Quote of the Day: Anderson Silva to Retire Next Year?

by Luke Thomas on Sep 21, 2008 5:32 PM EDT in MMA News

"I'll retire next year, I already gave my all. I don't need to prove anything for anyone and within one year I'll put my gloves aside."

-- Anderson Silva talking to Brazilian cable channel SporTV.

It's hard to argue against Silva's accomplishments and boredom with the landscape, but how many mega fights at 205lbs might we be missing if Silva retires? And is this too soon given his age? Shocking developments to say the least.

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wow

by mythbuster on Sep 21, 2008 5:42 PM EDT reply actions

That’s crazy talk. I wonder if he’s still harboring dreams for a boxing career.

by Chris Nelson on Sep 21, 2008 5:44 PM EDT reply actions

Calling BS on this one. How many athletes “retire” only to return 6 months later?

MMA Sportsbetting Record: 15-13-1, -2.24u
Biggest Win: Marquardt vs. Kampmann, bet 5u on Marquardt @ -125. Won 4u.
Biggest Loss: Liddell vs. Evans, bet 9u on Liddell @ -260. Lost 9u.

by Carl P on Sep 21, 2008 5:48 PM EDT reply actions

Context

we need context

by banter on Sep 21, 2008 5:53 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah, I’m sure he’s considering it and he doesn’t want to go out like Shamrock/Sakuraba/Couture. However, I think he’s still going to be around for a few more years. He has that much of his prime left to continue his legacy.

by KneeToTheFace on Sep 21, 2008 6:07 PM EDT reply actions

Couture???

Couture has not gone out and is still the UFC heavyweight champion… Saku and Shamrock are past their prime, but Couture has not lost and has beaten some top tens in the last few years. Don’t include with shamrock or even saku

by rockied on Sep 21, 2008 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Doesn’t surprise me, it explains his eagerness to get “big fights” at 205 before his career ends. This news makes a Chuck Liddell fight make a lot more sense.

by Michael Rome on Sep 21, 2008 6:40 PM EDT reply actions

retiring the best...

or maybe he’ll play double-a ball for the white sox for a few months and come back.

by woooburn on Sep 21, 2008 7:23 PM EDT reply actions

I never really put much into these early retirement talks. 90% of the time it never happens.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Sep 21, 2008 7:30 PM EDT reply actions

He’ll “retire” just like Randy did until he gets an offer that he can’t refuse..

by lbk on Sep 21, 2008 8:00 PM EDT reply actions

In other words, renegotiation ploy.

by cyph on Sep 21, 2008 8:14 PM EDT reply actions

I don’t think that’s it, he just signed a new contract and his last fight was the first on it. It was a significant raise.

by Michael Rome on Sep 21, 2008 8:18 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t know what his motives are, but he won’t retire. Human nature dictates that he’s bluffing.

Even though he may be the best fighter in the world, he still is not paid like one. He hasn’t made enough to retire comfortably. He has no talent other than fighting (he can’t go back to working at McDonald’s). His earnings as a fighter must be able to pay for his retirement for 30-40 years. He doesn’t have a job as an announcer waiting for him like Randy Couture and Frank Mir. His best pay days are ahead of him as he gains in popularity.

Anderson Silva will not retire. It’s just common sense.

by cyph on Sep 21, 2008 9:40 PM EDT up reply actions

How much money has Royce Gracie made

off his legacy? We’re talking many millions of dollars, in all likelihood. And that’s just him, not the entire BJJ market which he literally created with his own two hands (and I guess his feet, and on occasion his gi).

A. Silva will make truckloads of money opening his own gyms in Brazil and wherever else he wants. Most of us would join a local branch of his fight schools if we weren’t already committed, right? He won’t make as much as he would by fighting, in all likelihood, but he will make more than enough to ‘retire’ for twenty years or so, and put some away for future concerns.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Sep 21, 2008 9:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Why is Royce still trying to fight then if he has so much money? Why did he take that million dollar payday to get beat into a pulp by Matt Hughes when he was 40 years old? Do you know how much people with money spend? It’s not 50k or 100k a year, that’s for sure like the rest of us plebs.

You make 100k, and you want 200k. You make 1 million, and you want 2 million. You make 10 million, and you want 20 million. That’s human nature.

by cyph on Sep 21, 2008 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Right, but that's not the overall point.

The point is, that a guy like Silva can look at it and know that he’s got a certain amount of income based solely on his fight reputation, that he can milk for the foreseeable future.

I’m not arguing that these guys won’t want more. Of course, you’re right about that point. But I am saying that for the purposes of making the decision to retire, he’s got plenty of reason to believe he can set the cruise control and enjoy the next decade.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Sep 21, 2008 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions

I think he's posturing.

Even though he’s not the star that Couture or Liddell is, the UFC doesn’t want to lose him, so maybe this will help Silva get more big money matches with more compensation potential.

by Cannon Jacques on Sep 21, 2008 8:16 PM EDT reply actions

I agree on posturing

It reeks of “Better watch me now, before i’m gone”. Ultimately guys like this are never able to walk away when they have juice/earning potential left. Similar to Brett Favre talking retirement every offseason. Once the season/Big Fight opportunity comes back around. True competitors want to be in the middle of it.

" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "

by aaronb on Sep 21, 2008 8:30 PM EDT reply actions

I thought he WAS posturing...

But whilst reading an article from after 82 I came accross this quote from his manager

“He doesn’t consider himself the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and he feels that the only time he’ll be able to consider himself the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world is after he’s retired.”

The implication being that he will retire when he has proven he is the p4p number 1. Another win at middleweight and a big fight or two at lhw and it would be hard to argue hes there…

Pretty worrying…

by Store on Sep 21, 2008 9:26 PM EDT reply actions

That's sad.

Just when you think he’s the best he starts looking for the door.

by asa on Sep 21, 2008 9:29 PM EDT reply actions

Sounds made up

He isn’t going anywhere. It’s just a really dull picture at middleweight right now and he’s bored to tears. Contenders will arise and he’ll stay right where he is. What happens if he gets upset along the way? He’ll certainly have more to prove then..

by Charles Awad on Sep 21, 2008 9:33 PM EDT reply actions

A. Silva does not strike me as the kind of person to bluff something like this.

All boxers are proven to ‘retire’ whenever they feel like they need some time off. So never take what they say with anything less than a train of salt. Football players usually follow through with their announced intention to retire. Baseball players usually try to come back, but most always fail in their attempts.

If he says he’s gone in a year, I would bank it, as much as you can bank anything these guys say.

The one thing I’ll say in these guys’ favor is that there are a lot of people leeching off their careers, and there are more hooks in their skin than they know. So sometimes, pulling a Crazy Ivan is a way to shake all these leeches and maggots off and get a new start, so they can bank some money for themselves, rather than working for their posse or entourage.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Sep 21, 2008 9:43 PM EDT reply actions

I don’t have any kind of feel for what Silva will or won’t do. This just doesn’t make that much sense to me, on the surface at least. He’s at the top of his game, and up to this point seems to want to fight more, not less. Of course, I can’t pretend to know his state of mind or his other goals in life. If retiring is truly something he wants to do, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’d surely like to see him fight many more fights, but I don’t have to walk in his shoes.

Until I see something more concrete, I’m remaining skeptical. Besides, there have been some contradicting statements made by his manager and him regarding a potential fight with Paulo Filho. I also can’t imagine him wanting to sit out years and come back rusty and much older, ala Royce Gracie. Gracie came back to cash in on the money that’s been infused into MMA since he was active. Who can say with any kind of certainty that Silva could earn more in the future than now?

by Cannon Jacques on Sep 21, 2008 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Big Mouth Strkes Again...

I think Silva is believing his own hype. He MAY be the best in the world, but there are many great marketable fights that would serve as opportunities for him to prove it. His run in the UFC has been a great story, but to cut it short seems a tad bit insecure (maybe he didn’t want to find himself like Chuck, getting beat by dudes with nothing to lose). I hope he gets KO’d in one of his next two fights, so he has to work his way back up to the pedistal he’s on now.

by Jaydoggydog on Sep 21, 2008 10:54 PM EDT reply actions

Silva definitely sounds bored.

He may be believing his own hype (justified hype), but he needs a challenge soon. A solid loss on his record would do him a world of good. The problem is, who can beat him? Every time Anderson fights, I end up cheering against him. Not that I don’t like him, but precisely because he hasn’t lost in so long. He will probably destroy Cote, but hey, I’ll be cheering Cote on just for the heck of it.

by pud333 on Sep 21, 2008 11:26 PM EDT reply actions

Marquardt would beat him in a rematch. That should reignite Silva’s hunger as well.

by flyingknees on Sep 22, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I don’t see him even accepting that fight. No reason to. He beat him easily once, he’d make no money off it…His next year is looking like Bisping, Henderson, and maybe a big LHW name or 2.

by Michael Rome on Sep 22, 2008 12:01 AM EDT up reply actions

It is crazy to even think about as he has been so dominant in the UFC & has not ever really had his back up against it when he fought anyone. Maybe he just wants to force the UFC’s hand to set up some superfights. There is no way the can afford to let him go to a competitor.

by dnevil001 on Sep 22, 2008 10:43 AM EDT reply actions