Emotional Dana White regrets letting Anderson Silva compete against Uriah Hall in last UFC fight

An emotional UFC President Dana White admits that he regrets letting former UFC Middleweight Champion and MMA legend Anderson Silva compete in his final UFC bout.

The 45-year old Anderson Silva stepped into the Octagon for the final time at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, Nevada, Saturday, and found himself on the receiving end of a fourth-round TKO defeat at the hands of Uriah Hall.

Silva kept competitive for the first three rounds, but ultimately succumbed to Hall’s striking prowess in the fourth frame.

After the fight, it was revealed that Silva was rushed to a medical facility, and that White had made a deal with the Brazilian star that his would be his final UFC bout.

Per Dana White, Anderson Silva has been transported to the hospital following his loss tonight.White says that he had a deal with Anderson that this would be his last fight.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) November 1, 2020

Silva, one of the most dominant champions and arguably the most dominant middleweight in the promotion’s history, held the 185-pound title from 2006 to 2013, with defenses over the likes of Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, Chael Sonnen, and Vitor Belfort among others.

After losing the title to Chris Weidman and being involved in a slew of controversy regarding performance enhancing supplements, Silva was never able to get back on track.

In his last nine bouts, Silva was only able to manage one single victory, and came up short against Jared Cannonier, Israel Adesanya, Michael Bisping, and Daniel Cormier.

Dana White 'regrets' having Anderson Silva fight Uriah Hall in his last bout

Dana White also said that he ‘regretted’ having Anderson Silva fight Uriah Hall, and that this would indeed be the former champion’s final appearance in the UFC.

White says that he shouldn't have let Silva fight tonight.White calls Uriah Hall "one of the most gun shy fighters in the UFC" and that regardless, Anderson Silva couldn't stand up after the loss.White regrets it and says he'll never let Silva fight in the UFC again.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) November 1, 2020

The 45-year old Anderson Silva was obviously already a shell of his former dominant self, and while he would have wanted to go out on top, he faced one of the most devastating strikers in the division in Hall.

White also mentioned that after the loss, Silva could not stand up. He briefly choked up while talking about his respect for the man and said that he hopes his family would persuade him to retire from the sport.

While White may have said that this will be Silva's last time in the UFC, the former champion remained non-committal in his response as to whether this would be his last fight in MMA.