Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva has decided to step away from MMA after a long skid of defeats, the veteran heavyweight announced in an interview with Canal Encarada on Tuesday. Former EliteXC heavyweight champion and UFC title challenger, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, has called it a career following 34 UFC bouts in MMA over the past 17 year, as well as matches in kickboxing and bare-knuckle boxing.
Victorious against MMA stars such as Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem Andrei Arlovski and Travis Browne, Silva only won one of his past 15 fights in multiple sports, with 12 of those defeats coming by way of knockout. He challenged Cain Velasquez to the UFC title in May 2013,.
“I fought the best, I beat the best and also lost to the best,” Silva said. There’s a point in your life where you just can’t…I fought in Russia back-to-back and it was a great experience. I didn’t see myself losing to him three or four years ago. He has no respect for me. But I am 43 now .”
Silva said he’s always “physically well” to compete “five five-minute rounds” whenever he enters a cage, but his body isn’t the same anymore. The Brazilian heavyweight said “sometimes I see people saying I’m broke and I need the money,” but guaranteed that has never been a factor for him to stay as long as he has in the sport.
“I still have the same head I had when I was 35, but my body isn’t 35 anymore,” he said. “It’s different. We have to respect it. Everyone has their limits. … It’s hard to say ‘I’ll stop, I can’t anymore.’ It’s hard for any professional in any sport.”
Bigfoot stated that he had never been knocked down in the gym, and that his health was good every time he signed up to fight. However, he is concerned about his future. Bigfoot plans to continue his involvement in the Martial Arts scene, as a coach for grappling and Jujitsu.
“I had a tumor years ago, had two surgeries, and every time [I had] 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.”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/28/23529140/antonio-bigfoot-silva-announces-retirement-from-mma-everybody-has-a-limit?rand=96749
