Silva went on to say that injured fighters compete all the time in the UFC, and when their performances suffer, the UFC can “fire” them.
He pointed to former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao, who was scheduled to fight TJ Dillashaw at UFC 177 last month. Barao, who had lost the belt to Dillashaw three months prior at UFC 173, passed out while cutting weight and was replaced by Joe Soto. Barao was not paid either his show or win money for the bout.
“He could not stop training,” Silva said. “He lost the belt, then had to fight a rematch. After that, his body couldn’t hold up and he passed out cutting weight. What did the promoters do? Bash and mock him. They referred to him as a kid in the media. This makes me angry. This makes me look at the sport in a different way.”
Silva is likely to remain on the NSAC agenda on Sept. 23. Should he never compete again, he will retire with a 35-12-1 overall record, including 25 knockouts. He fought Tito Ortiz for the UFC light heavyweight championship in April 2000, and lost via decision. He enjoyed a successful career fighting in Japan before returning to the UFC in 2007, where he compiled a final record of 5-7. Silva was born in Curitiba, Brazil, and currently resides in Las Vegas.
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