Anderson Silva 'At Peace' with UFC Retirement After TKO Loss vs. Uriah Hall

After being somewhat noncommittal in the immediate aftermath of his fourth-round TKO defeat at the hands of Uriah Hall on Saturday, Anderson Silva appeared to remove any doubt about the fate of his UFC career.

"Good morning, my people. Today is a different day for a simple reason, say goodbye to an entire life dedicated to my sport," Silva said in a statement on Instagram (via MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz). "Yesterday was so special, I went there to do what I love. I didn't imagine I would be as happy as I am now. Even in defeat, I'm feeling at peace."

Saturday's result had an air of finality. Hall was the better fighter, securing two knockdowns and landing 60 signature strikes, 41 of which were to Silva's head. For all intents and purposes, it looked like the end for Silva.

However, the 45-year-old left the door slightly open in his post-fight interview, telling Michael Bisping he wasn't yet ready to hang up the gloves. He said he wanted to go back home and talk with his team before giving a definitive answer.

Silva's career concludes with him having dropped seven of his final nine fights, with another ruled a no-contest after he had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Still, that won't impact how fans view his overall body of work.

Few will remember how things ended and instead recall an unbeaten streak that spanned 17 fights over six-plus years. Silva defeated Rich Franklin for the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 64 in 2006 and made 10 successful title defenses.

The Brazilian is widely considered one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in MMA history.