UFC legend Anderson Silva surprisingly challenged Conor McGregor to a 176.37-pound superfight on Wednesday evening via social media, and by the next morning McGregor had issued his response.
“I accept,” McGregor posted.
While some might think McGregor was only joking about moving up to face a middleweight legend such as Silva, McGregor later retweeted a video interview himself saying he’d fight anyone at any weight.
“I’m afraid of no one, I’ll go up and fight at any weight,” McGregor said.
“I’m afraid of no one, I’ll go up and fight at any weight.” – @TheNotoriousMMA
Moreover, McGregor suggested a few minutes after that retweet that he might even be willing to face Silva or another middleweight at the 185-pound divisional limit.
185! Rock in like Rousimar.
So while McGregor vs. Silva is unlikely to happen, it’s certainly become more possible over the last 24 hours that it’s ever been before.
Silva Believes Superifght Would Be ‘Historic’
“The Spider” posted his stunning catchweight idea on Instagram Wednesday. Silva (34-10) hailed the fight as ‘historic’, and with a contract weight like 176.73 pounds, it certainly would be that.
As noted by MMA Junkie, 176.73 pounds equates to 80 kilograms exactly so the strange catchweight suggestion might only seem odd from a United States-centric point of view.
About the potential fight, Silva posted (translation via Google Translate), “I have an immense admiration for the great athlete Conor and I believe that a super fight would be something historic for the sport, neither of us need to prove anything to anyone; I believe UFC and sport fans would like to see this great martial (arts) show, testing my martial skills with him would be fantastic!!”
Silva’s Best Fighting Days Behind Him
Silva is coming off knee surgery as a result of an injury the 45-year-old sustained during his most recent outing against Jared Cannonier at UFC 237 in May 2019.
Cannonier stopped Silva in the first round.
The former UFC middleweight champion is far past his best days as a professional athlete. The Brazilian has lost six of his last seven fights, and his lone win was a controversial split decision over Derek Brunson at UFC 208 in 2017.
Still, according to Las Vegas-based bookmaker Bovada, Silva’s size matters. The 45-year-old opened as the slight betting favorite on Thursday.
That same bookmaker also offered odds on whether the proposed fight would happen in 2020.
McGregor Ranks Silva Among Best UFC Fighters Ever
McGregor revealed over the weekend that the Irishman believes Silva is the best UFC fighter ever.
On top of that, McGregor slotted himself at number two and said that he might already be tied with Silva for first place.
The other two fighters on McGregor’s MMA GOAT list were Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones.
Now, it appears Silva is seeking to break his tie with McGregor at the top of McGregor’s MMA Mount Rushmore.
Or at least the longtime UFC stalwart at 185 pounds seems to know his fighting days will soon be gone for good and he’s hoping for one more big score.
For Silva, there would be no faster way of making lots of money than convincing McGregor to fight.
Because wherever McGregor stands among the pantheon of other all-time great MMA athletes, one thing is abundantly clear: he’s certainly sold more pay-per-views than any of them.
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Conor McGregor Agrees to Middleweight Superfight: ‘I Accept’