Wanderlei Silva is taking a stand against the UFC, and given the response by former champions and longtime contenders, he is not alone.
The former Pride and UFC legend shocked the world on Friday by releasing a video on his YouTube page officially announcing his retirement from MMA. According to Silva, the UFC took away his desire to compete, and he was hanging up his gloves for good after an 18-year run.
In the elongated rant, Silva dishes dirt on UFC fighter pay and a harsh negotiation process:
I told the [UFC] I could not fight on May 31, Silva said in the subtitled video. …They told me I had to fight on that date and offered me a bunch of money. …So I asked myself, if they have the money, why didn’t they offer it to me before?
They always hold onto the money, so they always underpay the athletes. …I said, ‘Sorry I won’t take this money because I won’t be in a condition to perform the way my fans expect of me. I can’t fight on that date, and I won’t take the money to just go in and perform poorly for my fans.’ We had another meeting after that and they kept pressuring me.
An unending mantra in combat sports is that a fighter is only as good as his or her last fight. Sadly, there is a short line between world class and washed up, and it doesn’t appear to be widening anytime soon.
When speaking with The Telegraph’s Gareth A. Davies, UFC President Dana White gushed about Renan Barao being the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Fast-forward a few months later, and the now former champ is being blamed for “hurting” the UFC.
Barao, who defeated Urijah Faber in February, lost the title to T.J. Dillashaw in May. He was then given an immediate rematch in August in the main event of UFC 177. Prior to weighing in for the bout, Barao fainted while attempting to cut down to the 135-pound weight limit. He was immediately taken to a hospital and advised by doctors not to compete on fight night.
During the UFC 177 post-fight media scrum, White claimed Barao “hurt the UFC” and “messed with the show.” He also refused to pay the former champ a dime of his show money for the event.
While Silva never excuses Barao for missing weight, he does offer an alternative perspective of a loyal fighter being run into the ground:
Did you stop to think that Barao had to fight three times in six months? To fight three times in six months for any fighter, is cutting weight and much, much more than that. Barao had no time to rest between fights because for those six months he could not stop training. So it was a daily battle for him.
Many in the fight community have taken to Twitter to voice their opinions on Silva’s retirement and comments pertaining to the UFC.
Respect to @wandfc You're right the fans pay to watch the fighters not these greedy promoters. Thanks for the great fights.
— Cesar Gracie (@CesarGracieBJJ) September 20, 2014
My RESPECT to @wandfc for a Hall of Fame CAREER
— chael sonnen (@sonnench) September 20, 2014
Pretty amazing video here from #WanderleiSilva, a lot to talk about here...Wand's full 'GoodBye' video... http://t.co/OHEBl6sBWE #WarWand
— Benson Henderson (@BensonHenderson) September 20, 2014
No matter how @wandfc career ended, he'll still go down as one of the baddest, most feared s.o.b's in the game. Loved watching his fights
— TJ Grant (@TJ_Grant) September 20, 2014
EVERY FAN AND FIGHTER SHOULD WATCH THIS VIDEO https://t.co/hPdokZpWGQ #WARWAND
— MAYHEM (@mayhemmiller) September 20, 2014
Even Silva’s longtime rival and former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson tweeted a picture of himself holding up a “WarWand” sign.
Even tho we were enemies in the ring.. i was your fan 1st. I'm with u,and I'm going threw the same pain. #WarWand pic.twitter.com/o52kOf8oYz
— Quinton Jackson (@Rampage4real) September 20, 2014
UFC Hall of Famer and former light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz retweeted Silva’s video, claiming “the bullying needs to stop.” Former UFC contender Jon Fitch admitted that Silva’s video brought his wife to tears because she heard him say the same things during his time with the promotion.
Fans need 2watch @wandfc video.It's from the heart.We have been at the fight game 4a long time.The BULLYING need 2stop. #Time4Fans2Fight4Us
— Tito Ortiz (@titoortiz) September 20, 2014
video brought my wife to tears because she heard me say the same things for so long RT @wandfc: a new beginning. http://t.co/jYEZIJr7Ws
— Jon Fitch (@jonfitchdotnet) September 21, 2014
Brandon Vera, a former heavyweight contender, admitted that he had a similar talk with White when he competed in the UFC.
Mad respect to Mr. Wanderlei Silva for the video...!! Not too long ago I had a similar conversation with Mr White... http://t.co/80x4RHsN6a
— Brandon Vera (@Verafied) September 20, 2014
Silva’s current reputation has to be taken into account when assessing the responses to his video. Some will simply never get over the idea of the former Pride champ allegedly sneaking out of a side door at his gym to avoid a random drug test.
There was also his questionable behavior on the set of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, where he threatened to quit the show if he didn’t receive an apology from rival coach Chael Sonnen.
Regardless of how his career ended, Silva should still go down as one of MMA’s most cherished and beloved all-time greats. Through blood, sweat and tears, he became one of the cornerstones to help build the sport into what it is today.
That is a kind of respect that should never be denied.
Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
