Of the Joneses, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is much more interested in the boxing great as an opponent than the current UFC light heavyweight champion.
Silva has made it clear it's his dream to fight his idol Roy Jones Jr. and at 36 with "maybe five more years" in the MMA game, Silva still has the desire to box the 42-year-old Jones Jr.
"Maybe finish my contract for UFC, finish my fights in MMA, I'll go," Silva said Monday on The MMA Hour. "This is my goal for my career. TERA Gold It's my dream -- is to fight Roy Jones and boxing."
Although Jones' best boxing days behind him, Jones' decline hasn't stopped Silva from wanting the fight. In 2008, Silva expressed interest in fighting Jones Jr. and a year later the two engaged in discussion of a potential fight. However, UFC president Dana White squashed any immediate possibility of it by saying the fight won't happen as long as Silva is under contract with the UFC.
Silva, who won the UFC belt in October 2006, as the champion, is tied to the UFC. Since the talks of the Jones Jr. fight, RIFT Platinum Silva has defended his belt another three times and is scheduled to put his belt on the line against Yushin Okami at UFC 134 in August. -- Not that Silva is in a hurry to leave the UFC though. Silva previously stated he wanted to retire at 35, but after speaking with his family and training partners, could be fighting for another five years.
For 2011, rift gold when it came to talks about super fights, it's been about the possibility of Silva facing Georges St-Pierre. That matchup now seems unlikely with St-Pierre not ready to move up to middleweight and the general fan interest swaying towards a different opponent. Ever since Jon Jones dismantled Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to win the light heavyweight belt in May, fans have drummed up interest for a Silva vs. Jones "dream matchup."
On The MMA Hour, RIFT Platinum Silva didn't have much to say about a fight against Jones, but instead showered the 23-year-old champ with praise.
"Sometimes I look at Jon Jones fight and I remember me when I started to fight." Silva said. "I remember. I like Jon Jones. He's a good guy. He has great focus for training, for working. That's it. My opinion is Jon Jones is staying with the belt for a long time."
Silva no longer wants to fight at 205, as to not interfere with Black House teammates such as Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, Rift Gold Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Lyoto Machida. So despite two spectacular performances at 205, Silva will stay in the division he made his name in.
"I finish my career in my class," Silva said.
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