UFC, Strikeforce Veteran Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva Announces Retirement from MMA

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Antonio Silva is retiring from mixed martial arts following a 34-fight professional career that began in 2005.

The Brazilian known as “Bigfoot” announced his decision in an interview with Canal Encarada. Silva, who turned 43 this past September, exits the sport with a 19-14-1 career mark. He lost his last seven MMA appearances dating back to 2015 — with all but one of those defeats coming via knockout or technical knockout. His most recent bout came this past June, when he suffered a second-round KO defeat to Oleg Popov at an event in Russia. That proved to be the last straw for Silva.

“I fought the best, I beat the best and also lost to the best,” Silva said (translation via MMAFighting.com). “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, 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.”

The 6-foot-4 Silva was a force early in his tenure, as he competed for organizations such as EliteXC, Sengoku and Strikeforce before moving on to the UFC. During his peak years, “Bigfoot” earned triumphs against the likes of Andrei Arlovski, Fedor Emelianenko, Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski. He challenged for heavyweight gold at UFC 160, where he was dispatched by Cain Velasquez in just 81 seconds. The American Top Team fighter also squared off against the likes of Roy Nelson, Mark Hunt, Frank Mir, Daniel Cormier and Fabricio Werdum during his MMA career.

Silva dabbled in other combat sports in recent years, but knockout losses in boxing, BKFC and kickboxing — along with his struggles in MMA — led to concern regarding the Brazilian veteran’s health. Silva hasn’t left the combat sports realm entirely, however, as he is expected to meet Haim Gozali in a grappling match under the Brave Combat Federation banner on March 9. Silva will remain involved in MMA as a grappling coach, but his days of active competition are in the past.

“I had a tumor years ago, had two surgeries, and every time [I suffered] a knockout or knockdown I ran tests to see if everything was OK because I’m a human being, a father,” he said. “I’ll leave the sport professionally, I have wife and kids and people to take care of, people I love and that love me.”