UFC Hall Of Famer Says Anderson Silva Is 'Michael Jordan' Of MMA

Former UFC middleweight champion and pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva earned comparisons to other iconic athletes from various sports after hinting that he is about to hang up the gloves for good.

On Saturday, “The Spider” seemingly fought his final fight under the UFC banner but ended up losing to American contender Uriah Hall via TKO in the fourth round.

Despite the heartbreaking defeat, Silva was still lauded by some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts (MMA), including his long-time friend and UFC Hall of Famer Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira.

Speaking to AG Fight following Silva’s final fight, “Big Nog” believes that Silva has his own right to be called the greatest of all time or "GOAT" in MMA and deserves to be up there with other sporting luminaries such as basketball's Michael Jordan and football's Pelé.

“In the sports legacy, I think he is Pelé,” he said. “I think we can compare well what Pelé did in football and what Anderson did for our sport. Anderson is what Michael Jordan was in basketball, what Guga was in tennis.”

Nogueira also put an emphasis on his contributions to the sport. For the ex-Pride and interim UFC heavyweight titlist, everything about Silva’s legacy will surely make him an “icon.”

“He had this importance for MMA, not only national, [but also] worldwide, for the sport,” the 44-year-old stated. “Because the UFC, when it had that visibility (in Brazil) in 2007 or 2008 until 2013, it was eight years of legacy, with different strokes, knockouts, a whole story that was told in his life.”

“The guy is an icon, that way of him,” Nogueira added. “His celebration is different, even his little dance is different, his stare made history, so, in all senses, I think he will become an icon of the sport.”

Taking his thoughts to Instagram, Silva implied his retirement by saying “goodbye” to his fans. He also assured everybody that despite the devastating loss, he feels "at peace" with where he is right now.

"Good morning, my people. Today is a different day for a simple reason, say goodbye to an entire life dedicated to my sport," Silva wrote.

"Yesterday [UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva] was so special, I went there to do what I love. I didn't imagine I would be as happy as I am now. Even in defeat, I'm feeling at peace."