Long-time UFC champion Anderson Silva never considered retirement even after two consecutive setbacks to Chris Weidman.
"Retirement never went through my mind," he said as quoted by Cagewriter via Yahoo! "What's happening right now is I'm just dying to return to the Octagon and do the thing I most love in my life. That's what I want right now."
Silva, who is to embark on a comeback fight against Nick Diaz early next year, won 16 straight UFC matches before losing his aura of invincibility against Weidman. In their first fight, Silva was knocked out. In the return bout, Silva's leg was famously shattered when Weidman blocked his kick.
The horrendous experience behind him, Silva says his leg is now almost back to normal. "I've been doing a lot of physical therapy, and right now, it's at 95 percent and improving. On the day of the fight, it's going to be 100 percent."
But he admits he has to regain his confidence when it comes to kicking. After all, his career almost ended due to the kick he unleashed against Weidman. "I'm not kicking as hard as I usually do," he admitted. "I'm going to wait to kick hard on the day of the fight."
He says a title shot is not yet in his plans, but he'll be more than willing to fight for a title if given the opportunity.
He believes that his upcoming fight with Diaz has the makings of a blockbuster. "It's going to be excellent for the fans. We both have not stepped in the Octagon for a while. Nick is a guy that walks forward and likes his boxing. If he stands with me, the fans can expect a great fight."
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