UFC announcer Bruce Buffer paid tribute to Anderson Silva by taking a knee for the legend in his final fight with the promotion.
“The Spider” stepped into the Octagon for the final time on Saturday night as he was beaten in the fourth round by middleweight contender Uriah Hall. The two men embraced after the bout with Silva offering Hall some words of advice in a real “passing the torch” moment.
As it turns out, the aforementioned Buffer also gave Anderson his own send-off before the fight even began.
Bruce Buffer introduces Anderson Silva and takes a knee for his final UFC fight #UFCVegas12 pic.twitter.com/2bBHHXPYSN
— Helen Yee (@HelenYeeSports) November 1, 2020
Buffer has been there every step of the way for Silva’s sensational run with the UFC, and it’s clear to see that he respects the legendary career that the Brazilian has carved out for himself.
One man who wasn’t all that happy with how things went down on Saturday was UFC president Dana White. The boss admitted in his post-fight press conference that he regrets even allowing Silva to go out there and fight at the UFC APEX.
“He fought a guy that has absolutely zero output,” White told reporters (via MMAJunkie). “They’re in a five-round main event on ESPN and they threw (expletive) 11 punches in the second round. You fight any of these other savages, he’ll be in big trouble, and he’ll take a (expletive)load of punishment. Uriah Hall threw 11 punches in the second round. Uriah Hall is one of the most gun-shy fighters in the UFC.”
“And look at Anderson. When the fight was over, he couldn’t even stand up to do his interview. He had to sit down and do an interview. I made a big mistake and I shouldn’t have let him fight this fight tonight. He’s a legend of this sport and he’s a legend of this company, and I did something I disagreed with. I knew I was right, and tonight proved I was right, and Anderson Silva should never fight again.”
While Anderson could always leave the Ultimate Fighting Championship in favor of a move elsewhere, it feels pretty safe to say that Dana White isn’t going to change his mind on this one.