A legend has retired: Wanderlei Silva, who rose to fame in Pride and had infamous wars with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Chuck Liddell, among others, has called it a career. Silva made the announcement Friday in a video statement. Silva finishes his career with a 35121 (1) as a professional, racking up wins over Jackson, Dan Henderson, Sakuraba, Michael Bisping, Cung Le, and many others. His last fight came in March 2013 in Japan, where he knocked out Brian Stann in a Fight of the Night bout. He came to prominence in Pride, were he quickly became a favourite with Japanese fans. Since the Stann fight, however, things for Silva have gone downhill. He coached opposite Chael Sonnen on The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3, and found himself instigating a brawl on set with Sonnen that was a black eye to the fighter and his coaching staff. Having broken his wrist in the scuffle, his fight with Sonnen was delayed from May to July 2014 and pushed to UFC 175. However, leading into the bout, he was surprised with an unannounced NSAC drug test, and fled, running out the side door of his gym. While he would attempt to pass the incident off as a misunderstanding due to a language barrier, in front of the NSAC he would admit to using a banned substance to help in the recovery of the aforementioned broken wrist. Set to face possible discipline from the commission, Silva's lawyers argued that he was not licensed by the NSAC at the time of the dodged test and therefore out of their reach, but Silva's retirement essentially makes that point moot - any discipline, in terms of suspension, will not matter to a retired fighter, a situation shockingly similar to that of Silva's planned opponent for UFC 175, Chael Sonnen, who retired after a pair of failed drug tests of his own. In a video posted announcing his retirement, however, perhaps the biggest news outside of his career struggling to an end was his harsh words for the UFC and their treatment of its fighters. According to Silva, ""They tried to turn my fans against me. My fans, who have followed me for 20 years, before this promotion even existed I was already fighting in Brazil." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HvZPUewM68 He went on to say that the promotion offered him extra money to face Sonnen in May, and questioned why it wasn't consistent in money offered. He then blasted the UFC for its treatment of former bantamweight champion and fellow Brazilian Renan Barao after "The Baron" was injured during a failed weight cut at UFC 177, saying "they bashed him and mocked him. They were all proud to keep saying that Barao's going home without a dime." Silva went on to state that he lacks "a dignified stage where athletes are respected" on which to preform. It will be interesting to see how the UFC handles Silva's retirement. He's a decorated fighter with a hall of fame worthy career, and was a fan favourite. However, his antics this past year, all of which came outside the cage, tarnished his image with fans, and he ends his career with even more controversy. He struggled during his final UFC run, and never held a title in the promotion. Overall, it's perhaps best to think of Wanderlei Silva's glory days in Pride, but his recent UFC run will always be a disappointing footnote.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
