During the UFC 208 media conference call, Anderson Silva would make his intentions clear of seeing out the 10-fight deal he signed with the UFC after his loss to Chris Weidman in 2013.

Now aged 41 and looking a depleted force from his heyday as the UFC’s middleweight kingpin, Silva has only completed half of the fights remaining on his contract leading many to believe retirement would come knocking in the near future.

Anderson Silva refutes retirement claims

“The Spider” revealed this was not the case and that he has every intention of seeing out his contract even if it was to take a few more years.

“I’m so happy because in my heart I have a lot of energy,” Silva exclaimed. “In my mind, in my heart. I still believe in my heart I have the energy to finish my contract in the UFC. I have the energy to fight for more years.”

When asked if his recent losses would cause him to re-evaluate if he was to again fall short against Derek Brunson in Brooklyn, Silva was defiant and insisted the losses didn’t matter as long as he still had the will to continue.

“Victory in my life, in your life, in everybody’s life is important,” Silva said. “I think the more important thing now in my life is to stay happy, work happy. I’ve been fighting for a long time in my life and working hard at fighting in the UFC. I’ve changed a little bit of my focus. I focus on my family and my different jobs outside the UFC. I think for me now it’s not important how many fights I’ve lost, how many fights I win. I just bring my heart and do my best.”

UFC 208 takes place Saturday, February 11 from the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York and will see the first ever UFC women’s featherweight champion crowned in a main event title bout between Holly Holm and Germaine De Randamie.