Jon Jones, Dana White and Other Superstars React as Anderson Silva Ends His UFC Career

Anderson Silva is one of the names on which the UFC was built. The Brazilian star made a statement on his UFC debut and never looked back from then on. ‘The Spider’ as he is known garners respect from fighters and fans alike like no other fighter. 

Silva was the gold standard that fighters aimed to reach; he has inspired many of the current fighters to take up the sport. Therefore, the fact that this might be his last fight has seen to fighters both past and present pay their homage to a man that paved the way for many. 

Though his last fight did not go the way he would’ve hoped, he has left an unparalleled legacy in the sport that will take a herculean effort to match.

Anderson Silva vs Uriah Hall; MMA community reacts

Former double champion Daniel Cormier and ‘The Spider’s’ paths crossed at UFC 200. Silva stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Jon Jones. Though he did not win the fight, he won a lot more fans over with his willingness to step in at the last minute. Cormier took to Twitter to laud a fantastic career. 

Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva put on one of the best fights ever in the middleweight division at UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs Silva in London. ‘The Count’ took to social media to pay his respect to a man earned through war. Both men are among the best ever at 185 pounds. 

The former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones took to Twitter to show his appreciation for the Brazilian fighter. 

Middleweight Marvin Vettori who has been struggling to find a fight took to Twitter to slander the two men involved in the main event for not accepting a fight against him. 

Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who has admitted his admiration for ‘The Spider’ was in attendance for his idol’s final fight. Following the fight, we saw him applauding the two men for their efforts. 

Ariel Helwani took to social media to appreciate the sportsmanship and the display of respect between the two men after their fight when Hall embraced Anderson Silva. 

Fellow Brazilian fighter Rafael dos Anjos took to Twitter to appreciate a fantastic career. Dos Anjos is scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev on November 14. 

‘The Big Ticket’ shared on social media the emotions that went through him realizing it would be ‘The Spider’s’ last fight in the octagon. 

Bellator’s two-division champion Patricio Freire ‘Pitbull’ took to Twitter to applaud the career Anderson has had. He went on to state that despite his age he is still an elite fighter.

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski joined a host of other fighters to laud praise on Anderson Silva

UFC President Dana White shared a heartfelt thank you to one of the biggest stars in the promotion’s history

If it was indeed Anderson Silva’s last fight in the UFC, he adds himself to a list of greats that have retired this year. There will continue to be skilled fighters and champions in the UFC. However, there will always be only one ‘Spider’.