Anderson Silva has moved on from pursuing a fight against Jake Paul, targeting a fight with fight ring legend Floyd Mayweather instead.
Silva has transitioned to boxing since being released by the UFC last November.
The legendary Brazilian outpointed former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chávez Jr in June and knocked out fellow UFC legend Tito Ortiz earlier this month.
The 46-year-old - who plans to retire once he turns 50 - was linked to a fight with Logan Paul this month in Dubai but talks fell through.
And Silva said the thought of fighting Mayweather came after reading comments on his social media account following his KO win against Ortiz.
He told The MMA Hour : “When I finished the fight with Tito and I saw on my Twitter and my Instagram, everybody talking ‘you need to fight with [Floyd] Mayweather!
"I don’t know, that’s insane! I don’t know if I can fight on the same level as Mayweather but this is a challenge for me.
“I don’t know, maybe this happens or not. I’m prepared for that. I just try to do my best everyday and I think this is a good fight, me and Mayweather. Two big names and a different level."
Mayweather retired from boxing in 2015 but made a return two years later when he improved to 50-0 with a stoppage win against UFC star Conor McGregor.
The five-weight world champion has fought in exhibitions against kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa and Logan Paul since retiring from the ring.
Mayweather's exhibition with Paul in June - that was a non-scored bout - sold over one million buys on pay-per-view.
That figure was more than double the amount of PPV buys Jake Paul's fight against former UFC champion Tyron Woodley sold last month.
Should Silva fight Mayweather or Paul next? Let us know in the comments section below
Mayweather - who reportedly earned upwards of $100m for fighting Paul - described the fight as a "sparring match" and a "legalised bank robbery".
Silva recognises the big size advantage he would have over Mayweather but cites the boxing star's clash with Paul as proof the fight could work.
He continued: "I go try to prove why I’m there to fight with Mayweather. I don’t know if this happens or not but I’m prepared for a good challenge for myself.”
“When people talk about [the size difference], I say the same – I’m too big. But Mayweather fought with Logan Paul and I can fight, too. I can [weigh] 189, 190 [pounds] and fight Mayweather. Let’s go see.
“Of course this fight were to happen, it’s a show fight, not a real fight, but I think that’s good. Let’s go see.”
