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For the second time now, UFC veteran Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva announced his retirement. It happened over the weekend at Kingdom Fighting 1 in France, when the 43-year-old lost via decision against Salim El Ouassaidi.
Since leaving the UFC, Silva had been competing in outside promotions, and has remained winless.
UFC veteran Antonio Silva announces his second retirement
Silva made this most recent announcement via social media after his most recent loss. Per MMA Fighting, the Brazilian affirmed that he is now ‘100 percent’ retired.
“It was a great fight,” he said. “We tried the knockout all the time, he and I, and in the end I retired. I put down my gloves in the center of the octagon. To me, everything has a beginning and an end, and I’m very happy and satisfied.
“We never want to stop, no professional athlete wants to stop, even in volleyball or football, but everything has a time, and I did this for 19 years.”
Silva’s first retirement announcement
Silva first called it quits back in December, six months after his second round knockout loss to Oleg Popov. At the time, he also suffered a brutal standing KO loss in his first and only professional boxing bout in July 2022.
“I fought the best, I beat the best, and also lost to the best,” he said at the time. “There’s a time in life when you can’t…
“I fought in Russia, back-to-back fights basically, and I’m not taking anything away from my MMA opponent [Oleg Popov], but I never saw myself losing to this guy three or four years ago. This guy has nothing for me, but I’m 43 now.”
Back in January, the former UFC heavyweight fighter hinted at a comeback as a Power Slap competitor, which fortunately didn’t push through.
‘Bigfoot’ Silva’s UFC career and beyond
After a few wins in Strikeforce including one against MMA great Fedor Emelianenko, Silva entered the UFC in 2012. After losing his debut to former champion Cain Velasquez at UFC 146, he bounced back and picked up two consecutive stoppage wins against Travis Browne and Alistair Overeem.
But that was the last of Silva’s few wins in the UFC, but he did put on a Fight of the Year performance against Mark Hunt in 2013. The bout ended in a majority draw, but was later overturned to a No Contest when Silva tested positive for a banned substance.
Silva went 1-5 in his succeeding UFC fights before being released from the roster. From there, he competed in outside organizations, including in BKFC for his bare-knuckle boxing debut against fellow UFC veteran Gabriel Gonzaga in 2019. He lost the fight by second-round knockout.
Silva’s MMA record stands at 19-15 (with 1 NC). He also has two kickboxing fights in 2010 and 2014, both of which he lost via TKO.
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