Former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has said Dana White promised him a title shot at 185-pounds if he were to defeat Israel Adesanya at UFC 234 in February of next year.
Silva (34-8, 1NC) hasn’t fought since defeating Derek Brunson at UFC 208 in February 2017. That win was his first in over four years, and five UFC appearances. ‘The Spider’ was supposed to fight Kelvin Gastelum in November of last year, but a failed drug test meant he was handed a one-year ban from USADA and forced out of the fight.
Talking to ESPN, Silva discussed why he accepted the fight with the rising contender Adesanya, and also touched on potential fights with Conor McGregor and Georges St-Pierre.