Anderson Silva was so shocked by the death of rap legend DMX, he could barely find the words — but ultimately explained how the guy made such a tremendous impact on his life.

The MMA legend — who’s boxing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on June 19 — famously used DMX’s “Ain’t No Sunshine” as his ring walkout song for years. Watch the video below, the fans went WILD!!!!

So, when we spotted Silva shooting a promo on Friday in the hours after X’s passing, we had to ask his thoughts — and you can feel the sadness.

Silva also tells us he plans on honoring DMX during the Chavez fight.

As for the fight itself, Anderson Sports he knows Chavez Jr. has a lifetime of experience as a boxer … but he’s up for the challenge and says he wouldn’t have signed up if he didn’t think he could win!

And, get this … if Silva beats Chavez, he wants MORE boxing fights down the road and says he would seriously consider Jake and Logan Paul as future opponents.

“Both guys are good,” Silva says … “The world has changed. It’s not about fighting.