Considered one of the great Brazilian promises in MMA a few years ago, Erick silva may be approaching an unexpected end to his career. In an exclusive interview with SUPER LUTAS YouTube channel, the Espírito Santo confirmed that he is close to hanging up his gloves and explained the decision. The 36-year-old fighter also opened up about his career in the UFC.
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A professional in MMA since 2005, Silva exploded into a big star in mixed martial arts upon his UFC debut in 2011. In his first commitment to the organization, a show with a knockout in just 40 seconds. After that, the Brazilian became popular with the public and became a reference in the company.
Immediate success
Scheduled to perform at one of the biggest Ultimate events ever held in Brazil, Silva signed a contract to be a supporting actor on the show. Fighting in an event that was attended by legends like Anderson Silva, Mauritius Shogun e Rodrigo Minotauro, the Espírito Santo ended up being one of the highlights, when he ran over Luis Ramos on the preliminary card. Silva then spoke about his meteoric stardom in the organization.
“On that card, there was Shogun, Anderson, Minotauro. I had just become champion in Jungle Fight. He was still very young. (…) The fights were taking a long time, all ending on points. At that moment, it was 40 seconds, there was the knockout. I had never fought in front of such a big audience. (…) The gym, until then, was kind of silent. When the knockout happened, when everyone started screaming, it was a feeling I had never felt before. From then on, it was as if the penny had dropped and the 'start' that I was at the biggest event in the world”, said Erick.
Why so much prominence?
After his first victory in Ultimate, MMA fans in Brazil, who began to consume the sport more and more, highlighted Silva. The fighter then gave his version of why he fell into the public's favor.
“The sport, at that moment, came very strong. Everyone followed. In my second fight, against Carlos Prater (UFC 142), there was even a controversy with Mario Yamasaki (the Brazilian ended up disqualified, accused of illegal blows to the back of his rival's head). (…) People ended up hurting themselves. The vast majority did not agree with the referee. At that moment, my name became more prominent. From that moment on, (…) the general Brazilian public wanted to see my next fight so that I could return with a victory,” he stated.
From rise to fall
Even with his idol status, Erick ended up oscillating between good and bad moments within Ultimate. Through the organization, the man from Espírito Santo carried out 15 commitments, winning on seven occasions and losing on eight, which culminated in his dismissal in 2017. More mature, Silva evaluated what he would have done differently as a fighter for the company and pointed out training as one of the main points .
“If I had the mindset I have today, training would be different. Even my coaches would have been able to plan training in a better way – not that it wasn't at that time. (…) Nowadays, in terms of training and focus, it would be more intense than back then”, said the Brazilian.
Present: retire or continue fighting?
At 36 years old, Silva currently has a contract with Bellator, a company he has defended since 2019. Even though he works for a big company, the Brazilian seems to have other plans than acting in MMA. For the first time, the fighter confirmed that he may retire soon, however, a farewell fight is on the cards.
“My last fight was in 2019. 2020 was a bit of a crazy year for everyone. This ended up making many athletes rethink their careers, especially me. I spent 2020 practically inactive. I ended up leaving training for a while to get involved in the family business. (…) I'm away from fights, I have a fight under my contract with Bellator. (…) I feel like I need to fight, even as a farewell, but nowadays, I'm focused on another area of my personal life. I'm not that focused on training, even though I'm training. (…) I intend to have a fight, but I think it will be towards the middle of the year. (…) As if it were the 'saadeira”, he confirmed.
Why stop?
Considered a young fighter, Erick's decision is not due to disappointment or frustration. The man from Espírito Santo explained what motivated him to think about leaving the sport, when, in theory, he could be performing against big names in MMA.
“I consider myself a new athlete, but I have a lot of injuries. This makes training very difficult for me. (…) I see that injuries really hinder my development. (…) I have difficulty with mobility in my right shoulder. (…) I see that, for the fight itself, I can no longer present myself as I did before. The smartest decision is to take some time away from fights due to injuries. Obviously I didn't want to stop at that moment, but we have to keep our heads in place. It's very hard. (…) I’ve already done everything I had to do to perform better. (…) When you see that your body is not responding in the best way, you either face it and accept to put your body to work, knowing that you are having difficulty, or accept it and move on to another phase”, he said.
Career balance
Flirting with retirement, Erick could leave the sport after 33 appearances (including his farewell) as a professional in mixed martial arts. With a positive record, the man from Espírito Santo 'crossed the line' in his career and spoke about his achievements in 15 years in the sport.
“Sometimes I stop to think about everything I've done and I'm happy. Despite everything, I'm happy. Getting to where I am, doing everything I did, that doesn't go away. I was a fighter for a while. While I was a fighter, I arrived at the biggest event in the world. (…) For me, it makes a big difference. (…) I’m not frustrated at all”, he concluded.
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