Anderson Silva in talks with Reebok for sponsorship, but admits he still 'loves' Nike

Not long after Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey announced they had inked deals with Reebok (details here), Anderson Silva revealed he could be the next UFC star to sign with the company.

According to MMA Fighting, negotiations are ongoing between "The Spider" and the shoe and sports apparel company for a sponsorship deal.

But, after having a very good relationship with Nike before getting dropped earlier this year, Silva says Reebok has to come correct with its offer if the company wants him to "feel good" with them like he did with Nike.

His words:

"We're in negotiations with them. We will see what we're going to do. If it's not something good for us, I won't sign with them. We have to be happy with the deal, and it has to be financially good for me as well. Everybody knows I was sponsored by Nike and that I always wore Nike. I love Nike. That's the truth. I feel true to myself when I'm with Nike, so I can't wear a brand that doesn't make me feel true to myself. If I feel good with what Reebok offers me, I would definitely use it every day, or I'll just use it in the Octagon and that's it."

If things don't work out with Reebok, there is always Adidas.

Then again, UFC's landmark deal with Reebok -- one that will see all fighters sport the company's attire during fight week events and on fight night starting in mid 2015 -- will likely make it a bit tougher for "The Spider" to strike a deal with Adidas.

As far as Silva's initial feelings about the deal, he seems to think it will be good for all parties involved:

"I think it's the evolution of the sport. Athletes don't know how it's going to be yet, but I believe it's going to be good for the sport. My managers will have a meeting with Reebok, and we'll know more about it."

Current UFC lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis, and former welterweight kingpin, Johny Hendricks, were the first two UFC fighters to be sponsored by Reebok, with "Bones" and "Rowdy" joining the mix shortly after the uniform deal was announced.

While it's no secret Nike has always been the leader, as far as sponsoring professional athletes is concerned, it seems Reebok is making all the right moves to lock down the MMA side of things.

Nothing wrong with a little competition, right?