Dana White reacts to recent criticism from former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva

UFC President Dana White is unsure what to make of Anderson Silva’s recent critical comments towards the promotion.

Silva built a legacy under the UFC banner. He became the longest-reigning UFC Middleweight Champion in history and at one point looked unstoppable with 10 successful title defenses.

As the years went by, “The Spider” began to lose his touch inside the Octagon and he was released in 2020. Many felt the UFC didn’t give Silva a proper sendoff after all he had done throughout his legendary career.

Anderson Silva recently told SportsNaut that he believes the UFC doesn’t have respect for a fighter’s legacy.

“That’s the problem for the people in this sport, especially UFC because UFC doesn’t respect the legacy that fighters have. They try to use you and kick you out. And when you’re out, they try to destroy your career [so] you don’t fight anywhere. This happened [to] a lot of fighters. People don’t think about that. I had a good time in UFC, and bad times too. The bad time for me is the experience I have behind the scenes. But inside the cage, inside the fight, I do my best. It’s the only time I have control. Outside I don’t have control.”

During the UFC 274 post-fight press conference, Dana White had a response to Silva’s comments (via Aaron Bronsteter).

White says that recent comments from Anderson Silva have confused him. He says that he never said anything bad about Silva and doesn't get where it's coming from.

White says that he'd been pushing for Jake Paul to box Anderson Silva.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 8, 2022

“White says that recent comments from Anderson Silva have confused him. He says that he never said anything bad about Silva and doesn’t get where it’s coming from. White says that he’d been pushing for Jake Paul to box Anderson Silva.”

Silva is getting all of his flowers in the boxing world. He defeated former world boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and knocked out Tito Ortiz inside the boxing ring. He’s scheduled to take on Bruno Machado in an exhibition boxing match on May 14.