Roy Jones Jr. Aiming To Fight Anderson Silva At UFC In Russia
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has long been rumored to fight decorated boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. So much so that many questioned Silva after his loss to Chris Weidman at UFC 162, saying that Silva was instead focused on boxing Jones Jr. more than defeating “The All-American.”
Silva will have his rematch with Weidman at next weekend’s blockbuster UFC 168 card from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
However, the fight with Jones is still rumored to be a strong possibility. UFC president Dana White has hinted at booking the huge matchup recently, and indeed it would be a huge payday.
It appears that Jones Jr. is on board to make the bout a reality in the UFC, telling Russian site R-Sport that he’d love to bring the Octagon to Russia:
“I really love Russia. It all depends where the best offer comes from, but next year I’m supposed to be fighting Anderson Silva and I really hope to have that fight in Russia. I’ve got the desire to bring White’s show, the UFC, to Russia.”
That could potentially be a huge debut in Russia for the UFC, who attempted to sign former Pride FC heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko to no avail. Silva vs. Jones Jr. in a boxing match would be quite the departure from what we thought would happen for the UFC’s inaugural foray there, but it would be huge nonetheless.
Jones Jr. appears on board for making the fight happen and that’s obviously key to the equation. The boxing match could also happen regardless of whether or not Silva gets past Weidman next Saturday.
There are many questions about Silva’s skill in pure boxing, but it would definitely be exciting to see how he does against an all-time great. It’s a bout that appears closer and closer to becoming a reality. What are your thoughts on the matchup?
