Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva doesn't believe he can defeat reigning 205-pound titleholder Jon Jones, should the opportunity for a "super fight" against the "younger" and "larger" light heavyweight ever present itself.
He said so himself (read it).
But slow down there kid, he ain't exactly scared, either (proof). His job is to win fights against any and all challengers, which means a victory over Chris Weidman this Saturday night (July 6, 2013) at UFC 162, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will probably leave him with no other option except "Bones."
That's the fight UFC President Dana White "has to make."
So where does Jones factor into all this? Like Silva, he's already got a date to the big dance, throwing down opposite Alexander Gustafsson at the upcoming UFC 165 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Sept. 21 from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto (details here).
But he's still "honored" to be in the conversation (via Twitter):
"Honored to hear the statements Silva made regarding a super fight me earlier today.. Doesn't change much, still working hard... I believe I am gifted and hard-working enough to pull out the victory against anyone."
His record (18-1) is proof of that.
Convincing Silva to pack on the pounds to knock around a couple of Ultimate Fighter (TUF) stars is one thing, but asking him to try to dethrone the most dangerous man at light heavyweight is another. Especially considering Silva started his career at welterweight, a class he still believes he can make, even at 38 years of age.
Hey, there's always the Georges St. Pierre super fight, assuming the Canadian kingpin is dead wrong with this prediction.