LOS ANGELES – With three more fights on his contract, Anderson Silva is planning for the end of his career.

The once-dominant UFC middleweight champ Silva (34-8 MMA, 17-4 UFC) said if he’s able to upset Israel Adesanya (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC 234 in February, he hopes to get one last chance to win back the title he held for so long.

“I believe in a perfect world, of course, Anderson Silva fights for the belt and takes the belt, then drop the mic,” Silva said in English at a press conference for his new gym, Spider Kick, in Los Angeles. “But I need to focus on this fight first. That’s the second step. Let’s go see, because the future is very short.”

At 43, Silva is taking on an unbeaten 29-year-old phenom who’s won four UFC straight bouts in dominant fashion. Many MMA observers are convinced the fight won’t be competitive and Silva will get blown out of the water. Silva already is a 3-1 underdog in several online sports books for the UFC 234 pay-per-view co-headliner on Feb. 9 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

“I believe this is the great fight, this is an amazing fight,” Silva said of the booking. “This fight is going to change everything in this game.”

Before he was booked against Adesanya, Silva entertained superfights with Georges St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC) and Conor McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who issued a respectful callout earlier this year. But after weighing his options, Silva believes the latter opponent is more likely to happen.

“I believe Georges St-Pierre does not take the real challenge,” Silva said. “He just tries to do something easy for yourself, but this is Georges St-Pierre. He’s so smart. That’s the game, that’s the business. He’s a business man.

“For me, I prefer to take real challenge. Don’t put nothing in the mind of my fans, (saying) ‘maybe yes, maybe not.’ That’s why I accepted the fight with (Daniel) Cormier in two days (at UFC 200). That’s the difference … it’s not about fighters – it’s about martial arts. I like challenge and I try to do my best every time.”

McGregor’s future is in flux until the Nevada State Athletic Commission decides his punishment from a melee at UFC 229, though a superfight with Silva doesn’t appear to be on the table. UFC President Dana White named Dustin Poirier (24-5 MMA, 16-4 UFC) as a potential opponent should McGregor return in a reasonable time from a suspension.

Although McGregor has competed as heavy as welterweight, a meeting with Silva would require him to bulk up even more.

“I believe 180 (pounds) is good for me and McGregor,” Silva said. “I’m just waiting, because I don’t control this. This is a question for Dana, but I believe this an amazing fight for the fans.”

The first amazing fight on tap, however, is a breakthrough against Adesanya, with the decorated legend beating back the surging up-and-comer. After that, Silva is moving on.

“This is the moment to take this fight and finish all my fights,” he said. “I have three more and then it’s done. It’s over.”

For more on UFC 234, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.