Anderson Silva Claims He’s Done With Pro MMA Competition

MMA legend Anderson Silva doesn’t think he’ll be stepping back inside a cage again.

Silva holds the record for the most successful consecutive UFC Middleweight Title defenses in the promotion’s history. He used to hold the record for the most successful title defenses in any weight class but that was broken by Demetrius Johnson.

Silva has been on a rough slid ever since his first loss to Chris Weidman back in 2013. He has gone 1-7, 1 NC in his last nine outings. It got to the point where the UFC released Silva from his contract.

During an interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, “The Spider” said he will no longer compete in MMA.

The Spider says he's "done" with MMA 🕷

(via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/ihglkdbEG5

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 12, 2021

“I think MMA for me is done. It’s hard to train MMA. It’s hard to stay training at 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.”

Silva is gearing up for a boxing match with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The two will collide on June 19. This will actually be Silva’s third pro boxing match. He has a record of 1-1. He hasn’t had a boxing match since August 2005.

Many believe that Silva is a shoo-in for the UFC Hall of Fame. Having once ruled the 185-pound roost for almost seven years, it’s hard to imagine Silva not being honored by the promotion down the road. For now, the 46-year-old Silva will put his focus on the sweet science.