Anderson Silva returned Saturday night at UFC 183 and was victorious by unanimous decision over Nick Diaz.
It was an emotional evening for the former UFC champion. After the decision was read, he broke down in the cage. Silva lay on the canvas and sobbed, overcome by his successful return from a gruesome injury at UFC 168.
In the post-fight interview, Silva’s tone changed to be more reflective. He was not sure if he would return to the Octagon in a competitive fashion again.
That thought process got clearer at the post-fight press conference. Silva opened up that his family had wanted him to retire from the sport, and his eldest son told him he should retire during their post-fight phone call. It is advice that the former champion should listen to.
Silva said it at the press conference—he has nothing left to prove inside the Octagon.
He made his UFC debut in 2006 at UFC Fight Night 5 against Chris Leben. The dominant and vicious debut put him into a title fight against Rich Franklin. Another dominant and vicious performance crowned him champion.
He was undefeated inside the Octagon for 16 straight fights. He even was a perfect 3-0 at 205 pounds. He embarrassed former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in Philadelphia. Silva found his greatest rival in Chael Sonnen and gave us one of the great knockouts in MMA history when he pelted Vitor Belfort with a front kick.
He has nothing left to prove to the fans, media, UFC brass or himself.
The Spider will be 40 years old later in the year. He is well past his athletic prime. What good comes from taking more fights? This is a combat sport where fighters can only take so much punishment before there are long-term health effects.
Retiring after the two fights against Weidman would have been a letdown. He lost his title by getting caught playing around with Weidman, and he was injured in the rematch, which he was losing up until that point. That would have left a bad taste in anyone’s mouth to watch him walk away at that point.
UFC 183 was the perfect send-off.
We got to watch Silva compete for a full 25 minutes in a stand-up affair against an entertaining opponent—someone who pushed Silva. Did we see a vintage, dominant performance? No, but this isn’t 2006, and he was coming off a long layoff from an injury.
Silva put on another quality show and got the win. His hand was raised at the end of the night. His lasting impression will be one of victory. That is the Silva we need to be reminded of when we think back on his career.
Father Time catches up to everyone. He has caught up to the greatest MMA fighter we have known. Silva has visibly depreciated from his prime. And that’s OK.
Silva is a grown man. He will make the decision that best suits him, and should he return, we will all eagerly anticipate his next fight. But he should take his family’s wishes into account. There is nothing left for him to achieve in this sport, and he has a lifetime of memories to gather with his family at home.
Silva can move on to the next chapter in his life. It doesn’t mean he will be forced out of the sport. He has a wealth of knowledge to impart on the next generation. He already speaks to Jon Jones and sparred with him prior to UFC 182.
Silva’s love for fighting may win out and he’ll return, but it is clear that his family wants him to close out his career with the UFC 183 victory.
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