Anderson Silva: ‘I'd like to test myself against Conor McGregor because he’s an interesting martial artist’

Anderson Silva is a fighter who never shied away from any challenge. Even during his heyday, “The Spider” was willing to fight anyone, even outside his home weight class.

Silva is currently hoping to pick up his first win since 2012, as he faces Derek Brunson at UFC 208 on February 11^th. But at the same time, he is already looking for that new challenge, possibly against current lightweight champion Conor McGregor.

“I'd like to test myself against Conor because he’s an interesting martial artist,” Silva told the media during a pre-UFC 208 scrum (via MMA Fighting). “His stand-up game is an intelligent game. Not because he’s champion now, but for the martial arts challenge.”

“I’d like to see how these stand-up techniques, his and mine, would mix, and how that would go. But not to fight for a belt or anything like that. For the challenge, an interest, that thing about knowing how a fight like this would go."

Outside of the 185-pound division, Silva has only fought at light heavyweight for a total of two times in his UFC career. Evidently, he would need drop down in weight to make a fight with McGregor more possible, and it is something he is open to doing.

“I believe he can make 176, 178 pounds, right? That’s a weight I can get. We started this work and I got to 174, but we thought it would be better now to do these tests,” Silva said.

"There was no fight booked, we made 174, and master (Rogerio) Camoes said ‘man, you don’t need this, you’re fine, so go back to your division.’ I know I can make 174 now, but my team and my doctor, Marcio Tannure, decided to stay in my division.”

UFC 208 takes place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.