The Wanderlei Silva Retirement is not something that many of mixed martial arts fans expected to happen anytime soon. At 38, the Brazilian fighter still has a lot to give when it comes to MMA. However it happened, but not without a big bang.
On September 19, Wanderlei, also known as the Axe Murderer, announced that he will officially hang his gloves through a Youtube video posted on Friday. That video though is more than just an announcement that he will step away from the octagon for good. It is to challenge the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where he spent big part of his 18-year storied career. He said that he didn’t get the respect he deserves from the MMA outfit.
"I am stepping down from the ring. After today, Wanderlei Silva will not fight again," he said. "My career is over. Because I don't have a stage to perform, where the athletes get the proper respect. For these reasons, I have had enough."
His grudge roots from the time when UFC officials urged him to fight ‘for money’ even if he wasn’t read physically. He claimed that UFC wanted him to fight Chael Sonnen in May.
"So I asked myself, if they have the money why didn't they offer it to me before?" Silva said. "They always hold on to the money, so they always underpay the athletes. But they do have the money."
The Wanderlei Silva Retirement video also revealed how the league disrespected former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao who fought three times in six months. As expected, he didn’t perform well in two of those fights and eventually got injured.
"What did the promoters do?" Silva said. "They bashed him and mocked him. They were all proud to keep saying that Barao's going home without a dime."
On the same video, Wanderlei said that he is sad with the decision he made.
"Today is a very sad day for me," he said. "Unfortunately this organization took away my desire to fight. I can't do this anymore, I can't keep being treated this way."
See the Wanderlei Silva Retirement here.
