Anderson Silva has a unique perspective on how the UFC does business, especially now that he’s on the outside looking in.
It’s been almost two years since “The Spider” parted ways with the promotion that he called home from 2006-2020, and at the moment, he’s looking ahead to a much-talked about boxing match against YouTube star Jake Paul that takes place Oct. 29 in Glendale, Ariz.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour on Wednesday, Silva spoke about Paul’s highly publicized feud with UFC President Dana White over fighter pay before offering his thoughts on the complicated relationship between the promotion and its fighters.
“It’s two things,” Silva said. “Jake and his brother [Logan] tried to bring attention to something very important. On the other side, when you come to UFC, you have your manager, you have your team, and you need to take care of your business, correct? What happens when people go to UFC and start talking about, ‘I don’t make money,’ and this and that — you have a chance to sign or not sign the contract. Your manager, your lawyer, and your team need to take care of this part of business, because you don’t have time to focus on that. You need to take care because you represent your company. You have a contract to do a job in the UFC. It’s your company because you put in your body for crazy things. In UFC, you put in the business and put the whole thing for your name, to make the big show.
