Former UFC lightweight title holder Anthony Pettis claims he almost fought Anderson Silva in Oct. 2020.
In an interview with RedCorner MMA, Pettis (25-14 in MMA) revealed that nearly became the last mixed martial arts opponent for Silva. Instead, Uriah Hall, who defeated Silva by TKO at UFC Vegas 12, retired the former long-time middleweight champion.
“That’s one I was supposed to get in the UFC right before he retired. He got Uriah Hall, actually,” Pettis said. “That was discussed. I called him out. He accepted. UFC didn’t allow it at that time. They wanted him to fight Uriah Hall.” (h/t mmamania)
Anthony Pettis vs. Anderson Silva is Still Possible in Boxing
A potential fight between Pettis and Silva could still happen. Silva, who will be inducted in the 2023 UFC Hall of Fame, is now competing in the world of boxing.
“The Spider” has a 3-2 professional boxing record. He came up short in his latest fight with Jake Paul in Oct. 2022.
Silva, who held the 185-pound UFC title for seven years, defended it for a record 15 times.
Pettis, who is a former 155-pound UFC champion, is coming off a successful boxing debut this past weekend over multi-time champion Roy Jones Jr.
The 36-year-old, Milwaukee, Wisconsin native is committed to a MMA return with a plan to move back up to the welterweight division.
The former WEC lightweight champion spent a majority of his career in the UFC, where he competed for nine years. Pettis’s resume includes wins over Charles Oliveira, Benson Henderson, Gilbert Melendez and Donald Cerrone, to name a select few.
After his UFC stint, Pettis signed with the PFL going 1-4 in his last five fights. The current free agent’s last win came at PFL 3, where he defeated Myles Price by first-round submission.
