Jon Jones hopes Anderson Silva 'just stays away from the sport'
More than five weeks after Anderson Silva‘s gruesome leg break, opinions are still rolling in on what “The Spider†should do next.
Count UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones among those who would like to see Silva retire.
Silva, the UFC’s former middleweight champion, broke his left leg at UFC 168 when champ Chris Weidman checked one of his kicks. The resulting injury was one of the most horrific in MMA history.
But the Brazilian, following surgery, is on the road to recovery and could be training – and even fighting again – before the year’s end.
On Tuesday, Jones told Lavar Arrington and Chad Dukes of 106.7-FM The Fan in Washington that he wants Silva to call it a career. Jones was in Washington for a stop at Capitol Hill for a news conference announcing a new brain trauma study the UFC will be a part of.
“It was just sad. I know how long Anderson Silva’s been working to be who he is,†Jones said. “I’ve won several (UFC title fights). This guy’s won 12 or 13. That’s a lot of work. So to see such a magnificent career and legacy get tarnished by two losses, two kind of flukish losses – I wouldn’t call the first one a fluke; he was playing around, but a left hook is a left hook – it sucks. It leaves a weird taste in your mouth – it’s not supposed to end that way. What I’m hoping is that people remember Anderson for all the magnificent things he’s done, all the lives he’s touched, all the people he’s inspired, and I’m hoping that Anderson just stays away from the sport and continues to be an inspiration outside of the octagon.
“Not fight again. Anderson can do seminars, he can do motivational speaking, he can help all the kids in Brazil. I mean, he’s such an idol. His greatness has just begun. But I think in the octagon, I think it’s been already fun.â€
Jones next will defend his title against Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 on April 26 in Baltimore, near Washington, D.C. Tickets for the event went on sale today.
There has been talk for years about the potential of a superfight between Silva, who has fought at light heavyweight, and Jones. But that possibility essentially went off the table with Silva’s first loss to Weidman this past July. And the leg break seemed to cement it.
