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Is Anderson Silva ready to get on board and give UFC fans the biggest fight in MMA history or is he just playing games? Silva recently told Brazilian media that a fight against Jon Jones is very possible, continuing to tease MMA fans and the UFC into believing that this fight is going to happen.

I am always dubious of Anderson Silva. The UFC middleweight champion is great at telling MMA fans what they want to hear in interviews, yet hasn’t delivered much of the goods in recent years. Silva is continuing to talk about fighting Jon Jones, a fight which he once said he’d never take. Yet a deeper look into the big picture gives me hesitation for excitement.

Silva was asked about the fight and previous reports that the UFC is gearing up to headline a 20th anniversary event in Madison Square Garden with the mega fight. Silva told Lacent/Brazil that he is game for the challenge.

“Look, if I still be alive until there… (he laughed). But I believe yes. Anything can happen and, yes, I think it is possible to happen. I’ll have to train, you know, to put a great show to the fans.”

That all sounds great but there is one lingering issue here that is hanging over the fight. Silva has not signed a contract extension with the UFC. Silva has two fights left on his current deal. Silva was recently offered a 10-fight extension but has refused to sign it. Silva recently told Tatame that he isn’t a rush to sign it.

“We are still negotiating, but we have more time to decide that. Let’s see how it goes.”

So what really gives here? Is The Spider using this Jon Jones fight as a chip in negotiations with the UFC? According to UFC president Dana White, the company has already drawn up a 10-fight contract for their world champion. I have to wonder at the end of the day if Silva’s new fondness for a fight with Jones is merely just business, using fan interest as the biggest pawn in the game.

The other pink elephant in the room here is Jon Jones. The UFC light heavyweight champion has made his intentions clear for 2013. Jones has said on numerous occasions that he wants to move to heavyweight by the end of the year. That would conflict with a potential Silva fight in November. Even if Silva says he is on board, maybe he knows that Jones has no intentions of taking this fight?

It is just hard to believe that a guy who has said no to this fight for so long is all of the sudden interested, coincidentally when he is negotiating a new deal. As a fan I hope he is sincere in his desire to fight Jones, but as a longtime Silva observer I’ll still admit I am more skeptical than excited.

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