Anderson Silva's comeback in the UFC may have been prolonged, as the 39-year old fighter announced the renewal of his contract for 15 more fights. Meanwhile, the former middleweight champion is looking to replace his lost Nike sponsorship with Adidas.
Anderson Silva's comeback fight will be against Nick Diaz at UFC 183 on January 31st. Both men will be coming from respective yearlong layoffs, with Silva recovering from a broken leg injury, and Diaz from a semi-retirement.
The extension of Anderson Silva's comeback was upon the decision of "The Spider" himself, which he revealed with Brazilian media publication Combate. Silva, who signed the contract on Thursday during the UFC 179 pre-fight festivities, already had used up two out of a ten-fight deal he signed in 2013.
Both fights were against reigning champion Chris Weidman last year, wherein he both lost.
Silva's new 15-fight deal added seven more bouts to his contract. And for the former middleweight champion, one of the reasons for agreeing with the said deal was to surprise his family and UFC president Dana White.
"I had seven fights on my contract (after the Diaz fight)," Silva said. "I met Lorenzo and Dana on Thursday and that contract was canceled. We signed for another 15 fights."
"To make Dana crazy, I signed for 15 more fights," he added. "And to make my family crazy, too."
Anderson Silva's comeback fight will also feature a major change, this time in relation to the fighter's sponsor. "The Spider" is one of the three fighters (along with former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos and reigning light heavyweight title-holder Jon Jones) who have had the chance to banner Nike as an apparel sponsor.
But since Silva will no longer be sponsored by the famed sports apparel brand, he is scouting for other big options.
"We're in a good relationship with Adidas now," Silva said. "There's nothing done, we'll see what happens in the future."
