RIO DE JANEIRO – Anderson Silva has a few fights left on his UFC contract – three or four, he said, though he couldn’t say for sure – and he intends to complete them.

But speaking to reporters in Rio de Janeiro about his UFC 237 homecoming against Jared Cannonier, Silva acknowledged the end of his career is approaching.

The former middleweight champion, who turned 44 this month, doesn’t rule out a new stab at the title in this final stretch. “Anything is possible,” Silva said, and “every fighter who’s in the UFC thinks about the title.” It was, after all, with the title in mind that Silva agreed to take on Israel Adesanya back in February.

But after defending the belt 10 times throughout an almost seven-year long reign, Silva says he’s “absolutely” comfortable with the idea of retiring without touching UFC gold again.

“I never put something in my mind like, ‘Oh I need to fight again for the belt,’” Silva told reporters, including MMA Junkie, in English. “No. That’s a part in my life I passed. But I continue to fight. But I don’t know – maybe I have a new opportunity to fight for the belt. I don’t know. 

“But I’m not putting my whole energy like, ‘Oh, I need to get back to fight for the title.’ No. That’s the (second) point for me, the first point is just continue to fight, continue to put my heart in the sport, then maybe I have a chance to fight for the belt again.”

Silva (34-8 MMA, 17-5 UFC) meets Cannonier (11-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) on May 11 at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The main card of UFC 237 airs on pay-per-view, following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Silva comes into the match off the applauded, but unsuccessful effort against Adesanya at UFC 234. Cannonier, in turn, comes off a knockout win over former WSOF champion David Branch this past November. The bout was Cannonier’s first at middleweight after UFC fights at both the 205-pound and heavyweight divisions.

Despite Cannonier’s momentum, it’s fair to say his name isn’t quite as high-profile as the ones that Silva had been requesting – namely, fellow ex-UFC-champ Conor McGregor and former opponent Nick Diaz. So what led the former champion to say yes?

Speaking to reporters earlier, in the Portuguese portion of the interview, Silva said it was a decision made after “months of negotiation” with UFC president Dana White, motivated by both business and something that he offer refers to as “the challenge.”

Later asked about what that challenge is, specifically, Silva said he sees Cannonier as a “very strong” opponent, who’s had “a lot of experience in this sport.” But, also, Silva also says there’s more to it than the name on the contract.

“Everybody talk about ‘fight this guy or this guy,’ but for me I think it’s more important you make something special for the fans,” Silva said. “In my opinion and my position now I’m trying to do something very special for my fans. When I fight Israel (Adesanya) everybody talk about, ‘Why you fight him? Why you take the fight?’ Because it’s a good challenge for myself, for my mind.”

Asked directly how many fights he has left on his current UFC contract, Silva said he’d have to check, but that it’s either three or four, probably four.

“I feel good – I intend to do all of them,” Silva said, before adding with a laugh. “For the joy of some and sadness of others, I intend to keep bothering people.”

Whether they will involve a title shot or not is not in the forefront of Silva’s mind at the moment. But despite his recent 1-5 run and the scenario atop the 185-pound division, involving veterans like Yoel Romero and up-and-comers like Paulo Costa, Silva doesn’t think it’s entirely out of the picture.

“I think everyone has their space,” Silva said. “What happens a lot is – everyone has their space, but everyone has created a different legacy in this sport. They’re just coming in. Romero not so much, but ‘Borrachinha’ (Costa) and many others, they’re coming in. They don’t understand that there’s a business behind all of this. 

“So when it comes time to choose someone to fight who’ll really make a difference, they’re going to pick the one who sells more. Regardless of whether the guy’s last in the rankings, it’s the guy who sells more against the guy who’s first in the rankings. This rankings thing doesn’t come into play that much when it comes to business, and that’s what some athletes need to understand.”

To hear more from Silva, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC 237, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.