MMA legend Anderson Silva has confirmed that he will not return to fight on Ronda Rousey’s comeback card set for May 16 on Netflix. Silva, 50, explained that the difficulty of MMA training and his current priorities in boxing and a new career path led to his decision.
Silva has not competed in the Octagon since losing to Uriah Hall, which ended his UFC career with three straight losses. Despite this, he has remained active in combat sports, competing in four professional boxing matches, winning three—including two by knockout—including a notable victory over Tyron Woodley in December 2025.
Silva rejects MMA comeback due to training challenges
When approached by Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian to appear on the Rousey vs Carano card, Silva declined. On The Ariel Helwani Show, he said:
“Nakisa invited me to come, to fight MMA or kickboxing. But because I’m in this process [of becoming a police officer] now to study, to keep my mind working on one thing, I just said, ‘Oh, I can’t this time.’”
Silva added that he may fight in boxing one or two more times in the future but is not willing to commit to MMA again:
“But, when I finish the whole thing, probably I have one more or two more fights. Only boxing. I don’t have the mind anymore to train in MMA, it’s too hard for me to go back to train in MMA.”
Anderson Silva reveals he was approached about a MMA fight on the Netflix card:
“Nakisa invited me to fight MMA or kickboxing, but because I’m in this process [of becoming a cop], I just said, ‘Oh, I can’t this time.’
I have one or two more fights left, but only in boxing. I… pic.twitter.com/hLRFHeJx0I
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 16, 2026
The decision confirms that Silva will not compete on the May 16 Netflix event, which also features Nate Diaz vs Mike Perry and Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano. Speculation about potential matchups, including a trilogy with Chris Weidman, is now closed as Silva focuses on his post-MMA career.
