The Wanderlei Silva retirement news was shared by the fighter himself on September 19, 2014 via a " target="_blank">YouTube video.

According to ESPN, Silva said that the primary reason was disillusionment with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The 38-year-old cited that the UFC generally did not respect its athletes. Some of the reasons why he finally decided to exit the Octagon for good were that the UFC tried to make him fight even when he was not healthy and paid "crumbs" to its fighters.

He said, "For those reasons, I come here with a very heavy weight in my heart. Today is a very sad day for me. I can't do this anymore. I can't keep being treated this way. I am stepping down from the ring. After today, Wanderlei Silva will not fight again. My career is over because I don't have the stage to perform where athletes get the proper respect."

Silva was supposed to fight Chael Sonnen on May 31, 2014 in Brazil but the event was rebooked to July 5. Silva alleged that the UFC tried to book the fight even though he said that he did not feel healthy enough until late in 2014.

In Wanderlei Silva retirement news, he said, "They told me I had to fight on that date and offered me a bunch of money. I asked myself, 'If they have the money, why didn't they offer it to me before?' They always hold on to the money so they underpay athletes." He added, "They kept pressuring me. I said I could only fight at the end of the year. They opened their eyes wide. I was not in the physical condition necessary to fight the July card. My body wasn't responding and I couldn't train."

In a report by MMA Fighting on the Wanderlei Silva retirement, the fighter said, "They tried to turn my fans against me. My fans, who have followed me for 20 years, before this promotion even existed I was already fighting in Brazil. I have fought bare-knuckle and I helped building this sport. Everything you see today, I helped build with my sweat and blood."