Silva Has ‘Total Belief’ He Can Keep Fighting At Elite Level

The 45 year old ‘Spider’ released a statement that confirmed his intention to keep fighting the best in combat sports.

Anderson Silva is making it clear that he intends to keep fighting following his release from the UFC.

The 45 year old former middleweight champion most recently suffered a fourth round TKO defeat at the hands of Uriah Hall on October 31st, bringing his record to 1-7-1 over the past seven years. Previous to that he went 33-4 and defended the UFC middleweight title a staggering 10 times. So to say there’s been a drop in quality of results would be quite the understatement.

But that isn’t stopping “The Spider” from continuing his life’s fight quest. In an Instagram post Silva committed to continuing his career in combat sports.

“Hey everyone… I didn’t want to talk about this subject, especially because I’m on vacation and as the saying goes, a deal is a deal,” Silva wrote. “I’ll make it clear to all my fans that this is a moment of joy and gratitude!!! I feel free, after an attempt to force my retirement!”

“I love and have always loved what I do,” Silva continued. “Winning and losing are a part of it, it has absolutely nothing to do with age, I made technical mistakes and lost, but I didn’t lose what’s most important, the will and the desire to continue doing what I love, I still have the warrior spirit and that burning flame in my heart that motivates me, I have total belief that I can continue to compete in the elite of MMA.

I take this moment to reflect about my career and to plan my next moves… Stay Tuned!!!”

It’s an interesting statement, one that points to Anderson being unhappy with the UFC’s attempts to retire him leading up to the Uriah Hall fight and after. One that refuses to acknowledge his recent performances have been affected by his age, which is … like … of course they have. The dude is 45 years old. And last: his intention to not just fight, but seek out fights against the best.

That last part is the scary bit. At this point let’s look past legacy — the damage has already been done there. Now we have to worry about Silva getting badly hurt in a future fight. Perhaps it’s the only way he’ll actually stop: if someone properly mollywhops him. Not exactly something to look forward to, but the aging legend refusing to lay down his sword is one of the oldest stories in combat sports. It’s just a shame to see Anderson Silva rehash that tale over and over again.