Saturday night's fight against Uriah Hall was set to be the final time Anderson Silva competed inside the famed Octagon.
For a while, it appeared Silva would exit a winner. Hall, who idolized the legendary fighter, turned things around and used his power to nearly finish Silva off in the third round. Hall made sure he did in the fourth round with a TKO stoppage of the all-time great at the 1:24 mark at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Afterward, Hall and Silva embraced. They bowed to each other on the mat, and Silva told him that he has what it takes to become the UFC middleweight champion.
"You’re the reason why I’m doing this," Hall said while sobbing to Silva. "You’re still one of the greatest.”
For the first two minutes, neither Hall nor Silva did too much beyond circling one another and waiting to see who would throw first. Silva started to get going by throwing combinations and leg kicks.
The second started out just like the first, with neither guy applying too much pressure. But halfway through, Hall opened up, popping the jab, throwing a jumping back kick to Silva's arm.
The third round resembled the previous two early on as both Hall and Silva were engaging in more hand fighting than actually hitting one another. Silva looked to be on his way to clinching the round with 90 seconds remaining and a lead going into the championship rounds. Near the end of the round, the tide changed dramatically when Silva threw a slow body kick and was counted by a short overhand right by Hall that sent the Brazilian to the canvas. Hall unloaded the kitchen sink with ground and pound punches, but the horn sounded.
Hall didn’t let up in the fourth round. Silva looked to be okay and fired a left hand. With Hall’s back against the cage, Silva came in sloppy and lunged in looking to throw. But “The Spider” was caught with his hands down, and Hall timed a perfect right hand to drop Silva again. This time around, “Primetime” had enough on the clock to uncork a barrage of shots. Hall kept pouring it on, and referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight.
Hall (16-9) has now won three consecutive bouts and four out of his last five.
For Silva (34-11, one no contest), it is his seventh loss in his last eight fights with his lone victory coming all the way back in October 2012. While UFC President Dana White said coming into the fight that it would be Silva's final UFC bout, The Spider refused to commit to retirement.
“Today, Uriah was the best," Silva said in his post-fight interview. "I’m enjoying my moment. Today is the final day. I’m so happy to be here … I don’t know. First, I’ll go back home. Then, let’s go see. It’s tough to say it’s my last or not. This is what I do for my entire life and with my entire heart. Let’s go see.”
In the co-main event, Bryce Mitchell used his superior grappling to beat Andre Fili by unanimous decision in featherweight action. Mitchell took Fili down at will, grinding him down and playing defense for the majority of the fight. Mitchell runs his record to 5-0 in the UFC.
UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Hall fight card results
- Uriah Hall def. Anderson Silva by TKO at 1:24 of the fourth-round TKO.
- Bryce Mitchell def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
- Greg Hardy def. Maurice Greene by TKO at 1:12 of the second round.
- Kevin Holland def. Charlie Ontiveros via submission (verbal) at 0:39 of the first round.
- Thiago Moises def. Bobby Green by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Preliminary card
- Alexander Hernandez def. Chris Gruetzemacher via TKO at 1:46 of the first round.
- Adrian Yanez def. Victor Rodriguez by knockout at 2:46 of the first round.
- Sean Strickland def. Jack Marshman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Jason Witt def. Cole Williams by submission (arm triangle) at 2:09 of the second round.
- Dustin Jacoby def. Justin Ledet via TKO at 2:38 of the first round.
- Miles Johns def. Kevin Natividad by knockout at 2:50 of the third round.