SAN JOSE, Calif. – Over the summer, former PRIDE champ Wanderlei Silva repeatedly said his fourth fight could be his last. A career in politics beckoned.
Silva (35-13-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) may have spoken too soon.
“I feel good, I feel healthy, and right now, I take it one fight at a time,” he told MMAjunkie at a media day in support of his DAZN-streamed bout against Quinton Jackson (37-13 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) at Bellator 206, which takes place Saturday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. “I hope I’m back to fight soon.”
Silva, who retired in 2014 only to return two years later, hasn’t given up on the idea of running for office. He’s convinced politicians are corrupt in his native Brazil, and he can do a better job of holding office. But he also hasn’t given up on fighting. There’s too many reasons to stick around.
“I think the fans,” he said. “The energy when people (roar), this is incredible. Sometimes, when somebody feels what I feel in my life, you think regular life is a little bit boring.
“When you have a challenge, you have somebody to fight, somebody to train with, and this makes you alive. I’ve been out a little bit, and it’s not so good for me. Right now, I feel alive, and I love the sensation to make emotion for fans.”
Silva also hasn’t gotten over his most recent fight, a long-awaited grudge match with Chael Sonnen that ended in a lacklucker decision loss.
“I want to fight with him again, because in that fight, he just held me. It’s his game, and he won. But I want the opportunity to fight him again.
He certainly can’t do that if he’s retired, so he might as well hold off for now.
For more on Bellator 206, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.