Anderson Silva not close to retirement according to his manager

Anderson Silva will return to the Octagon this Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 237 when he takes on Jared Cannonier.

Not only will it be the second fight of the year for the legend, but it will also mark his second time serving as the co-main or main event of a pay-per-view card in 2019. Although the 44-year-old has just one win in his last seven fights, the former champion is not close to retirement according to his manager.

“Absolutely not [close to retirement],”  Jorge Guimaraes told ESPN. “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 hung in there and went the distance against Israel Adesanya. And, on Saturday he will be making a turnaround of just 94 days which will be the shortest of his career according to ESPN. It appears Silva wants to continue to fight, and fight often, as he is currently in negotiations to renew his contract with the UFC.

“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.”

Ultimately, with a win over Cannonier, the former champion could find himself among the top-10 of the middleweight division. And, if his last fights against Adesanya and Derek Brunson show anything it is that Silva can still hang with the best of them.

Learn how to watch UFC 237, featuring this Anderson Silva vs. Jared Cannonier, here.

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This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 5/10/2019.