Anderson Silva says his son will be a better fighter than him

UFC middleweight legend Anderson Silva is 44-years old now and after losing via first-round TKO to Jared Cannonier at UFC 237 in May, the end may soon be near for “The Spider.”

If Silva does retire, though, his son Gabriel may potentially carry on the family’s legacy. According to the elder Silva, his 20-year-old son may actually be a better fighter than he is.

“Of course,” Silva told TMZ Sports when asked if his son could be better than him.

“He’s not the mini Spider. He’s the best Spider.”

Silva’s son recently made his muay Thai debut and knocked his opponent out in 20 seconds. According to the elder Silva, it was a good performance but he hopes his son takes his journey in combat sports slowly.

“First fight, but he’s good,” Silva said. “He has a great future inside the sport. He starts step-by-step first, I think that’s very important.”

According to Silva, his son has not yet decided if he wants to compete in mixed martial arts. But if he does want to take the journey into the world of MMA, the UFC may one day be interested in him just based on the fact he’s the son of one of the greatest fighters of all time. But for now he will take it slow and see how his Muay Thai career goes.

Anderson Silva, though, says his son is nothing but impressive. He even admitted that he spars with his son and that the younger Silva actually gets the better of him in sparring.

“Sometimes he beats me (in sparring,” Silva said.

With his father being one of the most famous MMA fighters of all time, we can expect to hear the name Gabriel Silva for many years to come.

Do you think Anderson Silva’s son will one day make it to the UFC?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/12/2019.