"I love MMA, but boxing has something special" - Anderson Silva talks about his connection with boxing

UFC icon Anderson Silva reigned over the middleweight division during his peak years in the UFC. The Brazilian fighter has now made the transition to the sport of boxing.

In the lead-up to his upcoming match with fellow UFC veteran Tito Ortiz, 'The Spider' discussed his relationship with the sweet science of boxing during a recent media call.

"I love boxing, you know. It's a very interesting and special sport. I love my sport too, MMA, but boxing is, it's have something special in boxing, you know. I'm a big fan for a lot of professional fighters and legends in boxing and I just training box for years with coach [Luiz] Dorea in Brazil. When I start training, I [was] just training a lot and I try to do my best in my sport, I try to do my best right now in boxing, you know and it's something I love and something I try to put it outside me and for people [to] see how much I can continue [to] do my job, inspiring people and you know, the new generation, too," said Anderson Silva.

You can watch the full press conference below:

Anderson Silva recently fought Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a boxing bout on June 19.

'The Spider' showed that he has retained a significant amount of skill from his prime days and outclassed the former boxing champion across eight rounds. Silva won the contest via split decision.

Anderson Silva will compete again on September 11

Anderson Silva's next appearance in the squared circle will be against former UFC champion Tito Ortiz. The fight will take place on September 11 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

The fight will mark Ortiz's debut in the world of professional boxing. The 46-year-old previously competed as an MMA fighter in multiple promotions like the UFC and Bellator.

The California native, who has victories over fighters like Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Ryan Bader, Ken Shamrock and Chuck Liddell, has an MMA record of 21-12-1.