Anderson Silva interested in catchweight bout with Conor McGregor

CURITIBA -- Add Anderson Silva to the list of fighters interested in stepping in the cage against Conor McGregor.

"The Spider," a former UFC middleweight champion who moved up to 205 pounds on three occasions to score three knockouts finishes, would try to cut weight for a catchweight bout with featherweight champion McGregor.

Scheduled to face Uriah Hall in a middleweight bout at the upcoming UFC 198 card in Curitiba, Brazil, on May 14, Silva said during the media day in the city on Tuesday that McGregor is one of the options for his next bout.

"I would like to do a rematch with Nick Diaz and then [Michael] Bisping again. And the challenge that I would like to have in my career would be cut down in weight and fight McGregor," Silva said in a media scrum.

"I don’t know, I would have to talk to [UFC general manager] Giovani [Decker] about which weight we can do this fight at, but it’s a challenge I would like. He offers me a big challenge, something I’m looking for in my martial knowledge right now."

Silva, who fought the majority of his career at 185 pounds, would try to cut five extra pounds for a 180-pound catchweight clash with "The Notorious." The motivation for the "challenge" isn’t money, he explains.

"His fighting style," said the Brazilian. "He’s an eclectic, versatile athlete, and I believe his game can surprise many people, like it did already. I think he’s a great fighter and a smart man."