Gabriel Silva focused on boxing, but would change MMA plans to share card with father Anderson Silva

Gabriel Silva is determined to build a career as a professional boxer, but the idea of sharing a card with his father, legendary MMA star Anderson Silva, would convince him to tweak his plans a little bit.

The young Silva is set to box Ben Davis at Saturday’s Misfits event in Newcastle, England. He doesn’t see MMA as a possible career path. But he would give it a try in the future when his boxing career is up and running.

Anderson Silva, the former UFC middleweight kingpin, turned to boxing in recent years. In June, he told MMA Fighting he was “in talks” with a Japanese MMA promotion for his retirement fight in late 2023.

Gabriel said he’s not aware of his father’s current plans, but he loves it.

“My father is very impulsive,” Silva said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “If the idea of fighting this year makes senes in his head, he’ll make it happen. He’s always training and always in shape, always ready, so I think he’ll fight when the opportunity comes.”

Gabriel said his brother Kalyl Silva, who is 2-0 as a professional boxer, might be the one to follow “The Spider’s” footsteps in MMA since he’s always training multiple martial arts, whereas Gabriel focuses solely on boxing.

The idea of Anderson competing for the final time later this year might bring the entire family together.

“It could happen, the three of us on the card,” Silva said. “That would be cool, that would be cool. I’ve always had this idea of one day sharing a card with my father. I’d put my plans aside a little bit because this is history, it’s something we would never see again, so we have to be part of it.”

“My thing with MMA is that it will definitely happen, but it’s not something longterm, it’s only for me to say I’ve done it,” he continued. “It’s an important piece of my history, so it will happen eventually. My focus now is on doing the foundation to build my story in boxing.”

Gabriel faces Davis in an 170-pound exhibition match in Newcastle. Then he is set for his second professional match, which is set for 160 pounds in November in the U.S.

Silva said the original offer from Misfits Boxing was to face Salt Papi in the undercard of KSI vs. Tommy Fury on Oct. 14, but talks didn’t advance.

“My goal was to fight as soon as possible,” said Silva, who signed a one-bout deal with Misfits. He predicts a knockout win Saturday and remains open to facing other influencers in the future, granted that it doesn’t affect his professional career.

“My goal [in boxing] is the same of all [professional] athletes, to become world champion. These opportunities [against influencers] help our social media and gets us views, so we take it.”