"I believe a fight against Anderson (Silva) would be the biggest of my career and my life, but these challenges motivate me a lot. I respect him because today he and Fedor (Emelianenko) are the best pound-for-pound in the world. It will be a very hard fight, but as I said before, the only guy I have affection for in UFC is Wanderlei (Silva). I am professional and I work for the UFC, so for me it is a duty to repay what they ask me. I would fight with anyone, including Anderson, that is at the top of pound-for-pound in the world." -Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

After quickly disposing of highly regarded former undefeated light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua floats the possibility of fighting Machida's stablemate and good friend Anderson Silva.

Despite UFC President Dana White's repeated notions to the contrary, Rua believes heavyweight standout Fedor Emelianenko, along with Silva, represent the best two fighters in the world currently; and he appears eager to test his skills against a fighter of Silva's caliber.

Rua may be getting a bit ahead of himself however, as both he and Silva are currently scheduled to face other opponents. Silva will take on noted wrestler and rising middleweight contender Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 on August 7, and Rua will square off against former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans sometime later this year. 

While both Rua and Silva will be favored, each will face an interesting challenge against the two high-level American wrestlers. The match-ups are very similar in terms of skill, as both Rua and Silva will share a noted striking and jiu-jitsu advantage over their respective opponents, while Evans and Sonnen will have the wrestling advantage. 

If both Rua and Silva can come out of their respective matchups unscathed, a fight between the two would make a lot of sense, and a lot of dollars too.