FILE — Brazilian fighter Anderson Silva (R) competes against US fighter Jared Cannonier (L) during their men’s middleweight bout at the Ultimate Fighting Championship 237 event (UFC 237) at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro on May 11, 2019. (Photo by Mauro Pimentel / AFP)
Anderson Silva said he is content to leave the Octagon in his rearview mirror.
The former UFC middleweight champion told ESPN that his career as a MMA fighter is over.
“I think MMA for me is done,” Silva, 46, told the network. “Because it’s hard to train MMA. It’s hard to stay training in 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 I fight in different sports. And that’s it.”
Silva isn’t leaving combat sports entirely.
He is slated to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a boxing match June 19 in Mexico. Silva owns a 1-1 career record as a boxer.
Silva has posted a just a single victory in his last nine fights (1-7 with one no-contest) — a span of more than seven years. He was soundly beaten by technical knockout by Uriah Hall in the fourth round on Oct. 31 to fall to 34-11 with one no contest in his career across all organizations. He’s also tested positive twice for performance-enhancing drugs, but was cleared of the most recent failed test in 2017.
Silva, who’s known as “Spider,” was at his fighting pinnacle from 2006-2013, when he set UFC records for the longest title reign (2,457 days), longest winning streak (16), title fight finishes (9) and knockdowns (18). He ranks second in the promotion in title defenses (10), a record he held until Demetrious Johnson reached 11 in 2017.