Jon Jones’ next fight is set – it’ll be Chael Sonnen in April. But the most anticipated clash in UFC history – Jones vs. Anderson Silva – might have taken a big step toward becoming a reality this week.
Silva, the pound-for-pound king and middleweight champion, said in an interview with sportv.globo.com (via CagedInsider.com) that it would be “tough” not to make the fight happen if Jones accepts a financial windfall for it, but he would want it to be at a catchweight because a few of his teammates are contenders for Jones’ light heavyweight title.
“I don’t have such intentions, there isn’t any motive to do so, mostly because there are several people from my team who belong to his weight class,” Silva said. … “My weight is [185 pounds], that’s my title. But lots of people talk about it, and some of those are UFC employees. It’s obvious, I might say that I don’t want it, but if he accepts the money Dana offers him? It is going to get tough. It isn’t the cash that makes me do what I do, I fight because I like it. I don’t know… I wouldn’t like it, but if it’s going to happen it would have to be at a catch weight. His belt wouldn’t be on the line. I already have my title, I don’t want my title to be on the line.”
Further fuel was poured on the fire by Silva’s manager Ed Soares, who said on MMAFighting.com’s “The MMA Hour” of the fight, “I think if it needs to happen, it’ll happen. We’ll cross that bridge when it comes.” Soares did say that he and Silva have not discussed that scenario.
Silva and Jones have repeatedly said that they aren’t interested in fighting each other, because they’re friends and to protect their legacies. Neither one of them have been truly beaten in the UFC. Jones’ lone loss was by disqualification. Silva is an absurd 16-0 with 14 finishes.
UFC president Dana White said after Silva’s win Saturday night over Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153 that he’s prepared to throw his wallet at a Silva-Jones matchup.
“I know [Silva] says ‘no, no, no’ to Jon Jones, but the amount of money that will be offered for that fight, he will say ‘yes, yes, yes,’” the boss said.
With Jones fighting Sonnen, a big money-making match in its own right, Silva will probably fight at least one more time before a potential bout with Jones. That could come against welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, another megafight that Cowboys Stadium is targeting to host.
It looks like the UFC has set itself up nicely for 2013 and beyond with some of its biggest draws close to going head to head.