Anderson Silva would leave the UFC if Dana White tries to force him into retirement

Anderson Silva doesn’t want to hear about retirement yet.

The former UFC middleweight champion, and arguably the most successful champion in UFC history, is set to meet Chris Weidman, the only man to ever beat him inside the Octagon, on Dec. 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and he won’t consider retirement even if he loses again.

According to the 38-year-old veteran, UFC president Dana White has forced other athletes into retirement in the past, but Silva says he shouldn’t try that with him.

"If I lose again, all the media will criticize me, say that I’m not the same anymore, and maybe Dana will say it’s time to retire," Silva told Roda Viva in Brazil. "He forced Chuck Liddell to retire. He didn’t want to, and is a guy that made history in the UFC, but you have to be prepared."

After almost eight years in the UFC, the Brazilian would rather leave the promotion than hang up the gloves.

"I’d say ‘thank you for everything, but I’ll continue doing what I love in other ways’," he said. "I’d go to other promotions, fight in other sports, but I’d continue fighting because that’s what I love to do."

Some fans wondered if Silva threw his UFC 162 fight, and "The Spider" believes more fans will think the first fight was fixed if he quickly finishes Weidman at UFC 168.

"The faster I end the fight, the better," he said. "I train the hardest I can to end it quickly. People might say ‘oh, he threw the first fight’. People might say. And if I lose again, some people will say I need to retire, that Weidman is the best. It’s normal, and you have to be prepared for that."