Lyoto Machida Hints at Impending Anderson Silva Retirement

With his impending fight with former training partner Mark Munoz just around the corner, Lyoto Machida is being faced to answer an old question all over again: “Would you fight Anderson Silva?”

He has been asked that question before when Silva was making occasional appearances at light heavyweight. Of course, both men have always stated they would not fight each other.

But now, Machida is being asked the question once again (h/t Steven Marrocco and Matt Erickson of MMAJunkie.com).

“We are friends, but it’s too early to think about that,” Machida said. “I don’t know about the future. That’s what I say to everybody. I’m just arriving. It’s hard to say about a title shot. Everybody is asking about it, but I prefer not to talk about it.”

Right now, Silva is trying to retake his throne from current champion, Chris Weidman.

Yet even if he manages to do so, the role of champion is nothing new to Silva, who has set more championship records than anyone.

But the facts are clear: Machida is now at middleweight, and thus come the question.

“I don’t know how long he’s [Silva] going to fight,” Machida said. “That’s why I don’t think about it.”

And his reasons for going down to middleweight in the first place?

“I just dropped down because I was going to fight against Jon Jones, and that fight couldn’t happen. The UFC gave me an opportunity to fight at 185. I want to stay active.”

Given their longstanding friendship, it is no stretch of the imagination to think that Machida not only knows what Silva’s plans for the future are, but also knows he can make the move freely, without worry of damaging that friendship.

After all, according the Bleacher Report's Jeremy Botter, Silva said earlier this month that he would retire before fighting Machida, and that says a great deal.