MMA middleweight legend Anderson Silva is set to make his UFC return. MMA Junkie reports that Silvia will fight Uriah Hall on October 31st. Hall was scheduled to fight Yoel Romero at UFC on ESPN 15 on August 22nd. However, Romero pulled out of the fight due to injury. Silva’s fight against Hall could also be the last fight of his career.
UFC President Dana White held a post-conference after the Dana White Contender Series on August 18th. White hinted that Silva will fight Hall, but also that Silva will retire. MMA Junkie’s Nolan King and Ken Hathaway transcribed White’s post-conference about Silva’s next fight.
“We’re working on a fight for him coming up soon here,” White said Tuesday after DWCS 29. “He will fight again. I met with his managers the other day. This will be his last fight. This will be his last fight. I think he’s going to retire. That’s not our business. That’s up to him. That’s up to him. Let him do this the way he wants to do it.”
Silva will look to snap a two-fight losing streak. His last loss was against Jared Cannonier by TKO via leg kick at UFC 237 on May 11, 2019. Silva had called for a fight against former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis at middleweight last month. The UFC wasn’t interested and moved on with Hall. A win over Hall could put Silva back into the middleweight rankings if he decides not to retire.
Hall will face his biggest opponent to date in Silva. He is on a two-fight win streak and is ranked ninth in the middleweight division. His last win was against Antonio Carlos Jr. by split decision at UFC Fight Night 158 on September 14, 2019. A win over Silva will be the biggest win of Hall’s career and could set him for a big fight in the future.
The fight hasn’t been officially announced by the UFC. However, MMA Junkie confirmed that the fight is happening with “A person with knowledge of the matchup following an initial report by UFC broadcast partner ESPN, which cited UFC president Dana White.” The fight will also be the main event of the card.