UFC
Anderson Silva opens up to potential bout with Jon Jones, provided it's a catchweight fight
Oct 18, 2012 - 9:35:27 PM Anderson Silva opens up to potential bout with Jon Jones, provided it's a catchweight fight

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Though UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva has been adamant as of late that he has no interest in a fight against UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, he may be softening on the stance somewhat.

In an interview with Brazilian sports site SporTV, Silva opened up to the possibility of the fight coming to fruition in the future, event though he's still not entirely thrilled with the idea.

"People are talking about it. I don’t have such intentions, there isn't any motive to do so, mostly because there are several people form my team who belong to his weight class Minotouro, Maldonado, Feijao, Caldeirao. My weight is 84kg, that’s my title. But lots of people talk about it, and some of those are UFC's employees."

"It's obvious, I might be saying that I don't want, but if he accepts the money Dana offers him? It is going to get tough. It isn't the cash that makes me do what I do, I fight because I like it. I don't know…I wouldn’t like. But if it's going to happen it would have to be in catch weight. His belt wouldn’t be on the line. I alredy have my title, I don’t want my title to be on the loose."

Penick's Analysis: As UFC President Dana White has said, he believed Silva would come around and will eventually take that matchup. For Jones, he's already lined up against his second straight middleweight, what's a third straight come late 2013? Silva really is poised to potentially fight both Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones in 2013, fights which would be massive for the UFC from a business standpoint. Whether it actually happens or not, or whether it's anywhere near that close to coming to fruition, the fact that Silva is now giving credence to it being a possibility has opened the door further.

Article updated with a more accurate translation, as well as attribution to the initial interview at Globo's SporTV.