Bellator Not Interested In Signing Silva

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Even DADA 5000 was able to score at least one fight for Bellator MMA, which should give you an idea of what “The Spider” is worth on the open market.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Anderson Silva has been forcibly removed from competition by promotion president Dana White, despite the fact that “The Spider” still has one fight remaining on his UFC contract.

That probably doesn’t come as a surprise when you consider that Silva, who turns 46 in just a few months, has lost five of his last six and been knocked out in back-to-back fights, which may explain why the Brazilian is not welcome in the ranks of Bellator MMA.

“I have a lot of respect for him,” Bellator MMA president Scott Coker told MMA Junkie. “He’s definitely one of the greatest fighters in the history of mixed martial arts. I really haven’t thought about it, but I think I’m happy with the way our roster is heading and the fighters that we have now. I think that’s my statement on that.”

I guess now is a good time to mention that Coker is the same promoter who booked Ken Shamrock, 52, against Royce Gracie, 49, for the Bellator 149 main event back in early 2016, though I would imagine they were far more affordable at that point in their respective careers.

As for Silva (34-11, 1 NC), who is putting together a BJ Penn-esque record in the twilight of his career, he could always follow former rival Vitor Belfort to ONE Championship in Asia. Or he could simply call it a career and (finally) make his family happy.