UFC's Anderson Silva flirting with Adidas sponsorship after parting ways with Nike

Is Nike getting out of the mixed martial arts (MMA) business?

Not only did the Fortune 500 company drop the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, Jon Jones (details), but it has also parted ways with consensus greatest MMA fighter of all time, Anderson Silva.

Combate via (MMA Fighting) got the word straight from the horse's mouth:

"I was always a Nike fan, I like the brand. The company gave me an opportunity to fulfill a dream. Thanks to Ronaldo and Corinthians, I was able to work with Nike. It was great, I liked it a lot. I'll miss them, always remember it. We're in a good relationship with Adidas now. There's nothing done, we'll see what happens in the future."

Of course, the reasons behind Jones and Silva no longer having perhaps the biggest blue-chip sponsor in all of sports behind them, vary drastically.

While "The Spider" didn't go into detail as to why Nike is no longer behind him, "Bones" revealed that he lost out on major coin from the shoe apparel juggernaut after he was involved in a pre-fight brawl (video) against Daniel Cormier during a press conference staredown.

As for Anderson, perhaps his deal -- which began in 2011 -- simply ran its course. But, not all is bad for Silva, as it seems Adidas could possibly fill the void left behind by Nike.

Though nothing is concrete, "The Spider" says he has a good relationship with the shoe company, so we could possibly be seeing the world-famous brand all over his walkout clothing in the near future, perhaps at UFC 183 when he faces Nick Diaz on Jan. 31, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

If not, don't cry for Anderson, he still has Burger King and the fast food chain's huge bank account behind him.