in the sport here, but it still feels like this is a size mismatch and that there are more suitable fights that could be made for both men.
