Dana White Calls Anderson Silva's Retirement Bluff, Silva Says He's Officially Off Of UFC 212

By Muk

Last week, the greatest Mixed Martial Artist of all-time said that if the UFC didn't grant him a Interim Title fight against Yoel Romero at UFC 212 in June, he would retire from the sport. Well this weekend, we heard Dana White call "The Spider's" bluff, stating "If you're considering retirement, you should probably do it". That response from White is exactly as I expected it to be, along with the majority of the MMA world.

Listen, Anderson Silva has done more in the long-run for the UFC's success than probably any fighter has, but in recent years we have seen Father Time catch up to him, as it does every elite fighter, and his days of calling the shots are over, as proven by White's comments. Anderson has struggled in his last few fights, from getting KO'ed, to snapping his leg in half, to getting popped for PED's, things have not been great for The Spider.

Do I think Anderson Silva deserves as big and special of a send-off as any fighter ever has? Absolutely. However, demanding a title fight and threatening retirement, at age 42, with 1 win in his last 6 fights, is just not practical. He doesn't have the clout, or the ability to back it up anymore, and looking for a title fight against a very dangerous fighter in Yoel Romero is as reckless as it gets, and we see now that the UFC doesn't seem to care if Silva comes back into the octagon or not.

Silva said after White's comments came out, that he was officially off the June 3rd UFC 212 card, a card in which he was supposed to fight Kelvin Gastelum, who was popped for weed a few weeks ago, and recently received a 90-day suspension, plus had his Win over Vitor Belfort overturned, and Silva was actively seeking a top contender as a replacement, but his demands for the Interim Title fight have not panned out.

Is this the last we will see of Anderson Silva? I hope not, because even at 42 years old he is still as entertaining as it gets, but if the rift between him and Dana White continues, we may have seen the last of The Spider, who until Jon Jones comes back and proves he is still king, will go down as the greatest fighter in MMA history.