Former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero wants to bow out of combat sports by fighting Anderson Silva.‘Soldier of God’ said he was close to facing Silva many times during his UFC heyday, but negotiations never materialised.Silva is eyeing up one or two more boxing fights before he retiresGettyYoel Romero teases Anderson Silva clashRomero, who turned 49 this month, is headlining Jorge Masvidal‘s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA show in Miami on Friday.And he plans to continue fighting for three years before hanging up the gloves for good.Speaking ahead of his next fight, Romero appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show alongside Masvidal and was asked whether there was anyone he wanted to face before his career was over.“Anderson Silva,” Romero responded.“There are many times I’ve wanted to fight Anderson Silva, because I respect him so much.“Silva was the best, was the GOAT—it was close a couple of times in the UFC, but it never materialised.“It wouldn’t matter if it’s a win or a loss—just to get in the cage with Anderson Silva.“This is a fight I would like to retire on. If Anderson wants to do it, I would love to do it.“I have three years until I retire. I’m on the first year of my Olympic cycle. “Tune in now or wait forever… I want to retire with my hand held high.Romero, who left the UFC after losing to Israel Adesanya in 2020, is still actively competing at the age of 49Dirty BoxingAs is 51-year-old Silva, having knocked out Woodley last DecemberGettySilva has also boxed Jake Paul since leaving the UFC in 2020Getty Images - Getty“The last three years I have competing, I’m going to give it my all and take as many souls as I can.”Romero then added he would be open to fighting Silva in MMA or boxing, while Masvidal, unsurprisingly, added that the plan is to make it happen in bare-knuckle MMA.How likely is Romero vs Silva?While Silva confirmed last month that he was retiring from MMA, having rejected an offer to fight on the Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano Netflix card in May, not all hope is lost.‘The Spider’ has said that he will ‘probably have one or two more fights’ exclusively in boxing.It was only last December that the former UFC champion brutally stopped fellow ex-MMA fighter Tyron Woodley at the age of 50 on the undercard of Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua.After his win, Silva started working as a police officer, but has never closed the door to one last dance.UFC ScheduleFor all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s UFC schedule.Masvidal, who is expected to make a UFC return and has been linked to welcoming Conor McGregor back to Dana White‘s promotion, will no doubt do whatever it takes to bring the Brazilian to his Gamebred promotion.