It’s not an official retirement announcement but it’s close enough.
Out of contract and with just a single win to his name since 2013, legendary former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s time in MMA appears to finally be over.
‘The Spider’ told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani that he believes he’s finished with MMA competition after over 20 years in the sport.
“I think MMA for me is done,” Silva said (via ESPN). “Because it’s hard to train MMA. It’s hard to stay training in a good level because you hurt yourself a lot. Now I just try to enjoy. I don’t need to prove nothing for anybody. I just try to enjoy every single moment I fight in different sports. And that’s it.”
Silva’s time with the UFC ended last October when he was knocked out by Uriah Hall in the fourth round of their main event matchup. His reign as middleweight king ended against Chris Weidman in 2013, and during that span he’s suffered a horrific leg break in the rematch vs. Weidman and another leg injury after he was kicked by Jared Cannonier in 2019. He’s also had a PEDs suspension take away his win over Nick Diaz and even his one victory over Derek Brunson was considered controversial. It’s a far cry from when he began his UFC career 16-0 and even notched a couple of wins at light heavyweight.
The 46-year-old is, sadly, going to have a professional boxing match on June 19th against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, which figures to be a monstrous mismatch in Chavez’s favor. He also indicated that he might go into jiu-jitsu competitions.
“Maybe my next challenge is jiu-jitsu — gi or no gi,” Silva said. “Just enjoy the moment. The whole martial arts.”
Silva claimed that Japanese MMA promotions reached out to him after his UFC release but he considers that part of his life over and done with. He’s provided so many positive memories in the sport but those days are long gone. Now let’s hope that the JCC Jr boxing match is not as farcical and tragic as it looks on paper.