Less than two weeks removed from a five-round decision loss to Michael Bisping in London, Anderson Silva is already planning his next bout.
“I talked to him yesterday and he told me that he’s still negotiating to fight in Curitiba, and the final decision hasn’t been made,” Camoes told Sherdog.com. “He still believes he will fight in Curitiba, and everybody is cheering for that. Imagine how it would be, the first UFC in a soccer stadium in Brazil with the biggest national idol fighting at home. Of course, Anderson would be able to pack that stadium with 45,000 people easily.”
Last week, Giovani Decker, the head of UFC’s Brazilian branch, stated that Silva would not compete at UFC 198 due to a lack of available middleweights. However, according to Camoes, rumored opponents such as Tim Kennedy and Gegard Mousasi may still be possibilities.
“Either of those could be great fights,” Camoes opined. “Actually, the fight with Bisping woke up [Silva]. Anderson was used to fighting three times a year for his entire career. The last three years, he fought only once per year. Now, he wants to return to the routine of three fights per year, and he feels the opportunity to fight in his home, Curitiba, would be unique for him.”
Camoes also discussed the experience of watching Silva fight in London, where he was seated with Silva’s manager, Jorge Guimaraes, directly behind UFC President Dana White.
“We were impressed with how excited Dana was during Anderson’s fight,” said Camoes. “He was in ecstasy to see Anderson could still put on such a great show. Actually, we absorbed his happiness while Anderson was fighting.”
While some fans and pundits criticized Silva for being too relaxed and not putting away Bisping in the latter rounds of the fight, Camoes believes the 40-year-old’s demeanor inside the cage was understandable.
“Imagine everything he went through in the last three years: a defeat, then a broken leg, surgery, a doping suspension,” Camoes said. “He was able to overcome all those hard moments, then he thought his leg cracked in the first round. He recovers from a knockdown in the second round and then knocks out his opponent in the third round. Of course, he was excited and it was difficult to get home concentrated again when he found out that [referee] Herb Dean didn’t stop the fight.
“People have to understand that Anderson Silva always fights with joy. If he doesn’t fight like that, it’s not Anderson Silva. I truly hope we can see him back in Curitiba on May 14.”