"I am retired, I don't fight anymore, I lost the desire. So what stops me from generating income now? Are these people going to keep threatening me? They'll keep coming to sue me every time I work with my image? How is that going to be? This is a shame. These guys are doing things above the law. Because the law clearly states that every person is free to come and go. And they want to take that away from the athletes? How is that? There's so much wrong in all of this. This is a new sport where the rules were dictated by the same people who are giving these contracts to the fighters to sign. This is not right at all, this is wrong. We can't live under this kind of control. So I can't work anymore, I can't profit from the image that I built with my blood, my sweat, my heart and everything that you all witnessed? These guys have already profited so much off of me. So are they going to pay me for my time, are they going to ask if I need that income to live? Will they pay my bills? You want to keep my contract without giving me any income? You want to use my name even after I die, but not even my own son has rights over my name? So you want to use Wanderlei Silva to the end and not pay me anything for it? So I spilled all my blood for nothing."
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight smasher Wanderlei Silva was all set to make his Bellator MMA debut -- as a featured guest signing autographs -- at the "Tito vs. Bonnar" mixed martial arts (MMA) event earlier this month in San Diego, California. Unfortunately, despite his lifetime ban handed down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), Silva is still under contract with ZUFFA and barred from rubbing elbows with the enemy (and making $10k for two hours of work). Naturally, that didn't sit too well with "The Axe Murderer" and his Movember Mustache, who already declared war on those who would oppose him, and according to his latest video blog (transcribed by MMA Fighting), the Brazilian spilled his blood for nothing. Is the UFC doing him dirty? Or protecting its assets after Silva skipped town? Two different sides to this story, fight fans, which one are you on?