Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White casted doubts about the future of Anderson Silva, but the manager of the injured MMA superstar expressed confidence his fighter will make a full recovery.
Ed Soares, the long-time manager of Silva, confidently declared that the former UFC undisputed middleweight champion will make a strong return to the Octagon when he recovers fully from his leg injury.
Silva, who is regarded as the best fighter to have ever fought inside the Octagon, sustained a gruesome leg injury during his rematch with Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in December.
The Brazilian MMA superstar underwent a major surgery to repair a broken tibia and fibula, but Soares has zero doubts about the possible comeback of Silva probably sometime next year.
"I think Anderson Silva will make a full recovery and will be back," Soares said in an interview.
Soares also talked about Silva's previous match, saying that his fighter could have had a good chance of avenging himself against Weidman, who knocked Silva out during their first showdown.
Soares insisted that he can't say Weidman defeated Silva in that second fight, but he gave credit to the American champion for accomplishing things that other fighters failed to accomplish against Silva.
"Regardless, he [Chris Weidman] won the fight. I wouldn't say he beat him, but he won the fight. He won the competition, and you know what, you have to congratulate him. What he's done nobody's ever been able to do. One of them is knock out Anderson Silva, and the other thing is beat Anderson Silva twice," Soares said.
The 38-year-old Brazilian is currently recovering from the surgery and is expected to undergo thorough rehab for at least six months before being cleared to resume MMA-related activities.
Silva, known in the UFC circle as "The Spider", recently quashed retirement talks, saying that he has no interest in calling it quits despite sustaining a major injury that could affect him psychologically when he returns to fight inside the Octagon again.
The UFC legend also reaffirmed his desire to face Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing fight before making his UFC comeback, while another rematch against Weidman remains a strong option next year.
Read: Anderson Silva vs Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Match
