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Anderson Silva says he agreed a super-fight against Conor McGregor, but the UFC didn't want it to happen

Alan Dawson   

Anderson Silva says he agreed a super-fight against Conor McGregor, but the UFC didn't want it to happen
  • Anderson Silva and Conor McGregor agreed a 170-pound super-fight earlier in the year.
  • That's according to Silva, a former long-reigning UFC middleweight champion, who said the bout did not go ahead because the UFC did not want it to.
  • The UFC president Dana White said this week that Silva likely has one fight left until he retires, and is discussing a finale involving Uriah Hall.
  • Silva also said he would welcome a bout against Anthony Pettis.

Anderson Silva talked to Conor McGregor's team and agreed to a super-fight, but said the UFC didn't want it to happen.

McGregor has since retired, saying he was bored, tired, and just not excited at the options the UFC had presented to him.

Silva, meanwhile, has a new bout in the works — a middleweight scrap against Uriah Hall which could be one of the last of his illustrious career, MMA Junkie reported Tuesday.

Things could have been different had Silva and McGregor gotten their way, the former UFC champion said.

"UFC owes me a super fight by contract," Silva told Brazil's MMA website Combate earlier this week.

"Conor called me out right after my fight with [Israel] Adesanya. Our team talked to his team and we agreed upon a bout, but something happened and UFC decided to not make it."

Though the UFC president Dana White said Tuesday that the company is "talking about putting [Silva] in a very competitive fight [against] Uriah Hall," Silva said he would also be keen on a bout with Anthony Pettis, an American former UFC lightweight champion.

"Pettis proposed that super fight, and I liked it because he was already a champion who has impressive knockouts. It would be a great super fight," Silva said.

"At this point of my career and for all my legacy it doesn't make any sense to face new talents that are entering the game now.

"I don't want to be a 'step' for the new generation," he said. "I want to face relevant champions for the sport. And definitely Pettis is a great challenge that will make me train a lot."

Regardless, ESPN reports that a Silva vs. Hall fight is heading toward main event status for a UFC Fight Night card on October 31.

Silva dominated the middleweight division for a near 10-year stretch up until back-to-back losses versus Chris Weidman in 2013.

Since then, he has one win in five matches, but would be looking to retire from the sport with a victory.

He has two fights left on his current UFC deal.

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