Wanderlei retires from fighting, bitterly
Wanderlei Silva, whose career began in 1996, has announced via video that he is retiring from mixed martial arts, following his failure in May to take a PED test.
The career of one of the most beloved fighters in the history of the sport has come to a difficult close. Wanderlei Silva has announced via video that he is retiring.
In May, Silva refused a Performance Enhancing Drug test administered by the Nevada Athletic Commission, literally running from it. A refusal to take a test is, at the least, tantamount to a failure.
It was widely believed that the NSAC would suspend “The Axe Murderer” for a year.
However, in a series of interviews and videos, Wand variously declared that he had tested himself and would be ready in two months, that the NAC had no jurisdiction over him, and called out several fighters, including Luke Rockhold and Ben Henderson.
UFC president Dana White respectfully reminded Silva that that was in all likelihood not the case.
“I’m not the athletic commission, but I think he’s very wrong,” said White. “I think he’s in big trouble. You can not run away from a test. You can’t do it, and it sets a very bad precedent. He would have been better off taking the test and testing positive than running from the test. But I’m not a commission member. Maybe I’m wrong and he’s right. We’ll see what happens.”
An incredulous Rockhold responded, via Twitter.
“So let me get this straight,” he tweeted. “Wand ran from test in states. Is now testing himself. Says he’s clean and wants to fight me in Brazil?”
While keeping a positive mindset is an invaluable quality in mixed martial arts, there has been a disquieting air of unreality around a number of Silva’s recent public statements.
Yesterday, Silva’s lawyer Ross Goodman filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, arguing that the NAC had no jurisdiction when the attempt was made to administer the drug test. The commission agreed to decide on the motion, and if the decision was in Silva’s favor, the hearing on September 23 would be canceled.
Presumably the decision was not in Silva’s favor; he has now retired.
With a heavy heart I come here today to declare: I am stepping down from the ring,” he said via video. “After today, Wanderlei Silva will not fight again. My career is over. Because I don’t have the stage to perform where the athletes get the proper respect. For these reasons, I have had enough.
They tried to turn my fans against me. My fans, who have followed me for 20 years. Much before this event existed I was already fighting bare knuckle in Brazil. I fought bare knuckle and I helped to build this sport.
Everything you see today, I helped build with my sweat and my blood. And now these guys come around and try to tell us what we are and what we are not.”
Regardless of the difficult present circumstances, Wanderlei had an extraordinary run in the sport for 18 years, one that will be remembered with deep respect for generations.
Lenne Hardt said it beautifully.
MMA is nothing without the athlete. It isn’t mixed martial arts. It’s mixed martial artists.
Support the art. Support the athlete.
Love you, Wanderlei.
