Long considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA), Anderson Silva has been around the combat block more than a few times. With countless Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) records to his name — including 10 consecutive Middleweight title defenses — "The Spider" has accomplished in his career what most can only dream of.
That’s the reason the Brazilian bomber is now feeling pressure-free and is having fun, telling UFC.com that he is now motivated by just testing new waters and challenges.
"I've already conquered everything, now I just want to have fun, to do what I love -- I don't feel any pressure," Silva said. "I think I've already gone through all the phases of this sport. I've lost, I've won, I've got injured. Now it's about doing what I love."
While Silva, 41, still hopes to one day capture the title, he knows he has a tough test ahead of him against the much younger Derek Brunson, 33, who he will face in the co-main event of this weekend’s (Sat., Feb. 11, 2017) UFC 208 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Brooklyn, New York.
"The challenge drew me in. He's eight years younger, he suffered a loss, but he had a lot of wins before," Silva explained.
As far as his legacy is concerned, Silva says it’s already set in stone and nothing — not even a failed drug test — can erase it. And he intends to add more to his ever-impressive resume until his body decides he can no longer compete.
"When you have a story built with a lot of battle, determination and dedication, it's hard to erase everything," he said. "With all I've done in the sport, and with what I still plan to do, there's no way to erase it. Of course everything has an expiration date. For now my date is still there, but when the time comes and I feel that I can not do it any more, I will stop. Nothing, the defeats or the setbacks, have hampered the fans' respect and affection," he added. "There is always a renewal. There will be someone who will come up and become a big name of this sport in Brazil, and hopefully that happens soon."
For Silva -- who says his next goal in life is to win an Oscar (seriously) -- he wouldn’t mind seeing his long-time friend and training partner, Ronaldo Souza — who will fight Tim Boetsch at UFC 208 — win the title down the road and carry the torch for Brazilian MMA.
For more on the upcoming UFC 208 fight card click here.