Anderson Silva is already being counted out by experts and fans, but Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White is optimistic that the UFC superstar will make his return by the end of the year.

Fight fans were convinced that we had seen the last fight of Silva inside the Octagon when he sustained a gruesome leg injury during the second round of his UFC 168 rematch with Chris Weidman last month.

White initially admitted that he was unsure of the future of the fighter who is considered as the greatest of all time, but the long-time UFC president had a sudden change of heart in a recent interview.

During his appearance at the talk show of Arsenio Hall, White said that Silva's injury is definitely terrible-looking, but the former undisputed UFC middleweight champion can actually walk without crutches soon and can start training again after a six-month rehabilitation period.

"He'll be walking before the end of the month without crutches, he'll be training in less than six months and he'll fight before the end of this year," White said.

White insisted that Silva should be considered lucky enough to avoid ligament damages because it could have totally wrecked his chances of making a comeback. According to White, torn ligaments, like ACL injury, takes longer healing time and more strenuous rehabilitation compared to most broken bone injuries.

"So if you blow your ACL out, you're out for a year and three months. You break your leg in half; you're back before the end of the year," White said.

But when asked if Silva will immediately get a big fight when he returns to the Octagon later this year or in early 2015, White said that the Brazilian MMA legend should prove his worth first.

A potential rematch with Weidman looms again after the indecisive end to their second showdown. White even said that Weidman technically won the fight, but Silva could have been robbed of a victory as well had the former champion avoided the gruesome injury.

"Chris won the fight, I mean the way the fight ended but none of us can deny we got robbed. Freak accident, got robbed off a finish but I don't know,"

Aside from Weidman, recent rumors also suggested that UFC could consider pitting Silva in a super showdown with another MMA great Georges St-Pierre.

Read: Super Fight With GSP In Sight For Anderson Silva

Silva also recently reaffirmed his desire to face Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match before making his Octagon comeback. Read: MMA Legend Wants Boxing Match With Roy Jones Jr. Before Making UFC Comeback