People were calling for Wanderlei Silva, the beloved Brazilian Pride legend, to retire years ago. They were calling for it well before his Fight of the Night with Brian Stann back in March 2013 in Japan. Stann, after being knocked out in a slugfest in that bout, wisely retired, aware that his better days were behind him, and is now working as a broadcaster at FOX Sports covering UFC events. Silva, however, seemed to be reinvigorated after that fight - though he hasn't fought since. "The Axe Murderer" was loved by fans for his berserker style, but at 35121 (1) he has had more than enough fights in his career. Worse, he has embarrassed himself with recent antics, getting into a brawl with Chael Sonnon on the set of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3, where they were opposing coaches, then dodging a drug test sprung on him by the NSAC, causing his removal from the coach's bout with Sonnen (he was replaced by Vitor Belfort, but Sonnen would later fail a drug test and retire). Despite this, Silva still wants to fight again, and that is just a poor decision on his part. The problem is, Silva doesn't seem to know much beyond fighting, as it has been his entire life for so long that he almost lives and breathes it. The Stann fight would have been the perfect moment for him to go out on, and if we're lucky, perhaps that is still an option, but if Silva manages to get licensed again, expect to see him back at some point. Unfortunately.
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.
