Anderson Silva Enjoying Post-UFC Life: ‘Everything Is Possible’
Anderson Silva is set to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in a competitive boxing match on June 19th which is now just days away.
The fight is scheduled takes place in Guadalajara, Mexico and will air live on DAZN. This will be Silva’s first outing in combat sports since leaving the UFC. His last fight in Dana White‘s promotion was back in October 2020, which saw him lose to Uriah Hall. This was his seventh loss in his past nine fights, but at 46 years old – it seems that Silva is looking forward to his future in combat sports.
“Everything is possible,” Silva told MMA Junkie. “Now I’m just trying to challenge myself. Maybe I fight on the same card my son is fighting kickboxing. Maybe fight jiu-jitsu – GI or no GI, or maybe Muay Thai. I’m very excited to go to Thailand, and train and fight in Thailand. I don’t know. Everything is possible.”
The Spider hinted at a future match-up with Roy Jones Jr. but he’s still weighing up his options and even hinted at a jiu-jitsu match. As it happens, he is a third-degree BJJ black belt under Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and enjoyed a number of submissions during his MMA career, with the triangle choke being his most common submission. For obvious reasons, he is also looking at Muay Thai which is also suited towards his long limbs and immense striking ability. One thing’s for sure, whilst he may no longer be involved in MMA, his retirement is still on hold.
Returning to his boxing match this weekend, his opponent is no slouch either. Chavez Jr goes into this bout with a 52-5 record in boxing. Unlike Anderson Silva, boxing is his specialty too, and something that he has trained and fought in regularly since 17 years old. Over the years, Chavez Jr has won various WBC belts and has even beat the likes of Carlos Molina during his peak. At age 35, he is also far younger than Silva which may also play a role in deciding the victor. Because of this, it’s no surprise that he’s the bookies favorite going into the ‘Tribute to the kings‘ fight. However, Silva does have some boxing experience under his belt, previously knocking out Julio Cesar de Jesus in 2005.
Whatever the result, it shows Anderson Silva’s versatility as a martial artist. Whilst many 46 year olds have long-since retired from the fight game, it looks as though he’s set to continue in some capacity for a while. This means that there’s every possibility that Silva will still be around in his 50s – making him one of the most decorated and experienced fighters ever. Hopefully it goes to plan and he can gain some glory and defy his age in the process.
Do you think Anderson Silva will be successful in his career after MMA?
