UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov sends a message to Anderson Silva after final UFC fight
Anderson Silva stepped inside the Octagon for the last time in his career on Saturday night to face Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night 181. Their middleweight bout headlined the event as UFC made its return to its home, Las Vegas.
The fight ended with Uriah Hall knocking out his MMA idol at the mark of 1:24 in the fourth round. In a heartfelt exchange that followed, Hall broke down in front of 'The Spider', apologizing for beating him down and thanking him for being an inspiration.
Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Anderson Silva's retirement
Khabib Nurmagomedov, another legend of the the sport himself, sent a message to Anderson Silva on Twitter after his retirement. 'The Eagle' wished 'The Spider' good luck, calling him a 'warrior' and an 'absolute legend'.
Khabib Nurmagomedov had his own farewell from the Octagon not too long ago. His victory over Justin Gaethje followed by an emotional post-fight speech announcing his retirement is still fresh in everyone's mind.
Both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Anderson Silva's careers make strong cases for them to be called the GOAT of the sport. Khabib retired with an undefeated record of 13-0 in UFC and 29-0 in his professional MMA career. He is, at this point, the greatest Lightweight to ever step inside the Octagon.
Anderson Silva, on the other hand, was undefeated in UFC from his debut in 2006 all the way to 2012, with a streak of 16 consecutive wins. There have been mostly losses for the Brazilian striker ever since, with the exception of one victory over Derek Brunson at UFC 208 in 2017.
However, that takes nothing away from the legacy of Anderson Silva, who retires from UFC as the greatest 185-pounder that the company has ever seen.
Uriah Hall shared a great moment with his idol
It was a very emotional moment when Uriah Hall bent down in front of Anderson Silva after the fight, showing gratitude and respect. Anderson Silva has been a trailblazer and an inspiration in mixed martial arts for not just Uriah Hall, but many others like him as well.
Uriah Hall later revealed what Anderson Silva said to him as the two fighters embraced inside the cage in a beautiful show of sportsmanship.
"He was just saying that ‘Great job, I’m proud of you, you did really good, and don’t cry, don’t feel bad, you’re gonna be champ!'"
Uriah Hall picked up his third win in a row with the knockout victory over Anderson Silva. The win is likely to take him a step closer to a shot at the middleweight title, currently held by Israel Adesanya.