It wasn't long ago when Anderson Silva said he's no longer interested in contending for a UFC championship, but it looks like "The Spider" has changed his mind.
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The longtime middleweight champion is preparing to make his return to the octagon on Jan. 31 after suffering a broken leg in his last fight in December. He will be facing fan-favorite Nick Diaz in one of the most highly-anticipated fights in recent memory and if he wins impressively he could land right back into the title conversation.
"I think about fighting for the title again, of course," Silva said in an interview to his manager Jorge Guimaraes on Passando a Guarda, according to MMAFighting.com. "I have seven fights left in my contract and, if I have a chance to fight for the title again, I will fight."
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Silva previously said he has no desire to fight for the title after losing twice, quite convincingly, to current UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. But now "The Spider," who is considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, seems to be open to a trilogy with "All American."
"I will fight the fights I have left in my contract and, if I earn a chance to fight for the title one day, against (Weidman) or not - not being a friend or a training partner -, I will be happy," he said.
Things look to be going well with Silva's recovery and he said he's excited to face Diaz and expects their fight to be "the best striking match of all-time."
"I'm really excited. It's my comeback, I have to be excited," Silva said. "I'm training a lot, really happy with everything that is happening. Nick Diaz is a tough guy. He fights really well, has a great physical condition and a great technique, so it's going to be a nice fight. If Nick does a clean fight, if he fights standing without stalling, we'll do a spectacular fight. Nick has a great boxing and it's going to be a fantastic fight. Every UFC fan will like it."
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