Now that he has a new long-term deal with the UFC, Conor McGregor wants big, meaningful fights.
One of the foes he mentioned was former middleweight champion and pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva.
“I would be interested in an Anderson Silva bout,” McGregor recently told ESPN. “I swear to God. Anderson is a legend in the game. What’s the difference between him and Georges [St. Pierre]? Same damn thing. I’m going to do fights that interest me or have meaning.”
It appears that Silva has been made aware of McGregor’s comments, and “The Spider” would be interested in pursuing the bout down the road.
“It would be a great honor to test myself for ‘fighting’ with Conor McGregor,” Silva wrote on Instagram. “He is an eclectic fighter, and has already proven that he has to be respected. Let’s make this happen!
“The UFC wants super fights, I’m sure fans from all [four] corners of the world want to see this fight. I professionally believe it would be awesome to test my martial [arts] skills with a fighter like Conor McGregor [in] a real super fight! Now he is focused on his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, after this fight I am ready for this challenge! When and where he wants.”
Silva received a one-year suspension for a contaminated supplement in relation to a proposed bout with Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night Shanghai last November. He will be eligible to return to the promotion on Nov. 10. The 43-year-old Brazilian last appeared at UFC 208 in February 2017, when he took a contentious split verdict over Derek Brunson.