UFC 237: Michael Bisping Says Anderson Silva Should Retire, But Will The Legend Hang ’em Up?

Following Anderson Siva’s latest loss at UFC 237, Michael Bisping is calling for the legend to hang up the gloves. But, will the former middleweight champ call it quits on his storied career?

Silva faced Jared Cannonier in the card’s co-main event. Shortly before the opening round was about to end, Cannonier sent Silva crumpling to the mat after landing a hard kick behind the star’s knee. Silva was clearly in considerable pain after the blow, and during his post-fight interview, he reported that he had been dealing with a bad knee during his training camp.

Well, during ESPN’s post-fight show, Bisping had this to say about Silva’s future (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“Anderson Silva is a true legend of the sport – he’s given so much,” Bisping said. “(He was) a longtime champion, but he’s 44 years old. A lot of people wondered, ‘Why is he still fighting?’ I think tonight, even though he looked OK, the fight obviously ended. He took a little inside leg kick and I think that he tore his ACL. I don’t think we’ll ever see Anderson Silva fight again. He certainly doesn’t need to.”

“Father Time has caught up (with him),” Bisping said. “With the greatest of respect, Anderson Silva needs to retire. He’s already given so much to this sport. He doesn’t need to give any more. Enjoy retirement.”

Bisping’s certainly not the only person who shares this view. After all, Silva is far removed from his prime, he’s lost six of his last eight fights, and from a financial standpoint, Silva doesn’t need to be fighting.

But, will Silva finally walk away? Leading up to UFC 237, there was no indication that Silva was thinking about exiting anytime soon. The “Spider” repeatedly said he still loves fighting, in fact, Silva hadn’t ruled out another title shot run. Recently his manager Jorge Guimaraes said Silva isn’t even”close” to retiring ,and that they were talking with the UFC about a new deal.

Now that Silva’s incurred another defeat, could this have changed? It’s possible. Especially if Silva has incurred a serious knee injury, whereby, he’s going to be sidelined for a lengthy period of time. But, as it stands right now, it looks like Silva will be back, and debates, whether the star should be risking his health at this stage of the game, will continue.