McGregor, Khabib, Jones and others pay ode to Anderson Silva after his UFC swansong

MMA legend Anderson Silva stepped inside the UFC Octagon for the last time on Saturday to face middleweight Uriah Hall at UFC Vegas 12. While the 45-year-old put on an incredible performance, he ended up losing in the fourth round via TKO. After the bout, the two fighters exchanged some heartfelt words as Uriah Hall broke down in tears, apologising to Anderson Silva and thanking him for being an inspiration. "You're the reason why I do this," Hall said to The Spider.

Later, many of Silva's colleagues, including former double champion Conor McGregor, current undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and others, took to social media to praise The Spider. While Khabib Nurmagomedov wished Anderson Silva good luck by calling him a “warrior” and an “absolute legend,” Jon Jones tweeted that he’ll always “love the Spider”. Conor McGregor, on the other hand, wrote that he was sad to see Anderson Silva fight in his last UFC bout.

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However, the Irishman added that “real fighters never lose the fire” in them, asking Anderson Silva to keep his fire alive. He then acknowledged the fact that the former UFC middleweight champion is considering fighting outside the UFC, writing that the “right competition is out there, for all levels and ages”. He ended by asking Silva to find his competition, while telling him to keep on going, “forever”.

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Anderson Silva final fight: Dana White asks Anderson Silva to never fight again

After getting knocked out by Uriah Hall, Anderson Silva said that he will walk away from the UFC despite having one more bout left in his contract. However, this doesn’t mean he’s retiring from the sport of MMA. He could go to other MMA companies and fight as “this is what I do for my entire life and I do it with my heart”. Though Anderson Silva still has to talk to his team about retirement, Dana White believes The Spider should hang up his gloves for good.

“When the fight was over, he couldn’t even stand up to do his interview. He had to sit down and do an interview. I knew I was right, and tonight proved I was right, and Anderson Silva should never fight again,” Dana White said at the post-fight conference.

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Image Source: Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jon Jones, UFC Twitter