Conor McGregor on potential Anderson Silva fight: I’ll fight anyone if the numbers are right

Even when he isn’t scheduled for a fight, Conor McGregor remains the talk of the town.

The UFC lightweight champion has been the topic of discussion over the past few months regarding a potential fight with Floyd Mayweather. Although there hasn’t been any movement on that front aside from some conversations through the media, McGregor is still finding ways to be the topic du jour.

The Irishman that everyone wants to fight has now been targeted by UFC legend Anderson Silva, who has gone on record stating that he’d love to get a shot at McGregor before the 41-year-old retires.

Silva spoke on the prospect of facing McGregor during a recent media call in advance of his UFC 208 showdown with Derek Brunson.

“I have a lot of respect for Conor McGregor because this man changed everything in the UFC,” Silva said. “I’m very respectful of Conor McGregor’s style. I think it’s a great challenge for my martial arts technique. I don’t talk to disrespect Conor. It’s just a challenge for myself and for the best standup fighting. I respect Conor, and I think this would be a great show, a great fight for the rest of my life, the rest of my story in the UFC.”

There are two mitigating factors that would prevent this fight from ever happening.

For one, Silva hasn’t officially won a fight since stopping Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153 in 2012. Since then, Silva has gone 0-4 with a no contest when he failed a drug test after defeating Nick Diaz at UFC 183. He’s been stopped twice by Chris Weidman and lost a pair of decisions to Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier. With his slide, Silva still enters UFC 208 as a +105 underdog to Brunson, according to Sportsbook Review. A victory against Brunson would get one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time back on track.

However, there’s another factor that becomes the biggest hurdle in a potential bout with McGregor: Weight.

Anderson Silva has campaigned regularly as a middleweight (185 pounds) and often moonlighted as a light heavyweight. McGregor is the lightweight champion who started his career as a featherweight and has only gone as high as 170 pounds for two fights against Nate Diaz. McGregor has suggested that he could compete as a middleweight.

“[Expletive] every one of them,” McGregor said at his recent pay-per-view interview. “You see Anderson [Silva]? What’s Anderson talking about? What the [expletive] is Anderson Silva talking about? He keeps mentioning my name over and over again. Look, I’ll fight any one of them. Make sure the numbers are right, make sure the situation is right. I’ll fight any one of them at any given time.”

While McGregor is unquestionably the top draw in mixed martial arts, the Irishman did have something to say about the former biggest draw in MMA: Ronda Rousey.

With Rousey’s future in doubt after being stopped in the first round by Amanda Nunes, McGregor won’t be joining the parade that has been raining on Rousey’s MMA career since her second straight knockout loss.

“She loses that second one [to Nunes] and people are trying to make me celebrate, ‘Now they’ve got nobody,’” McGregor said. “That’s a wrong mindset. I don’t celebrate another’s defeat like that. That’s weak. A weak individual does that. People were trying to celebrate when I lost who had nothing to do with it. That ain’t the sign of a champion. That ain’t the sign of a true champion, so I couldn’t believe it.”

There are plenty of options for McGregor if and when he decides to make his return to the Octagon, but all we’re going to get from him right now are soundbites.