Getty The Octagon prior to the start of the UFC 250 event at UFC APEX on June 06, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
One of the greatest fighters of all time is now a free agent. According to a report from MMA Fighting and later confirmed by UFC president Dana White to TMZ, former middleweight champion Anderson Silva is no longer under contract with the promotion.
“The Spider” last competed inside the Octagon on October 31 when he was defeat by Uriah Hall via fourth-round TKO. After Silva lost to Hall, White told the media that The Spider would never fight in the UFC again. The 45-year-old Brazilian is 1-7 with one no contest in his last eight bouts.
Silva’s fighting future was unknown after the defeat, but this move signifies he may be interested in moving to another promotion. The Spider has not publicly committed to retirement.
He is one of the most accomplished fighters in MMA history and holds the record for the longest title reign ever in the UFC. Silva was the middleweight champion for 2,457 days, defending the belt 10 times. He holds a professional record of 34-11 with one no contest, winning 23 fights by KO or TKO, three by submission and eight by decision.
Silva holds notable victories over the likes of Rich Franklin, Chael Sonnen, Forrest Griffin and Vitor Belfort.
GettyOpponents Uriah Hall of Jamaica and Anderson Silva of Brazil.
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It Is Unclear Which Promotion Silva Would Sign With If He Wants to Continue Fighting
After reading the news about Silva leaving the UFC, the first thought that may have ran through someone’s head is “Bellator.” Bellator is the second-biggest MMA promotion in the United States and houses many UFC veterans, including Lyoto Machida, Ryan Bader and Gegard Mousasi.
There are a lot of fun matchups at Bellator for Silva, however it appears that the promotion won’t be his next destination. Speaking with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Bellator president Scott Coker confirmed he wasn’t interested in signing the Brazilian.
“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 said via Helwani.
With UFC releasing Anderson Silva, I asked Scott Coker if he has interest in signing AS:
“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.”
There are still many possible promotions out there for Silva, including ONE Championship and the Professional Fighters League.
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