Former UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva is unlikely to receive an offer to join the Bellator roster according to the promotion’s president, Scott Coker.
‘The Spider’ last fought at UFC Vegas 12 on October 31, falling to a fourth-round TKO loss against #10 ranked contender Uriah Hall. Prior to that fight the 45-year-old was strongly hinting at retirement but stopped short of confirming he was done fighting in the aftermath of UFC Vegas 12.
UFC president Dana White was adamant post-fight that he would not be offering the legendary Brazilian another fight with the company – despite the fact he is still owed one on his current contract.
“I made a big mistake and I shouldn’t have let him fight this fight tonight. He’s a legend of this sport and he’s a legend of this company, and I did something I disagreed with. I knew I was right, and tonight proved I was right, and Anderson Silva should never fight again.”
“I’ve done nothing but be good to Anderson Silva, and tonight I don’t feel good about myself that I let Anderson Silva fight out this last fight. We’ve treated Anderson Silva with nothing but respect, and if you guys knew what Anderson Silva gets paid to fight, you’d (expletive) your (expletive) (expletive) pants. So, I think that we’ve treated him like family. I shouldn’t have let him fight this fight tonight.”
“I’m not trying to prevent him from doing anything. He’s a grown man and he can do what he wants, and he’s got one fight left with us. I’ll never let him fight here again. I want him to retire. And what I hope is when he goes home his family, he tells him that same thing.
If Silva does choose to fight on it seems unlikely Bellator will calling, as Coker insists he is happy with his current roster of fighters.
“I have a lot of respect for him,” the Bellator boss told MMA Junkie about Silva. “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.”
Should Anderson Silva keep fighting?
