After 49 fights and 19 long years, mixed martial arts legend Wanderlei Silva has retired from MMA competition at the age of 38.

MMA legend Wanderlei Silva has retired

He released a video today saying;

“My career is over. Because I don’t have a stage to perform, where the athletes get the proper respect. For these reasons, I have had enough.”

Here is the full video if you want to hear it from the man himself.

Wanderlei Silva faced some controversy during the latter portion of his career, He was set to face Chael Sonnen at UFC 175, but was ultimately pulled from the bout due to failing to comply to the drug test sent up by the athletic commission, his opponent Chael Sonnen went on to fail a drug test and he retired afterwards.

Regardless of you opinions on the man himself, he has entertained the masses for years with his in-your-face fighting style that made him a fan favorite so many years ago when he was t he king of Pride Fighting Championships.

Silva (35-12-1) had 25 knockouts to his name along with 3 submissions and 7 decisions. He hold victories over Brian Stann, Cung Le, Michael Bisping, Ricardo Arona, Quinton Jackson, Kazushi Sakuraaba, Hidehiko Yoshida, Dan Henderson and Guz Mezger, to name a few. A recipient of seven post-fight bonuses, five fight of the night’s and two knockout bonuses, Wanderlei has solidified himself as one of the most entertaining fighters to ever put on a pair of 4 ounce gloves.