"I think there are a lot of good fights at middleweight for [Anderson Silva] – me being one of them. Anderson is the pound for pound best in the world – an unbelievable fighter. He improves with every fight, shows a different game every time and is a class act. It’d be great for him to leave on a high and think you do have to set out a point when you are going to call it quits.... But that said, I want to get a pop at the guy before he retires..... I don’t want to beat somebody by default to get the belt -- I want to beat the best guy out there..... He’s calling it quits too soon. There are a lot of good middleweights out there that he hasn’t fought yet."
-- Count "The Count" among most who have a vested interested in mixed martial arts who do not want to see UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva to retire anytime soon. "The Spider" has mentioned numerous times that his plan is to finish his six-fight contract with the UFC and retire by the age of 35, which would be sometime in 2009. Bisping is heating up the 185-pound division with three consecutive wins, including a unanimous decision win over Chris Leben at UFC 89 last weekend. He will next serve as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and will likely fight the opposing coach (unnamed at this time) for a right to challenge the current champion. And unless Patrick Cote scores the upset of 2008 at UFC 90 this Saturday then that person will more than likely be the feared Brazilian striker.
Get the latest gear
