Fresh off another dominating performance in defense of his UFC middleweight crown, Anderson Silva talked to Sherdog.com about his rematch with hometown favorite Rich Franklin (Pictures), the mythical pound-for-pound title that he may have thrust himself into Saturday night and his take on the middleweight division he has been running roughshod over.

The 185-pound class has put up token resistance since Silva's Octagon debut in June 2006. He has logged less than 22 minutes in his five UFC tilts, compiling a 5-0 record without letting a single bout get to the judges' hands.

Despite those stats, Silva, 20-4-0, was quick to note that there are a slew of tough match-ups awaiting him in his quest to keep the belt around his waist.

"I don't see it as cleaning out the division at all," Silva said through a translator, his manager Ed Soares, the day after besting Franklin for the second time. "Every fight is a tough fight, and I have to continue to get better if I want to keep the title."

It is a scary proposition for anyone who hopes to lay claim to the 185-pound title when they hear Silva speak about improving the technique that has laid waste to the likes of Franklin (twice), Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) and Chris Leben (Pictures). With names like Yushin Okami (Pictures), David Terrell (Pictures) and Thales Leites (Pictures) being bandied about, one has to wonder if anyone in the UFC can offer more than a futile effort against the champ.

The fighter under contract to Zuffa who might stand the best chance of testing Silva is WEC champion Paulo Filho (Pictures), 15-0-0, but he fights for the UFC's sister promotion with little chance of a crossover right now.

Silva made it clear he did not look forward to facing Filho due to their friendship. He was equally clear in stating his desire to face the best fighters in the world, and if Dana White and the UFC decided he should fight Filho, he would oblige.

Silva, who is planning a move from Rio de Janeiro to Los Angeles, said he will probably not defend his belt again before 2008. "The Spider" has fought three times this year and feels that is the right formula for keeping him fresh. That schedule, fighting every four months, would put him on track to fight in either February or March.

Another interesting possibility would be a fight with Matt Hughes (Pictures). Hughes voiced an opinion on this season's "The Ultimate Fighter" that he may not be long for the sport. It was the same feeling he relayed to Sherdog.com right before his loss to Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) last November.

Prior to that loss, Hughes speculated on retiring with both the welterweight and middleweight titles. If he can get past Matt Serra (Pictures) in December, he would be primed for a middleweight showdown with Silva.

"I would love to fight Matt Hughes (Pictures) if the UFC asked me to," the Brazilian said. "He is a great fighter, and those are the people I want to fight."

When pressed for a breakdown of a proposed match with the former welterweight champion, Silva demurred. "I am not going to comment on that," he said, "other than saying it would be a great fight."