Anderson Silva Vs Roy Jones JR: UFC President Dana White Laughs at the Notion
By Sean Farrell
“He (Roy Jones, JR.) must have spent all his money.” – Dana White
All this talk of the super fight between Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva has grabbed the world’s attention. But, there is another fight that could transpire that many seem to have forgotten about, that is Anderson Silva vs. Roy Jones, JR., in a boxing match. Silva expressed his desire to step back into the ring of the “the sweet science” back in 2008, after he defeated Dan Henderson. There is only one boxer in the sport who has accomplished everything Silva has in MMA and that is Roy Jones JR. Silva stated in 2008.”
After my contract with the UFC ends and end my career in MMA, I intend to have a boxing match with Roy Jones. That’s something that’s already been arranged, it’s all practically a done deal. Now I just have to wait and see.” Then Anderson’s manager in an interview stated “Anderson would love to fight Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match up under boxing rules to prove that MMA fighters are technical, too.” UFC President Dana White made sure he would use his veto power to stop such a match from taking place, because he does not want or need his fighters getting themselves hurt fighting outside of the Octagon. Silva, however, has commented “After my contract with the UFC is finished, I will set up the fight with Jones JR. The fight has already been permitted by Jones himself.”
In April 2009, Jones himself confirmed he is still interested in fighting Silva: “I’m going to try and make it happen. He’s saying he wants to fight me, so, OK, I’m ready. Let’s brawl.” Roy Jones, JR., was in attendance at UFC 101.
In September 2008, Silva stated that he was interested in retiring within the next year, however Anderson’s manager, Ed Soares and co-manager Nicholas Gansen, responded to the talk of retirement by saying that Anderson was contractually obligated to fight six more UFC fights.
Silva’s sixth and final fight under contract was against Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 on February 5th, 2011. Silva has always stated his desire to retire when he is 35 which he turned on April 14, 2010.
Which brings me to now, Silva is the current UFC middleweight champion as well as the promotion’s longest reigning champion. Silva has 13 consecutive wins and holds the longest active winning streak in the UFC and the record for the longest winning streak in UFC history. He also has the most title defenses in history with 11 consecutive defenses. Silva also holds the most important title, pound for pound king and “Best fighter on the planet”.
There is nothing left to accomplish but his super fight with Georges St. Pierre, but St. Pierre still has to defeat Jake Shields who is no push over by any means. What if Shields wins? He becomes welterweight champion, he dethrones St. Pierre, he would be spoiler to the biggest fight in MMA history, and Silva will have nothing left to prove. This is why the fight with Roy Jones Jr. makes sense and is possible.
Silva has always wanted to prove himself since he gave up professional boxing for MMA. Silva was 1-1 as a professional boxer, he lost his first bout at age 23 by round 2 TKO to Osmar Luiz Teixeira and returned to boxing at age 30 to win his second fight by second round KO against Julio Cesar De Jesus. Silva can box and has always had the desire to face Jones JR. as he expressed in a statement “It is undoubted that I will face Roy Jones, We have talked too much, have signed some contracts and we want to make it the sooner the better. It’s not for money or spotlight, it’s for my desire. I watch Roy Jones since he competed as an amateur and in the Olympic Games. I’m looking forward to this fight to put in the ring everything I know, to show my students in the future that I understand what I may say over this or that and don’t seem a pirate parrot.”
Jones even sent UFC President Dana White a proposal to the make the bout an MMA bout, but White denied the proposal and told CBS Sports “You won’t see a Silva versus Jones fight while Silva is under contract with me, I don’t want to say anything bad about Roy Jones, I like Roy Jones and was a fan of his, but he mattered like fifteen years ago. He’s not anywhere near the best boxer in the world. He must’ve spent all his money. I could do it, make it huge, make money, but I could have done a fight like this when we were bleeding money. The fight would make some money, but it hurts MMA in the long term. We don’t do that because we love the sport. That’s a Pride or K-1 matchup. It’s not what we do.”
Since those comments White has made a terrible side show act out of James Toney after being choked out by Randy Couture, which made him look like a hypocrite as Jones vs. Silva would have drawn numbers far greater than Toney vs. Couture ever could have. After White made that statement Strikeforce came calling trying to get Jones Jr. to fight Nick Diaz but the fight never came to fruition outside of being suggested.
Silva seems to be holding all the cards right now and with his expiring contract and possibility of losing his MMA super fight, don’t be surprised to see Anderson Silva step across the line and return to “the sweet science”. The money is better than anything he would ever make in the UFC and at 35 and nothing to prove if Shields wins, I’m pretty sure money talks especially when you have a desire to do it in the first place. Jake Shields could end up being the biggest spoiler in the history of combat sports since James “Buster” Douglas did it to Tyson in 1990.