Anderson Silva is one of the greatest Mixed Martial Artists to have ever fought in the UFC. The Brazilian fighter has the most title defenses in the 185-pound division and is widely regarded as the greatest middleweight of all time. In his illustrious career of more than 20 years, Spider has fought over 40 times and has amassed a record of 34-11.
Silva’s last fight in MMA was in 2020 against Uriah Hall where he suffered a brutal KO loss. Following this defeat, Anderson Silva decided to hang up his boots. Thereafter he made a transition into boxing and has fought the likes of Julio Chavez Jr, Tito Ortiz and Jake Paul. The 47-year-old fighter still looks great when it comes to boxing.
However, Spider has not taken retirement from MMA. Because the Brazilian fighter wants to step inside the octagon for one last time. In a recent interview, Anderson revealed the location where he wants his last fight to take place.
“I try to do my last fight in MMA in Japan because I start fighting in Japan. That’s what I try to do, my last fight in Japan, my last MMA fight in Japan. Maybe Hayato Sakurai… I think this is good fight for us. We will see,” said Silva while discussing his final MMA opponent.
Who is Hayato Sakurai- Anderson Silva potential opponent?
Hayato Sakurai is a well-established Japanese Mixed Martial Artist who made his professional debut back in 1996. Mach is a former UFC fighter and has previously competed in Pride, Dream Shooto and many other organizations. Fighting in the welterweight division, Sakurai has a record of 38-13 which includes 10 submission wins and 12 knockouts.
Interestingly, Hayato Sakurai is also 47 years old. This makes the matchup very exciting as there is not a big age gap. However, there are two problems if this matchup materializes. One is to determine the weight class as Mach is a welterweight and Spider is a middleweight. Moreover, the Japanese fighter has not stepped inside the octagon since his TKO win in 2016.
It would be interesting to see if Hayato accepts Silva’s callout and if the Brazilian fighter gets his wish of finishing his MMA career in Japan.
