Anderson Silva interested in testing skills vs. Conor McGregor

With every fighter under the sun wanting a piece of Conor McGregor, it was inevitable that an all-time great would come calling.

Speaking to Brazil's Combate, former middleweight champion Anderson Silva rattled off a few names he's interested in fighting in the future, including the "Notorious" one himself.

"That's a challenge I would like to do. I've never asked to fight anybody, but I would like to test my martial arts skills against Conor McGregor," Silva said, as translated by Bloody Elbow's Lucas Rezende. "I would like that and a rematch with Nick Diaz and Michael Bisping. I think McGregor is a great striker, but he didn't do very well in his last fight because he played into Nate Diaz's game and that's really hard. The Diaz brothers have a lot of gas.

"You have to respect him, the loss to Diaz doesn't diminish his career at all. These are the fighters I would like to fight. McGregor, Diaz, and Bisping because that fight did not end nicely."

Silva defeated Nick Diaz at UFC 183 last January, but the decision was changed to a no contest when Silva was busted for PEDs and subsequently suspended for a year. He then lost a comeback fight against Bisping in February.

At 185 pounds, Silva is considerably larger than McGregor, who's currently the champion of the 145-pound division. McGregor recently jumped up to welterweight in a loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196 in March, but the 40-pound difference between McGregor's featherweight division and Silva's middleweight division might be a bridge too far.

Silva suggested the two would compromise if the fight ever reaches the discussion stage.

"We could do a catchweight," said Silva. "He said we would fight anybody, anywhere. I think a catchweight would be interesting for the sport, for me, and for him."

That superfight will have to wait until Silva settles his business with Uriah Hall at UFC 198 on May 14 in Curitiba, Brazil.