Former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva suffered a unanimous decision loss to UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier in a non-title fight at UFC 200.
Silva is also good friends with former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and Silva has apparently told Jones that DC has fear in his heart.
“He said, ‘It was almost surprising the level of fear I felt from Daniel,’” Jones said at a UFC 214 media conference call. “He said to me, ‘I'm an old man now, and Daniel had to take me down round after round. I felt fear coming off of him. This man has fear in his heart.’ He said, ‘Know what you’re capable of, go out there and you take this from him.’ In a roundabout way, that’s what he said.”
Ironically, it was Silva who replaced Jones at UFC 200 after the former light heavyweight champion failed a pre-fight drug test.
Jones also listened to what the former middleweight champion had to say because the Brazilian is one of his biggest idols.
“Anderson Silva is my idol,” Jones said. “He’s been the guy that I’ve respected the most since I was 19 years old and I got into this sport. And to hear him have that level of faith in me and pretty much tell me that it’s already done, now I just have to go out there and do what I’m capable of, it felt great. It felt great coming from him.”
UFC 214 takes place on Saturday, July 29 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California with Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
