Dana White touches on his relationship with Anderson Silva
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Dana White revealed just how much his relationship with UFC middleweight GOAT, Anderson Silva, has changed through the years.
Dana White and Anderson Silva have known each other for years, but in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the UFC CEO revealed that the pair's relationship has cooled as of late. The shift in their dynamic stems, according to White, from Silva responding poorly to his comments regarding the Hall of Famer's decline.
Dana White and Anderson Silva are no longer on speaking terms
While speaking to Jack Crosbie of Rolling Stone about fighters who overstay their welcome once they're past their physical prime, Dana White was asked for his experience in dealing with over-the-hill fighters. The UFC CEO did not mince words. He states that once it's clear that a fighter is in their twilight years, he suggests that they retire, which he says is rarely well-received by the fighters themselves, including Anderson Silva, who White claims no longer speaks to him (6:22):
"I mean, Anderson Silva, who is always a unique individual to deal with, but he lost like eight or nine or ten in a row. Something like that, and that guy won't talk to me to this day, cause I said it's over, and he was in his forties. His thing was, 'Who are you to tell me that I'm done doing what I love to do?'"
When asked by Crosbie how he responds to that level of defiance from fighters, White doubled down.
"Yeah, I mean, it's over. It's over. Obviously, they can 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 ."
It's an unfortunate end to White's prior relationship with Silva, who was once widely regarded as the greatest fighter of all time. Although Silva's standing in the UFC can never be questioned, having successfully defended his UFC middleweight title 10 times, which is the most in the division and the second-most in the promotion, his UFC tenure ended poorly. After a 16-fight win streak, Silva went 1-7 (1) in his next 9 fights, before being released from his UFC contract.
He has since competed in several boxing matches, with his most recent bout being a second-round TKO over fellow UFC alumnus Tyron Woodley on Dec. 19, 2025.
