Four Big Questions After UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva – Has “The Spider” Spun His Last Web?

The day comes when all great fighters must yield before Father Time and accept that their best days are behind them.

In the case of UFC legend Anderson Silva, that date was October 31, 2020. Well, at least that’s what UFC President Dana White told the world following Silva’s stoppage at the hands of Uriah Hall on Saturday night in Vegas.

Despite announcing that Hall would be his last opponent, Silva appeared noncommittal to walking away from the sport in a post-fight interview. White was a little more decisive, shooting down any chance of “The Spider” fighting in the UFC again.

Curtains closed? Or is there a chance that Silva finds himself competing in another promotion?

That’s just one question that we were left with following Saturday’s fights. So let’s start there and work our way through the others.

No win. No fans. No glory.

Few had expected anything other than a victory for Uriah Hall on Saturday night, and the Jamaican-American duly obliged. For Silva, he went out with a whimper rather than an explosion.

It took Hall four rounds to get to the 45-year-old, but when he did, he ended the contest via brutal punches to Silva, who was on his back.

So, there ends the UFC career of one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the Octagon. A magician who bedazzled fight fans with his astonishing array of skills, but who probably should have heard the elegy to his career well before Saturday night.

Silva has one fight left on his contract, according to White. But a “deal” made between the Brazilian legend and the UFC head honcho will more than likely see that scrapped. Either way, White said that he regretted letting Silva fight Hall.

Hopefully, Silva decides to turn down any offers he receives from other promotions across the planet. With his legacy already badly stained, fans would surely rather see “The Spider” call it quits.

But a warrior is a warrior…

Sad to see tonight, but I say keep going! Real fighters never lose that fire so why try to force it out? Simply put time into finding the correct competition and continue on. The right competition is out there, for all levels and ages. Find it and do what you love to do! Forever! https://t.co/qFvPtCQuVE

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 1, 2020

It’s funny to be asking the “greatest of all-time” question on two consecutive Mondays, but there we go.

As I mentioned above, Silva’s legacy has been tarnished by hanging around the playground for much too long. In his pomp, there was no better fighter on the planet. But following his shock loss to Chris Weidman in 2013, things went rapidly downhill for the Brazilian.

Following last week’s UFC 254, I stated that Khabib is the greatest of all time in MMA. I believe that he has been the most dominant fighter in the history of the UFC, given that he retired unbeaten having lost just two rounds under the promotional banner. Additionally, he has never looked close to losing. But I appreciate that it’s a controversial question.

As for how Silva will be remembered? Well, those of us who can recall his dominance at middleweight can also appreciate that this version of The Spider is pretty much venomless. Where does that leave him among the best of all time?

In my opinion, he trails Khabib, Georges St-Pierre, and Jon Jones. But as the greatest middleweight of all time? He’s got my vote.

In tears at the end of his fight Silva, Hall must have been happy with the job done once it all sunk in.

4-1 from his last five fights, the only loss in that time has come to UFC middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa. The 36-year-old is unlikely to be chasing a rematch against the Brazilian wrecking ball, but can rightfully look to the upper reaches of the division with the win over Silva.

A rematch with Derek Brunson could make for a good fight. Failing that, the likes of Kelvin Gastelum, Darren Till, or Chris Weidman could be on the cards.

Or perhaps Hall could meet one of Yoel Romero or Jacare Souza. He was initially penciled in against Jacare at UFC 249, only for the Brazilian to pull out. Then, he also lost Romero for the main event of Saturday’s bout.

Whatever happens, things are clicking for Hall, and he could find himself knocking on the door of the top five, or even kicking it in, with a win over Jacare or Romero.

The Reebok uniform deal has long been a bone of contention for fighters in the UFC.

Before 2015, fighters could don whatever shorts they wanted, providing they abided by the relaxed rules set out by the promotion. But more importantly, fighters could avail of sponsorship on those shorts.

Remember the Burger King logo on Anderson Silva’s yellow and black shorts? Or how about the infamous Condom Depot?

Only 9 pairs in existence. I got 1 of em.

The rest are like the Infinity Stones, hidden all over America. pic.twitter.com/mpptVyEMsH

— Bryce Mitchell (@ThugnastyMMA) November 2, 2020

Bryce Mitchell, who beat Andre Fili by decision, garnered a lot of attention for his camouflage shorts on the night. According to Mitchell, he campaigned to have these shorts made following all three of his UFC wins before Saturday.

Does that mean we can expect more fighters to come out with a wide range of customized shorts? If Mitchell can do it, surely the UFC can cater to the likes of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Izzy Adesanya, etc?

I doubt it. The UFC’s deal with Reebok deal ends in March 2021, with Venum taking over from there on out.

Let’s hope Venum can bring things back to the old days. Although I’m not expecting Dude Wipes to be involved this time.

So that’s all for October in the UFC. It’s been an interesting month, with the retirements of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Anderson Silva proving that, well, you don’t know what you have until it is gone.

Of course, Khabib could be back in action, if Dana White is to be believed. The UFC President claimed that the lightweight belt has not been vacated, so we’ll wait to see. However, Silva has competed under the UFC banner for the last time.

Looking ahead to November, we have some excellent fights to look forward to. I’ll be covering these events over on our blog, with my colleague Noah hitting you with some awesome UFC DFS picks there, too.

For now, I’ll leave with some content to chew on in the form of odds, bets, and betting advice for UFC 255, as well as odds for the next UFC lightweight champion. That’s IF Khabib has retired, of course.