Dana White Says Anderson Silva Should Never Fight Again After Loss to Uriah Hall

Saturday night was supposed to see the final UFC bout of Anderson Silva's career. Now the middleweight legend isn't so sure.

His boss, on the other hand, is confident Silva is done.

Following Uriah Hall's technical knockout of Silva in the fourth round of Saturday's main event at UFC Fight Night, UFC President Dana White expressed regret over letting the bout happen in the first place.

"I made a big mistake," White said after the contest. "I shouldn't have let him fight this fight tonight. But out of respect for him—he's a legend of this sport, a legend of this company—I did something I didn't agree with. … Anderson Silva should never fight again."

White explained his belief that Silva's style would put him in danger as the latest crop of top fighters are too aggressive for Silva to keep up with. The 45-year-old Brazilian made that exceedingly clear against Hall as his laid-back, defensive strategy backfired when Hall knocked him down twice with a right hand to the head.

"You fight any of these other savages," White said, "[Silva will] be in big trouble, and he'll take a s--tload of punishment."

It doesn't sound like Silva agrees.

Though the fight was billed as the finale in a career that started with UFC in 2006, Silva couldn't bring himself to commit to retiring just yet.

"I don't know," Silva said. "First, I go back home and go see with my team and everything. Let's see. Because it's tough to say it's my last or not. This is my air. This is what I do for my entire life and with my heart. Let's go see."

White wouldn't say whether the UFC will release Silva from his contract and worried about other promoters trying to get him back in the Octagon without any concern over his health.

It's incredibly unlikely White ever sets up a bout for him again—a point he emphatically made following Silva's third consecutive defeat dating back to February 2019.

"I'll never let him fight here again," White said. "I want him to retire. I hope when he goes home, his family tells him the same thing. ... He's almost 46 years old. Unless you're trying to defend your f--king life or defend your family, no 46-year-old should ever be fighting. Period."