Anderson Silva vs Roy Jones Jr Fight: UFC Won’t Allow Silva to ‘Fulfill his Dream’

Anderson Silva vs Roy Jones Jr Fight: UFC Won’t Allow Silva to ‘Fulfill his Dream’
Jack Phillips
11/6/2014
Updated:
7/18/2015

Roy Jones Jr. recently criticized the UFC’s management for not allowing him to fight Anderson Silva.

Both Silva, the former UFC Middleweight champ, and Jones, a former boxing world champion, have both expressed a desire to fight in a boxing match, but UFC President Dana White has never been committed to a potential bout.

Speaking with MMA Fight Corner, Jones said, “The UFC won’t allow him to fulfill his dream and get in the ring and enjoy a night of sharing the ring with the great Roy Jones, Jr.”

“It’s such a pity. It’s such a shame because it’s a night that I’m sure people from both worlds would really admire, and would love to see, and would get a lot from because of two legends in the ring at once. Although it’s boxing, we could share the ring together because Anderson can box. He’s a professional fighter too, and he’s an entertainer just as myself,” he said.

Jones was present at UFC 162 when Silva fought Chris Weidman for the first time last year. Weidman ended the fight with a knockout. Later, Silva broke his leg in December, further putting a Jones-Silva superfight in jeopardy.

“Anderson Silva is one of the best human beings I’ve ever met. He’s a wonderful friend, a wonderful person. A person, who like myself, when we succeed at something we want to try something else if we can. We want to see how far we can go. We want to test the skies to see if the sky the limit,” Jones added.

Meanwhile, Silva was reportedly hospitalized with a back injury, which was downplayed by his coaches and doctor.

“In an exclusive interview, Silva’s coaches and the Brazilian Athletic Commission doctor, Dr. Marcio Tannure, said the training incident that sent Silva to a Rio de Janeiro hospital for an exam and treatment is not serious, and will not jeopardize his five-round return bout against [Nick] Diaz,” said a release from UFC.com, via MMA Mania.

“He has felt this pain before. It has nothing to do with the surgery.” Tannure said.

“He just felt a normal pain; we did not understand the proportion it took,” a coach reportedly said. “The pain can return, as he has already felt it before. But it is not going to harm his career.”

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
twitter
Related Topics