Former Pride FC middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva is hoping for a future boxing bout with his old rival in former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort.
Silva spoke with AgFight's Carlos Antunes about potentially transitioning to boxing in the way older MMA fighters like Belfort, UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva, and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley recently have. He said the following about wanting to make his boxing debut against Belfort in what would be a rematch from their first meeting back at UFC Ultimate Brazil on October 16, 1998, where Belfort TKO'd Silva in just 44 seconds. Belfort and Silva were also opposing coaches on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil back in 2012, but a broken hand forced Belfort out of their scheduled rematch at UFC 147.
“It would be a super interesting fight and most of all, it’s a fight that everyone wants to see. Everyone wants to see me smack around Belfort. I’m sure boxing will be different. I have very good boxing, I’ve been training boxing for a long time and I’m sure my boxing can surprise everyone,” Silva said (h/t BJPenn.com). “I’m interested, getting ready. After this new trend, the legends face each other, in a rule a little easier than boxing, because you don’t need to train jiu-jitsu, takedowns. It’s a little more ‘light’. So I’m staying in shape, because I know that when the right moment and event come up, if it’s good for the audience and if they want to see ‘Wand’ in action, it’s going to be pretty cool.”
Belfort just defeated soon-to-be 59-year old former undisputed heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield, via a first-round knockout during their eight-round exhibition headlining bout of Triller Fight Club's latest offering on September 11. Silva on the other hand hasn't competed since September 2018, where he was TKO'd in the second round by former UFC light heavyweight champion, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, in the pair's fourth fight at Bellator 206.
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