Anderson Silva discloses he sought Jon Jones' blessing before replacing him against Daniel Cormier
Anderson Silva shared interesting details of how his fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 got booked on the podcast of Brazilian comedian Rafinha Bastos, Mais que 8 Minutos. Silva replaced Jon Jones to fight Cormier on short notice after 'Bones' was pulled out by USADA due to a potential anti-doping policy violation.
Silva heroically rescued the UFC 200 card and saved the day when he accepted the fight on short notice. 'The Spider' claims that he sought Jones' blessing before replacing him against 'DC'.
SILVA vs CORMIER!!! #UFC200 https://t.co/q0AJI1HGWV
In a clip posted by the YouTube channel Brazilian MMA Legends, Anderson Silva can be seen stating that he was out of action due to gallbladder surgery when he received the call:
"He [Daniel Cormier] would fight Jon Jones, but Jon Jones ended up testing positive on doping. But I was returning from surgery. I had surgery to remove the gallbladder. And then I stayed in Brazil without training. Time passed, I spent one month before treating myself and went back to Los Angeles."
Silva added:
"One day I'm at home and I went to the gym, to close my gym. I arrived at the gym and turned on the TV, 'Jon Jones tested positive on doping.' So I called Jon Jones and said, 'Hey man. Did you really get out of the fight?' And he was feeling bad. And I said, 'Can I take this fight?'. He said, 'What?' I said, 'Can I take it or not?' He said, "Damn... of course" [Translated via Brazilian MMA Legends on YouTube]
Anderson Silva entered the fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 undefeated as a light heavyweight. Cormier used his size advantage and wrestling prowess to defeat the Brazilian via unanimous decision.
Watch the translated video on Brazilian MMA Legends below:
Anderson Silva shares montage of Paul vs. Silva press conferences, encourages fans to take risks
Anderson Silva is all set to box Jake Paul on Oct. 29 at the Gila River Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The fight will be available to watch on Showtime PPV.
Silva is a celebrated figure in combat sports, and his achievements are unrivaled. He holds a staggering UFC record for the longest title reign in the promotion's history at 2,457days, which included ten successful middleweight title defenses.
#OnThisDay in 2010, Anderson Silva pulled off one of the most insane comebacks in UFC history 🕷
[ Watch the full fight now on @UFCFightPass ] https://t.co/sr6bUtLoKU
The Brazilian transitioned to boxing after retiring from MMA and has looked phenomenal inside the squared circle. Anderson Silva recently shared a beautiful montage from his press conferences with the YouTuber-turned-prizefighter and shared a beautiful message for his fans:
"Hey guys, never forget that the only way to make history is by being brave enough to go beyond, not being afraid to take risks, to make your dreams come true, going over destructive opinions from people that don’t have the courage to take a risk and to do what they really love… It is by following your instincts at all times that you’ll be able to do wonderful things… work hard for the things you love, we need to fight for what we want every day, despite all the adversities."
See the post below: