Anderson Silva is a UFC legend but he’s really decided to diversify his combat sports career since leaving the promotion, and now he’ll be competing in a BJJ tournament in Dubai too. Silva was the longest-reigning UFC world champion of all time but when his contract with the promotion expired in 2020, he decided to branch out and face some new challenges at the age of 45. Silva has since fought former boxing world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and fellow UFC world champion Tito Ortiz in boxing matches, winning both in impressive fashion.
Now he’s been booked in another boxing match against YouTube personality Jake Paul, making him Paul’s first opponent with boxing experience. Anderson Silva recently sat down with Ariel Helwani for an episode of the MMA Hour to discuss his plans for the future after the Paul match and he revealed that he’s going to be training for a BJJ tournament in Dubai immediately after the Paul match. This might sound surprising considering the fact that Silva is known primarily as a striker, but he’s also used his elite-level BJJ skills to win several MMA fights throughout his career. When Silva spoke with Helwani, he was clearly thrilled with his newfound freedom:
“I’m in control of my whole life, my professional life inside combat sports. I can do anything, and nobody can say, ‘No, you can’t do that… you’re too old to do that.’ This makes me more happy… Now, it’s about future and my legacy. I continue doing my best in boxing, and in different sports, too.”
“I think after this fight with Jake, I go to Dubai to start training jiu-jitsu with my jiu-jitsu coach, Ramon Lemos, for a tournament. I am so excited to continue fighting, to continue putting my heart and training to test myself, my mind, my body. I can’t talk now because it’s a secret. But yeah, I go fight with the gi very, very soon. I don’t know (who against).”
The full interview that Anderson Silva gave to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, including the segment where he discusses the upcoming BJJ tournament in Dubai, was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of MMAFighting:
