Dana White Believes It's the "End of the Road" for Wanderlei Silva

The end could be near for MMA legend Wanderlei Silva, at least according to UFC President Dana White.

"People knew that Wanderlei and [Chris] Leben were going to come out and throw until somebody fell down, and it was Wanderlei tonight," White said at the post-fight presser at UFC 132.

The former middleweight champion went down hard early in the first round after eating several vicious uppercuts from Leben. It was a tough loss for Silva, who was returning after being sidelined for over a year due a serious knee injury.

The mantra is usually three strikes and you're out, and while Silva has been terribly inconsistent, he is coming off a big win over a top-10 middleweight in Michael Bisping.

White weighs the consequences over the rewards. Sure, Silva is always a great addition to any pay-per-view card, but it isn't worth risking his long-term health. In his last eight fights, Silva has been knocked out in devastating fashion in four of those bouts.

"I'd like to sit down and talk to him and Chuck Liddell him into [retirement]. I think that the guy has nothing left to prove. He's a warrior," said White. "People love him all over the world, and I just don't want to see that happen to him anymore."

White urged Liddell to retire after suffering consecutive knockout losses to Rashad Evans and Mauricio Rua, but the UFC Hall of Famer was adamant about continuing his career. Seeing Liddell's confidence and desire to fight, White relented and booked the former light heavyweight champion in the UFC 115 main event against Rich Franklin.

It was the same ending but different story as Franklin knocked Liddell into retirement. To keep Liddell involved with the company he helped build, White made him Vice President of Business Development.

It remains to be seen whether similar offers would be handed down to Silva, who is easily considered as one of the sport's all-time greats.

No fighter is immune to the clutches of Father Time. Unlike Couture and Liddell, Silva isn't 40-years-old, but his body has seen more wars than some professional fighters in their fifties.

The cynical twist of fate was hard to overlook at UFC 132. Coming into the event, people expected to see the fall of a legend, but instead of Silva, most fans thought it would be Tito Ortiz. While Silva's career is at a crossroads, Ortiz has renewed life at 205-pounds after a dominant win over a top-10 opponent.

"People love [Wanderlei] so much because of the way he fights and his style and the type of person he is, but it's probably the end of the road for Wanderlei," White stated.

Did we all just witness "The Axe Murderer's" swan song?