Former PRIDE Middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva has retired from mixed martial arts.
Silva, who has recently come under fire from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for refusing to take a drug test, not only retired from the sport, but also ripped the UFC on his way out.
“I am stepping down from the ring. After today, Wanderlei Silva will not fight again. My career is over. Because I don’t have a stage to perform, where the athletes get the proper respect. For these reasons, I have had enough.
They tried to turn my fans against me. My fans, who have followed me for 20 years, before this promotion even existed I was already fighting in Brazil. I have fought bare-knuckle and I helped building this sport. Everything you see today, I helped build with my sweat and blood.”
Silva definitely didn’t hold back when bashing the UFC, and he had a lot more to say in the video he posted. He was even kind enough to include English subtitles for us non-Portuguese speaking folks.
Video below. [source]
