It appears Anderson Silva has nearly reached the end of his career.
According to UFC president Dana White, the legendary former middleweight champion is expected to compete one last time in the octagon on Oct. 31 in what is expected to be his final fight.
“We’re working on a fight for him coming up soon here,” White said following the latest installment of the Contender Series. “He will fight again.
“I met with his managers the other day, this will be his last fight. I think he’s going to retire.”
Ultimately, White said he will let Silva make any official announcement regarding his retirement but it appears that’s the direction the 45-year-old Brazilian is headed after a Hall of Fame career.
“That’s not our business,” White said about Silva’s potential retirement. “That’s up to him. Let him do this the way he wants to do it.
“We’re talking about putting him in a very competitive fight that should be fun. The fight’s not done yet.”
While contracts aren’t signed, White did reveal Silva is expected to face former Ultimate Fighter finalist Uriah Hall with the matchup targeted to headline the upcoming UFC card on Oct. 31.
Hall has endured quite a rollercoaster ride in 2020 after a pair of fights have been cancelled.
First he missed out on competing at UFC 249 when Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza tested positive for COVID-19 and then a scheduled bout against Yoel Romero on Aug. 22 was also scrapped after the former title contender was forced out of their fight due to undisclosed reasons.
As for Silva, the longest reigning middleweight champion in UFC history has a resume that’s nearly unmatched since he first started competing in 1997.
He fought in his native Brazil and eventually found a home in Japan while fighting on several PRIDE Fighting Championships cards before finally making his UFC debut in 2006. Silva went on an undefeated run for the next six years while terrorizing the best fighters in the world at 185 pounds as well as several victories at light heavyweight as well.
He didn’t finally taste defeat in the UFC until he met Chris Weidman in 2013.
Silva has struggled since that time while amassing a 1-6 record with one no contest in his past eight fights. Now it looks like Silva will attempt to potentially close out his career on a high note with a planned matchup against Hall later this year.
Source: mmafighting.com
