Former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva will not be appearing at UFC 212 to fight in front of his fellow Brazilians.
The Spider broke the news to the Brazilian magazine UOL:
I really wanted to fight in Brazil, my country, but it’s not going to happen. I want to apologize for this. I really wanted to fight here, but it didn’t happen. I think I was hurt in this, but that’s it. I’m very disappointed. The guys don’t respect my legacy, don’t respect my story in the sport. I don’t know. I’m done.
This will certainly not help the already strained relationship between Silva and his employer. Anderson recently demanded a fight between him and current #1 middleweight contender Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight title. Silva threatened retirement if his demands weren’t met.
UFC Dana White, however, not only refused Silva’s demands, but told him that if he was thinking about retirement, he should probably do it.
Anderson Silva if 42 years old, well above the average age for mixed martial artists. While he will no doubt go down in history as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, Silva has had a rough time since losing his middleweight championship back in 2013. His career slid down hill on a four-fight no-win streak that he only recently recovered from with a mediocre win over the little-known Derek Brunson.
Retirement therefore may be in Anderson Silva’s near future.
