Roy Jones Jr. to meet with UFC regarding Anderson Silva fight

While talks of a potential Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Maywather superfight have continued to dominate combat sports headlines, talk regarding another superfight has begun to pick up momentum. After reports began to surface that a McGregor-Mayweather fight was reportedly close to being finalized, famed boxer Roy Jones Jr. took to social media to call out former UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.

Silva was quick to respond, accepting Jones Jr.’s challenge for a boxing match, reigniting the hype regarding the potential fight. Of course, this isn’t the first time Silva and Jones Jr. have been looking to box one another. Jones Jr. recalled the pair’s past in an interview for TheMacLife.com:

“Me and Anderson have, for five or six years now, been trying to get a boxing match between us. We’re two great icons of our sport, two legends, and it’s not often you get to see two legends get in the ring together. That’s been going on for the last five or six years, and if Conor and Floyd does fight, [our addition] would make it a big event. I mean to put us on the undercard as the co-main would be a really, really big event. Not only us fighting, but people want to see a boxer versus a MMA guy.”

“[2013] was the closest [we got to it],” Roy Jones Jr. said. “Had he not have lost to Weidman, I think it would have happened. … Anderson still wants it, he’s about 40 years old, he’s reaching the end of his career, he’s reaching the end of his prime zone. I’m reaching the end of my primal age, so if we’re gonna make it happen, there’s no better time than now.

“I’m thinking he’s feeling the way I’m feeling, and I know he’s been wanting to do it, because as soon as I [mentioned it] he came back and said ‘why should a man not be allowed to achieve his dream?’ and his dream is mine, it’s a great situation for both of us that we both want.”

Only time will tell if these two legends step into the ring together. Stay tuned for updates as they become available.

on 2/28/2017.