Wanderlei Silva Blasts UFC And Announces Retirement, Top Fighter Suspended

- Wanderlei Silva announced his retirement Friday night in a video message posted online that you can view in the video below. "The Axe Murderer" remains locked in a legal battle with the Nevada Athletic Commission over a drug test he declined to take. Silva's attorney is fighting a possible suspension.
"I come here with a heavy heart," Silva said. "Today is a very sad day for me. I can't keep being treated this way. After today, Wanderlei Silva will not fight again. My career is over."

Wanderlei also took some shots at his former employer.

"If you're not going to give them [the fighters] money, you should at least give them respect," Silva said. "Seeing how an athlete is treated. I feel like I don't have a dignified stage where the athletes are respected. That's the minimum a fighter deserves. If you're not going to give them money, you should at least give them respect. The few fighters who have a name are forced to fight all year long, because they want to make 50 events a year. They are wearing down the athletes; they make them fight under any circumstances and any conditions. As if; either they accept any fight or they're worthless... They don't give anything to the athletes – only crumbs. And this is a shameless lack of respect, but enough is enough. Now I will keep my eyes on you, and I will speak the truth. They try to turn the public against us."

Silva (35-12-1) hasn't fought since a 2013 knockout win over Brian Stann. He holds wins over the likes of Cung Le, Michael Bisping, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Dan Henderson.



- The UFC has suspended light heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson after a report cited "Rumble" for allegations of domestic violence. BloodyElbow.com first reported the claims, which date back to 2012.

Johnson posted a message on Facebook in response, writing "The s--t (people) will say and the lengths (people) will go just to tell a (expletive) lie is ridiculous. That's all I'm going to say and thank you all for the support and positive feedback that I'm getting."

The UFC also released a statement regarding the decision to suspend Johnson. He has been rumored for a potential No. 1 contender match with Alexander Gustafsson in 2015:

"We are aware of the situation involving Anthony Johnson. As a result, we are suspending him indefinitely. We are using a third-party law firm to conduct a formal investigation and once we have more information, we'll determine whether further course of action is necessary."


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