Phil Davis explains post-win callout of Anderson Silva at UFC 179 in Brazil

To most watching UFC 179, light heavyweight Phil Davis‘ callout of former middleweight champ Anderson Silva seemed a bit odd.

Silva, after all, resides a weight class below Davis – although he’s previously moonlighted at 205 pounds – and is just returning from a devastating leg injury that endangered his career. The two have never been mentioned in the same sentence as potential opponents.

Davis (13-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) told MMAjunkie he didn’t plan to call Silva out after outwrestling Glover Teixeira (22-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC). But he said a fight with “The Spider” represents something more than a career move.

“All the questions around the open workout were centered around me being the ‘Brazilian Killer,'” said the 30-year-old American following his unanimous decision at Saturday’s pay-per-view event at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro. “I don’t know if I’d call myself a killer, but at the same time, that would complete my trifecta of Brazilian fighters.”

While Davis didn’t name the fighters, one would assume the trio includes Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Lyoto Machida, who he outpointed on Brazilian soil. Silva, of course, would represent the pinnacle of that list, however unrealistic it might be.

“One of the absolute best Brazilian fighters, and one of the absolute best fighters there is,” Davis said, later adding, “Why not? He’s an amazing fighter.”

After breaking his leg in a failed bid to regain the middleweight belt, Silva’s comeback is set for Jan. 31 against Nick Diaz at UFC 183. The champ has said he would like to win back the belt, but added he favors giving the next opportunity to his longtime training partner, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

Silva looked a little surprised and feigned worry when cameras panned to him following Davis’ callout. The crowd in Rio de Janeiro was a little less welcoming. Despite that, Davis wasn’t entirely opposed to more big fights in the country.

“Why not fight in Brazil? I love Brazil,” he said. “Brazil has been good to me. That is a question we’d have to ask Brazilian fans. Are they going to cheer for me when I come down and fight for the title? Are they going to tell the other guy he’s going to die? I need a yes before I sign up for that.”

For complete coverage of UFC 179, check out the UFC Events section of the site.