Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Anderson Silva has expressed interest in facing Nick Diaz when he makes his return from a gruesome leg injury.

Silva, who broke his tibia and fibula in his left leg during his rematch with Chris Weidman in December, said in an interview that if the fans wants the fight between him and Diaz, then he will have no problem with it.

"Well, if everybody is saying that it would be an interesting fight, what am I going to say? It could be an interesting fight," Silva said in an interview with MMA Fighting.

Silva has been doing well in his recovery, but he ruled out a possible return later this year, saying that early 2015 is a more realistic target.

The former UFC middleweight kingpin said that he has been undergoing sparring sessions over the past several days, but he admitted that he is still uncomfortable kicking with his surgically-repaired left leg or even his healthy right leg.

"(My right shin) is stronger than the other one, way stronger than the other one," Silva said. "I'm training, and it's helping me a lot in training. But I'm a little insecure about my movements."

The 39-year-old Brazilian MMA superstar also added that he is not interested in facing Chris Weidman again when he returns to the Octagon again next year.

Silva pointed out that there is no reason to face Weidman again since he lost twice to the reigning middleweight champion, adding that he should give way to other challengers like Lyoto Machida and Jacare Souza.

"Rematch with Chris Weidman is something that is not in my plans. He already defeated me twice, everybody saw this," Silva said. "Lyoto has an opportunity to fight him, we also have 'Jacare', who's coming and looking for his way. Let's root for them to get their space in the UFC and get their shot at the title, win it, become great champions and bring big wins for Brazil."

For his part, Weidman also said in an interview with Fox Sports that while his wins against Silva are the most important victories of his career, he now reached the point of trying to move away from the former champion's shadow to create his own legacy.

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