From the Octagon to the silver screen?
Anderson Silva, the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter of all time, plans to soon make the transition to movies. Silva told The Post in a phone interview last week he has been taking acting lessons with a personal coach both in his native Brazil and in Hollywood, with the hopes of starring in feature films in the near future.
“It’s something I always wanted to do,” the UFC middleweight champion said through a translator. “And I want to be as good at acting as I am as a fighter. I want the fans to enjoy that as much as they enjoy me fighting.”
Silva, 38, says he has been offered movie roles, but is focused on the UFC, where he just signed a 10-fight extension. “The Spider” defends his title against Long Island native Chris Weidman on July 6 in Las Vegas at UFC 162.
“Much like my fighting, I want to do it right,” Silva said of easing the transition to acting. “I’m taking my time, taking my lessons. I’m waiting for the right moment.”
He has made a career out of doing that in the cage. In a rough-and-tumble sport with car crash-like collisions, Silva has done it with impressive finesse. He has set the UFC record for most consecutive wins (16) and title defenses (10), and has not lost since 2006.
Silva has shown no signs of slowing down. Yet many believe Weidman, a former All-American wrestler at Hofstra, has the skill set and strength to beat him.
Weidman has said he “knows” he can beat Silva and UFC president Dana White said last week UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will not be preparing for a champion vs. champion superfight with Silva because he’s convinced Weidman will win.
“People are always going to be looking for someone to beat me,” Silva said. “I’m not worried what anyone is saying. If [President] Obama was saying something, I’d be worried.”
Another challenge Silva has taken on is attempting to improve his English. He frequently sends out pictures to his more than 3 million Twitter followers of him in a classroom with an instructor, trying to learn the language.
“Speaking English is just as important as anything at this point in my career,” Silva said. “It’s important to a lot of personal plans I have outside of the UFC.”
Acting included.