Anderson Silva expresses desire to have his last fight take place in Japan: “It completely makes sense because I start fight my professional career in Japan”

Anderson Silva revealed potential plans for his final combat fight to take place in Japan to cap off an historic career.

The former UFC middleweight champion held the belt from 2006-2013 and defeated some of the best fighters of his era, including Rich Franklin (x2), Yushin Okami, Chael Sonnen (x2), Forrest Griffin, and Patrick Cotè, to name a few. Silva left the UFC in October of 2020 after a loss to Uriah Hall at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV. Ever since the loss, he has vowed to pursue other combat ventures outside of MMA, which includes boxing.

After a win against Julio Ceàsar Chavez Jr., Silva (34-11, 1 NC) set his sights on a bigger challenge in the sport of boxing, a fight that had been hinted at for months. His name — Jake Paul.

Paul, one of the most polarizing and charismatic fighters that the sport has ever seen, has quickly rose to upstart fame with wins against former UFC mainstays in Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren. The pair are scheduled to meet October 29 in Phoenix, AZ.

But first, however, Silva is looking to end his career on a high note, and is looking to weigh his options while doing so.

During a Tuesday appearance of “The MMA Hour,” Silva detailed his ideal scenario for an MMA retirement fight.

Quotes provided by MMA Fighting. 

“Oh, you know, when I stopped doing my last fight in the UFC, I talked to Japan about doing my last fight there,” Silva explained. “Because it completely makes sense, because I [started fighting] my professional career in Japan. My first title belt I took in Japan in Shooto. And yeah, maybe I want to fight in Japan. My last fight, you know, to prove my respect for the people in Japan, for my fans in Japan, too. And we’ll see. I don’t know.”

Anderson Silva of course previously competed in Japanese organizations PRIDE and Shooto before eventually signing on with the UFC. ‘The Spider’ captured the Shooto middleweight title in 2001, defeating Hayato Sakurai by unanimous decision.

Will Silva fight in Japan before retirement? Let us know in the comments, Penn Nation!