Wanderlei Silva is slowing down after announcing his retirement from MMA, but won’t stop for good.
The former PRIDE champ said that he is open to competing in MMA under the boxing rules. However, the “The Axe Murderer” wants it to be done on his terms.
“I would like to fight a boxer, right?” Silva said. I enjoyed it always on their level. Even when I was training, I liked to do jiu-jitsu with jiu-jitsu guys and wrestle wrestlers. It’s fun to challenge myself. I would like to box one of those good guys, maybe a former world champion, something like that. That would be interesting.”
“But I don’t want to fight an old man like our friend did, fighting someone who’s almost 70,” he continued, referring to his longtime rival Vitor Belfort stopping 59-year-old Evander Holyfield in under two minutes in an exhibition match in 2021. It must be someone younger. It is a different type of fight to be able to beat an elderly man quickly and defeat them. That is not what I will do. I wanna box someone good.”
Silva is interested in facing boxing veterans in the ring, but also facing Belfort or another former foe in Dan Henderson.
“It could be. Silva asked why not to face Belfort once more in an effort to avenge the 1998. loss. “He’s been running for a long time but who knows, right? Maybe now in this moment of life we can book it and box. It would be cool to have this type of challenge. We’d make a lot of noise and help our sport grow.
“Another rematch I wanted was Dan Henderson. Dan Henderson beat me the first time, but I lost the second. I was a bit sick that day, I wasn’t 100 percent, but Dan Henderson is someone I would like to fight as well. If he’s down to box as well, I would to punch him.”
A bit lighter than when he fought MMA in 2018, a heavyweight fight with Quinton Jackson, Silva clarified remarks made in 2019, where he stated that he had many concussion symptoms.
“That was all a big misunderstanding, really,” Silva said. “Everybody has a little bit of trouble sleeping, but we have fixed that. Memory? F*ck! I can remember everything like an elephant. Thank God I have great physical and mental health, you know? It’s great to be able to go through my work and feel happy, healthy and energized. It’s great.”
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