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Anderson Silva has squashed any retirement speculation after stating his plans to continue competing in mixed martial arts on Instagram.
The post read: “I love and have always loved what I do, winning and losing are a part of it, it has absolutely nothing to do with age, I made technical mistakes and lost, but I didn’t lose what’s most important, the will and the desire to continue doing what I love, I still have the warrior spirit and that burning flame in my heart that motivates me, I have total belief that I can continue to compete in the elite of MMA. I take this moment to reflect about my career and to plan my next moves… Stay Tuned!!!”
Silva’s Instagram post can be viewed here.
Silva, 45, was released from his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract last Thursday. His most recent fight was against Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on October 31, losing by technical knockout in the fourth round.
Although unanimously considered a pioneer in the sport, Silva has lost eight of his last nine fights. He had one fight remaining on his UFC contract before his release.
Bellator CEO Scott Coker seemingly ruled out the idea of signing Silva to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani last week. Coker said: “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Anderson Silva, one of my favorite fighters and one of the greatest of all time, but I’m happy with our roster and the direction Bellator is heading.”
With UFC releasing Anderson Silva, I asked Scott Coker if he has interest in signing AS:
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 19, 2020
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Anderson Silva, one of my favorite fighters & one of the greatest of all time, but I’m happy with our roster & the direction Bellator is heading.”
Coker reiterated his stance during the Bellator 253 press scrum: “I really love our roster, I love the things that we’re doing here, I love the direction of the company and that’s what we’re going to stay focused on.”
Meanwhile, Professional Fighters League president Ray Sefo revealed he hopes Anderson Silva will retire from mixed martial arts in an interview with FIGHT SPORTS, seemingly ruling out the possibility of the promotion signing Silva.
Sefo said: “Listen, I mean that guy is such a legend in the sport but isn’t he around 46? The guy is such an amazing talent. I think he has been a great champion, he’s definitely gonna go down in history as one of the best to ever do it. Nothing but a lot of respect but I just think it’s that time to hang it up. Watching his last fight, he also a fought a former teammate of mine, and Uriah Hall was able to finish that fight. Anderson Silva is a legend and he’s gonna go down in history as one of the best to do it, so I’d like to remember him as that guy.”
Other fighting options for The Spider could include American company Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki in Poland, Rizin Fighting Federation in Japan or ONE Championship in Singapore.
