Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva would like to see fighters stand more united.
Speaking with MMA Fighting, Anderson Silva gave his thoughts on how the UFC can control a fighter’s destiny. The conversation turned from Dana White keeping Georges St-Pierre on contract to fighters’ collective bargaining power. According to Silva, the fighters are the chief attraction, and they need to stand together.
“Dana White is Dana White, he’s the UFC’s main representative. In my opinion, he’s not — the athletes are — but as long as athletes don’t stand [together] the correct way and be afraid of taking a stand, that will continue to happen.”
Silva understands why the upcoming athletes want to go to the UFC, but he doesn’t think that’s always in their best interest. At least, not now, not while there isn’t a fighters’ union. For Silva, the way to remedy this is for those under contract to realize their worth in the sport.
“The new generation has it in their mind that they want to go to the UFC — ‘I want to go to the UFC’ — but they are not united, right? If athletes were united and understood their value in the sport and inside the UFC, that would change [everything] for the next generations.”
And while the all-time great is critical of White and the UFC, he seems to also blame fighters for being roped into such contracts. He wants newcomers to look at the contract so they don’t end up stuck in a poor deal. Silva also hopes fighters realize that White will always do best for his company, and those who step into the Octagon have to see themselves as their own company and do the same.
Of course, that may be easier for a person of Silva’s stature than a new UFC signee.
Anderson Silva once again goes to battle this weekend when he meets Tito Ortiz in a boxing match. This will be the striker’s second foray into the sweet science since his UFC release. In his last outing, Silva took a split decision over Julio César Chávez Jr.
