Uriah Hall overcame his “idol” Anderson Silva in the UFC Fight Night 181 main event on Saturday night.
The Brazilian started the fight positively against Hall as he accrued points with bursts of punches and a leg kicks to keep his opponent at bay.
The tide turned late in the third round though as Silva was floored with an overhand right and was met with a number of follow-up punches.
Silva managed to hang on and see a fourth round, but Hall smelled blood.
45-year-old Silva launched at his opponent with another burst of punches only to get met with a perfectly-timed counter right hook which dropped him for a second time.
Hall seized his opportunity to finish the fight and poured on the punishment to force referee Herb Dean to intervene. A groggy Silva grabbed at Dean’s leg for a takedown attempt, showing how the call was a correct one.
It’s unclear if this will be the last time we see Silva compete in mixed martial arts after weeks of mixed messaging. However, it does appear the UFC chapter has closed.
“A fight is a fight. When you come inside, you have a chance to win, 50-50, and today Uriah’s the best,” Silva said after the fight. “He come to win the fight. I’m enjoying my moment. Sometimes it’s very difficult for us to stop, you know?
“But today is the final day and I’m so happy to be here and doing my last show for my fans in the UFC and the UFC family.”
Silva has one just one of his last night bouts and UFC President Dana White confirmed that Silva would not be fighting in the UFC again and critcised Hall’s inaction in the early rounds of their main event contest.
“He fought a guy that has absolutely zero output,” White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. [H/T Sherdog] “They’re in a five-round main event on ESPN and they threw f**king 11 punches in the second round. You fight any of these other savages, he’ll be in big trouble, and he’ll take a s**t 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.”
White stated that Silva has one fight remaining on his UFC contract, but that last bout will not happen on his watch.
“I’m not trying to prevent him from doing anything,” White said. “He’s a grown man and he can do what he wants, and he’s got one fight left with us. I’ll never let him fight here again. I want him to retire. And what I hope is when he goes home his family, [they] tell him that same thing.
“I’m in a really hard position right now because this is a guy I care about and this is a guy that’s been here for a long time and is a legend of his company, and I don’t want to sit here and s**t on him. But he’s almost 46 years old. Unless you’re trying to defend your f**ing life or save your family, no one at 46 should be fighting.”
UFC Fight Night: Uriah Hall vs. Anderson Silva full results
Middleweight: Uriah Hall def. Anderson Silva by TKO (punches) at 1:24 of round four
Featherweight: Bryce Mitchell def. Andre Fili by unanimous decision after three rounds
Heavyweight: Greg Hardy def. Maurice Greene by TKO (punches) at 1:12 of round two
Middleweight: Kevin Holland def. Charlie Ontiveros by TKO (submission to slam) at 2:39 of round one
Lightweight: Thiago Moisés def. Bobby Green by unanimous decision after three rounds
Lightweight: Alexander Hernandez def. Chris Gruetzemacher by KO (punches) at 1:46 of round one
Bantamweight: Adrian Yanez def. Victor Rodriguez by KO (head kick) at 2:46 of round one
Catchweight: Sean Strickland def. Jack Marshman by unanimous decision after three rounds
Catchweight: Jason Witt def. Cole Williams by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:09 of round two
Light Heavyweight: Dustin Jacoby def. Justin Ledet by TKO (leg kicks and punches) at 2:38 of round one
Bantamweight: Miles Johns def. Kevin Natividad by KO (punch) at 2:51 of round three