It appears Anderson Silva has kept his distance from UFC president Dana White for nearly six years following the end of his legendary run in the promotion.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, Anderson Silva built a legacy that few fighters have matched. The former UFC middleweight champion delivered some of the most iconic knockouts in MMA history and dominated the division during his prime.
However. while his achievements inside the Octagon remain untouchable, his relationship with White appears to have soured after his UFC departure.
Speaking recently to Rolling Stone, White revealed that Anderson Silva has not spoken to him since the UFC released him in November 2020 after a difficult stretch late in his career.
“He lost like eight or nine or 10 in a row, something like that, and that guy won’t talk to me to this day because I told him it was over, and he was in his 40s,” White said.
White explained that Silva took issue with being told his UFC career had reached its end.
“His thing was, ‘Who are you to tell me that I’m done doing what I love to do?’”
When asked what he typically tells aging fighters when he believes it is time to move on, White gave a blunt response.
“It’s over,” White said. “Obviously, they could go fight, and he did. He went and fought a boxing match and he fought a bunch of other fights. He can still fight. You just can’t do it here.”
While White’s memory of Silva’s final UFC run may have been exaggerated, the numbers still paint a difficult ending. Anderson Silva went 1-7 with one no contest in his final nine UFC appearances, with his lone win during that stretch coming against Derek Brunson in 2017.
Despite the fallout, Silva’s legacy inside the UFC remains intact. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 class, though he did not attend the ceremony. He was also absent for his 2024 “Fight Wing” induction honoring his unforgettable comeback win over Chael Sonnen at UFC 117.
Since leaving MMA, Anderson Silva has found renewed success in boxing.He has gone 3-1 in professional boxing since his UFC exit, earning notable victories over Tyron Woodley, Tito Ortiz, and former world champion Julio César Chávez Jr. His only defeat came against Jake Paul by unanimous decision.
Even with his success outside the cage, the silence between Anderson Silva and Dana White speaks volumes.
For one of the UFC’s most celebrated champions, it seems the way his Octagon chapter ended still hasn’t been forgotten.
