'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Despite the drug test that he failed in the build-up to what would’ve been a main event slot against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night 122 last November being his second during his UFC tenure, legendary former UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva has now been cleared by USADA – who blamed the failed test on a contaminated supplement – and after a year’s suspension, he’s eligible to fight again in two months' time.
Given Silva is now 43 years old and has won just one fight since 2013, there would be plenty of fans who would argue that he shouldn’t be stepping into the Octagon again at all – that he should simply retire and ride into the sunset – but reports suggest that ‘The Spider’ wants to resume his active career.
With that in mind, who should Silva fight upon his return to the Octagon? Here are 5 possible suggestions.
#1: Georges St-Pierre
Back in 2009/10, a Superfight between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre was something that every MMA fan wanted to see – the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world facing off – but the UFC were never able to get it signed despite Dana White seeming just as enthusiastic for it as the fans.
The generally accepted reason was that both GSP and Silva were more content to dominate their own divisions – Welterweight and Middleweight – as champions rather than face each other, but almost a decade on that isn’t the case anymore. Both men are now coming towards the end of their careers and St-Pierre has even stated that he’s more interested in fights that would cement his legacy rather than winning UFC titles.
He’s also stated that he’d rather not fight Silva following his positive drug tests, but realistically, it’s a fight that would make both men a lot of money, a fight that plenty of fans would love to see, and for the most part it’d be low risk for GSP – Silva is far more shopworn than the Canadian and would likely be easy pickings for his takedown at this point. Plus, the UFC would now likely be willing to do the fight at a Catchweight, rather than forcing St-Pierre to move up to 185lbs again.
Essentially, it’s a fight that arguably makes more sense now than it did back in 2010. The UFC should throw as much money as it takes to get GSP to sign on for it.
#2: Chris Weidman
Weidman’s two victories over Silva in 2013 were the watershed moment in the career of ‘The Spider’ – prior to the first loss he was the untouchable pound-for-pound great, but after the second loss it felt like he’d sailed past his prime overnight. So why would a second rematch make sense 5 years down the line?
Well, firstly, despite Weidman largely dominating both fights, controversy marred the finish to both. The first saw Silva knocked out after becoming too over-confident in his trademark ‘clowning’, and the second saw the Brazilian’s leg snap like a twig after Weidman checked a leg kick attempt. So the UFC could easily market the idea of unfinished business between the two.
Secondly, since losing the title he won from Silva to Luke Rockhold in 2015, Weidman has been on the kind of slide that means he’s no longer such a terrifying opponent for ‘The Spider’. He managed to snap a three-fight skid last July by beating Kelvin Gastelum, but he looks slower than ever before and his chin no longer appears to be capable of withstanding major damage.
Sure, it could end with a third victory for Weidman – making it as one-sided a trilogy as Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn or Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock – but it’d give Anderson a chance to avenge his biggest losses and it’d probably draw a solid number as a co-main event which would make it worth booking.
#3: Paulo Costa
Ever since Chris Weidman knocked Silva off his perch at the top of the Middleweight division in 2013, the UFC hasn’t really had a top Brazilian fighter at 185lbs. Sure, Jacare Souza has come close at times but he’s always fallen at the final hurdle in his biggest fights – losses to Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum have put an end to his title hopes and he’s now 38 years old.
That means that Brazilian hopes at Middleweight now fall on the broad shoulders of one man – Paulo ‘The Eraser’ Costa. The TUF Brazil veteran has been absolutely unstoppable since debuting in the UFC proper in early 2017, tearing through four opponents – including former UFC champ Johny Hendricks – and finishing them all by KO or TKO.
That’s why the UFC could look to book Silva – the returning, ageing gunslinger – against the up-and-comer for his return fight. Sure, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense from Silva’s perspective but the UFC has always used ageing fighters to build their newer stars – witness Royce Gracie vs. Matt Hughes or Yair Rodriguez vs. BJ Penn, for instance. And if Costa were to win – which would be expected – the torch would clearly be passed from one great Brazilian Middleweight to a potential great of the future.
#4: Israel Adesanya
While Paulo Costa appears to be taking up the mantle of the best Brazilian Middleweight, the mantle of the flashy striker who appears to be performing moves from The Matrix seems to have passed not to a Brazilian, but the Nigerian/New Zealander ‘Stylebender’ Israel Adesanya. Adesanya is already 3-0 in the UFC, and his last win was hugely impressive, as he picked apart tough veteran Brad Tavares for five rounds.
Like Silva when he was in his pomp, Adesanya’s flashy striking style simply draws fans to him, and his self-confident attitude means he’s got the ability on the microphone to sell any fight, too. Currently ‘The Last Stylebender’ is booked to fight Derek Brunson at UFC 230, but win or lose, a fight with the returning Silva could make sense.
If Adesanya beats Brunson, he’s a legitimate title contender, but in a top-heavy division a title shot might still be a long way off, meaning a fight with Silva could be a nice distraction in the interim. And if he were to lose to Brunson, a fight with Silva – and hopefully a win over the legend – would be enough to rebuild his reputation as the division’s premier flashy striker.
#5: Nate Diaz
While Nate Diaz is currently scheduled to fight Dustin Poirier at UFC 230 in a fight that could mark his return as a title contender to the Lightweight division, the enigma from Stockton, California has always shown his preference for so-called ‘money fights’ rather than tough ones against talented, but less known opponents. And what better money fight for him on the horizon than Anderson Silva?
It is true that a win over Poirier might put him in line for a shot at the UFC Lightweight title – particularly if Conor McGregor defeats Khabib Nurmagomedov, as that would set up the biggest trilogy fight in UFC history – but if McGregor were to lose, or if Diaz himself were to come away with a loss to Poirier, which certainly isn’t impossible, then a Silva fight could make sense.
There’s already some history there – Silva defeated Nate’s brother Nick in a strange, if engaging fight in January 2015, but then tested positive for PEDs, bringing the result into question. So the UFC could easily market the fight as Nate looking to gain revenge for his brother. But realistically they probably wouldn’t need to market it heavily – it’d be a match between two of the UFC’s biggest stars. Like anything involving a Diaz brother, it doesn’t make much sense in some ways, but in others it’d make all the sense in the world.
