UFC Fight Night 84 headliner Anderson Silva: 'I'm going to win'

LONDON – The last time Anderson Silva fought in London, way back in 2006, he defended his Cage Rage title and then made his UFC debut. A decade later, he looks forward to feeding off the energy provided by English fight fans.

Silva (33-6 MMA, 16-2 UFC), who meets fellow middleweight Michael Bisping (27-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 84 headliner, said he’s thrilled to be back in the country, especially after a yearlong layoff.

“First of all, I’ll never go out of this sport,” Silva said during Wednesday’s open workouts for the event, which streams on UFC Fight Pass from London’s The O2. “I love my sport. I love my job, and I’m very happy, and I’m very excited for everything. I’m very happy to be back to London because I love it here. I have good energy when I come to here, when I see my friends in here, so I’m very, very happy.”

It’s hard to fathom that Silva, long considered one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, has gone nearly three-and-a-half years without a victory. After a pair of title losses to Chris Weidman, who halted Silva’s 17-fight and six-plus-year undefeated streak, the 40-year-old Brazilian defeated Nick Diaz in January 2015. However, the bout was overturned to a no-contest and Silva was suspended a year following failed drug tests.

Now hoping for a fresh start, Silva, who’s an honorable mention in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, takes on No. 8-ranked Bisping, and he’s focused solely on getting back in the win column.

“I’m very confident,” he said. “I trained hard for one year. I’ve trained hard for a long time in my life, but Saturday, I’m going to win because I came here to win, definitely.”

Check out the full video above.

For more on UFC Fight Night 84, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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