Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva explained why he decided to end his MMA competition.
As a reminder, Anderson Silva is considered one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time, and was a huge star in the UFC at one time. Nevertheless, after another defeat last fall, the promotion decided to terminate the contract with “Spider”, after which the Brazilian went into boxing, and this summer he will enter the ring against ex-world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
“I think MMA for me is done. It’s hard to stay training at a good level because you hurt yourself a lot. Now, I just try to enjoy. I don’t need to prove nothing for anybody. I just try to enjoy every single moment, ” Anderson Silva said.
The Spider says he's "done" with MMA ?
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 12, 2021
(via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/ihglkdbEG5
Anderson Silva is certainly one of the greatest fighters to ever step into the cage, so he leaving the sport a big loss. But considering he is in his upper 40s now, perhaps he is making the right call to take a leave from MMA, although boxing poses many dangers in itself as well.