Anderson Silva (34-9, 1 NC) isn't ready to step away from the Octagon just yet. The 44-year-old former middleweight championis reportedly in talks with the UFC for a contract renewal. He currently has three fights remaining on his current contract, including his bout with Jared Cannonier at UFC 237 on Saturday.
"Absolutely not [close to retirement]," Jorge Guimaraes, Silva's manager, told ESPN Brazil's Igor Resende.
"He's still got plenty of firewood to burn. He has a very high IQ and knows how to train well. Age is just a number. He never did [recreational] drugs and never drank. He's perfectly healthy. I think he's in his best shape ever."
Silva has lost 5 of his last 6 fights, his most recent coming against rising MMA star Israel Adesanya
at UFC 234 just 94 days ago. It was Silva's first fight in almost exaclty two years. Despite the loss, the main event bout proved to be quite entertaining and Silva definitely showed he still has some gas left in the tank. Whether that gas will still be there three fights from now remains to be seen, however.
Silva didn't answer any questions about his future during the week, but Guimaraes seemed confident that Silva will get a contract renewal.
"Oh, the deal will be absolutely renewed," Guimaraes said.
"We've already talked about that, and [UFC president Dana White is] interested in it. Just take a look what the boom he caused in Brazil because of that. The UFC is interested. Good things are coming."
Silva successfully defended the UFC middleweight title 10 straight times (a record at the time) from 2006 to 2013. While regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time, it's been a rought stretch for him of late. He has only one win — against Derek Brunson at UFC 208 in 2017 — dating back to 2012. He'll hope to get back in the win column on Saturday against Jared Cannonier.