Anderson Silva rules out Vitor Belfort rematch in boxing, pokes fun at Tito Ortiz’s conspiracy theory posts
Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort will compete on the same night for the first time since their historic clash in 2011, and “The Spider” doesn’t seem interested in facing “The Phenom” again.
Silva, who stopped Belfort with a front kick in the opening round of their highly anticipated middleweight title bout back at UFC 126 in Las Vegas, is scheduled to face Tito Ortiz in a boxing match Saturday night in Florida. Belfort headlines Triller Fight Club’s “Legends 2” card opposite Evander Holyfield.
Speaking on the debut episode of MMA Fighting’s first-ever Portuguese-language podcast Trocação Franca, Silva explained why it makes no sense to give his countryman a rematch.
“A fight that would be cool would be Vitor and Wanderlei Silva,” Silva said of the idea of booking him versus Belfort next. “This fight would be spectacular. Everybody wants to see this fight.
“My opinion regarding a fight with Vitor, man, what would be more spectacular than the knockout I gave Vitor? Only if we enter the ring and I blow on him and he goes down. Outside of that, nothing cooler could happen. Forget about it, man. People have to forget about it. It’s over.”
Taking a page out of the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley’s prop bets, Silva jokingly says there’s one thing Belfort could do to try to convince him to accept a rematch after Saturday’s event.
“Unless he tattoos the ‘Spider Kick’ on his chest and writes ‘I love Anderson Silva’ right below, then it might happen,” Silva said with a laugh. “He must get the tattoo done before the fight. It must be on his chest, nicely done, really big, so everyone sees the kick. Other than that, there’s no way.”
Silva remains focused on his upcoming boxing clash with former UFC light heavyweight champion Ortiz, his first since out-boxing ex-world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. earlier this year in Mexico.
“The Spider” respects Ortiz’s abilities even though he was never known for his boxing skills in MMA, but doesn’t have much respect for his social media presence and constant posts implying COVID-19 is a hoax among other conspiracy theories.
“Man, I don’t want the drugs he’s using,” Silva laughed. “It’s complicated… I’m kidding. Brother, there are things you must treat as a joke, there’s no other way around it. To each his own, I guess.”
Four months after saying he was “definitely not” fighting MMA anymore, Silva has now opened that door once more. “The Spider” came up short against Uriah Hall in his final UFC bout in 2020 before transitioning to boxing earlier this year to defeat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Prior to that match in Mexico, Silva said he wasn’t interested in returning to MMA due to the lack of respect the sport has for its “old generation.” Now, he’s open to the idea of competing with 4-ounce gloves again.
“I’m not retired from MMA,” Silva said. “There are many possibilities.”
The Brazilian legend made the UFC his home between 2006 and 2020, defeating the likes of Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin, Chael Sonnen (twice) and Rich Franklin (twice), but was let go from the UFC after coming out winless in eight of his past nine bouts.
Several promotions came out saying they wouldn’t be interested in signing “The Spider” right after his UFC release, but his stock has once again risen following his masterful performance inside the boxing ring.
Silva, 46, has also voiced his interest in a boxing clash with fellow MMA legend Georges St-Pierre, and he has no plans to slow down in the next few years.
“Everything is possible,” he said. “Until 49. My last fight will be at 49.”
Check out the first episode of MMA Fighting’s Brazilian podcast Trocação Franca. The Anderson Silva interview begins at 32:47.