Without family’s blessing to continue fighting, Anderson Silva may retire

By Case Keefer (contact)

Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015 | 2:05 a.m.

The first time Anderson Silva told his mother he planned to fight professionally, she responded in line with how many would expect a mother to respond.

She was a mess, completely incredulous to the idea that he wanted to make a living in such a dangerous capacity.

“Why you fight,” Silva remembered her asking. “You crazy?”

Little did she know that, 18 years later, her son would be widely recognized as the greatest mixed martial artist in history and one of the most popular athletes in their native Brazil. The 38-year-old wanted to fight for his country Saturday night in the main event of UFC 183 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, to inspire his fans with a triumphant return after suffering a horrific injury 13 months ago.

The former champion became the winningest middleweight in UFC history with his 15th victory in a unanimous-decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) nod over Nick Diaz in front of 13,144 fans, many of who waved Brazilian flags and chanted in Portuguese. It was a small distinction to add to his plethora of achievements, including the all-time record with 10 consecutive title defenses.

But loved ones’ concerns on the nature of fighting are cyclical. After the bout, in which Silva took relatively little damage and was never losing, he shared a tearful exchange with another family member wielding great influence.

“My son Kalyl said, ‘Dad, congratulations but done, back home please. No more fights,’” Silva said. “So this is my son….I love fights but I need to talk to my family because this is more important to me right now.”

Anderson Silva’s second-eldest son, the 17-year old Kalyl Silva, pleaded with his father to retire after he snapped his tibia and fibula against Chris Weidman. But the fighter explained that fighting was part of his identity, and that he still had more to achieve in the octagon.

If it were up to Anderson Silva, the conversation would go much the same this time around. He doesn’t want the rigorous rehabilitation to all have been for one last fight, but he also can’t imagine putting his family through emotional strife.

“When my son talks to me, I’m really scared,” Silva said. “This is a difficult decision because you have a son? You understand me.”

Anderson Silva can rest easy knowing he won’t have to rush into any decision. Even before Anderson Silva began expressing his internal quandary, UFC President Dana White declined to delve into future options.

White prescribed Silva to decompress with his family before huddling with the UFC. But, with that being said, Saturday night convinced White that Silva was still fully capable of competing.

“For those of you that aren’t (38-years-old) yet, let me tell you what: To go out there and do what that guy is still doing and do what he’s done to this point is amazing,” he gushed. “I thought he physically looked amazing tonight.”

White had previously stated Anderson Silva was due an opportunity to win back the title he lost if he defeated Diaz. That’s no longer imminent.

As impressed as White came away with Anderson Silva securing his 34th career victory, he also described the overall performance as “tentative”. White thought Anderson Silva needed another fight to fully gauge where he stood.

White was most receptive, when asked, to a matchup discussed for years: Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre, who’s rumored to come out of retirement after he recovers from an ACL tear. But the boss also sounded prepared for the possibility of Anderson Silva walking away permanently.

“I’ve said it a million times: You’re 38-years-old, out there looking like a world-beater, and then one day, father time kicks you in the ass and you come out for one fight and it looks like it’s over,” White said.

Anderson Silva has five children. Four of them were against him coming back in the first place.

His eldest son, 19-year-old Gabriel Silva, had a different view.

“Gabriel says, ‘Dad, for me, that’s OK because I go fight boxing,’” Anderson Silva said.

And then the cycle continued. Anderson Silva panicked.

“I say, ‘What? No, please no,’” he said.

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.