Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images for Netflix

Anderson Silva confirms MMA retirement after turning down return fight offer

Originally posted on HITC | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Mar 17, 2026 11:06 AM ET

Anderson Silva has spoken about why he’s stepped away from the sport that made him famous.

He hasn’t fought in MMA since a loss to Uriah Hall, which closed out his UFC run with three straight defeats.

Even at 50, ‘The Spider’ hasn’t always looked his age in the fights he’s taken on since leaving the UFC.

Chris Weidman had hoped to finish their trilogy in the cage, but Silva has made it clear he has no plans to return to MMA.

Anderson Silva on why MMA is no longer part of his plans

Most Valuable Promotions are bringing big names to Netflix, with Nate Diaz vs Mike Perry headlining their first MMA event on May 16.

That led to speculation about whether another one of Jake Paul’s past opponents, Anderson Silva, might return to the sport on the same night.

Silva recently confirmed he had turned down an approach from MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian due to his commitment to training for a new career as a police officer.

“Nakisa invited me to come, to fight MMA or kickboxing,” Silva revealed on The Ariel Helwani Show. “But because I’m in this process [of becoming a police officer] now to study, to keep my mind working on one thing, I just said, ‘Oh, I can’t this time.’

He added: “But when I finish the whole thing, probably I have one more or two more fights. Only boxing. I don’t have the mind anymore to train in MMA; it’s too hard for me to go back.”

‘The Spider’ has boxed four times since retiring from MMA and has looked good at times.

Silva stopped Tyron Woodley last December and some fans praised his remarkable ability despite his age.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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