D. White at a UFC press conference. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube UFC
Time comes for everyone. Unfortunately, the maxim does not exempt legends such as Anderson Silva. This Saturday (31), at UFC Las Vegas 12, the athlete ended up suffering a hard knockout to Uriah Hall, on the night that was supposed to be a party. After the show, the company's president, Dana White, was harsh when dealing with the Brazilian's performance.
See too
“Today I don’t feel good about myself, for having left Anderson Silva make your last fight. We treat Anderson Silva with great respect. If you knew how much he gets paid to fight, you would shit yourselves. We shouldn't have let him fight tonight”, said the 'big boss', at the press conference after the event.
At the helm of the UFC for more than 20 years, White closely followed the Brazilian's trajectory in the organization and witnessed the development of one of the biggest phenomena MMA has ever revealed. This Saturday, however, Dana was certain that Silva, 45, must retire from the sport.
“He faced a guy who has little fight volume. In a five-round main fight, they threw 11 punches in the second round. When the fight ended, he couldn't even stand up to give an interview. I made a big mistake. I shouldn't have let him fight, but all due respect to him. He's a legend of the sport, of the company. I did something that I disagreed with, I knew I was right. Anderson Silva I shouldn’t fight again”, he said.
In the clash against Hall, Silva had good moments in the first three rounds. The Brazilian, however, ended up falling victim to the physical strength of a younger opponent. In the fourth round, the former middleweight champion could not resist a combination of punches and succumbed by knockout.
Comments