Anderson Silva will consult family before deciding whether or not he'll retire

LAS VEGAS -- Anderson Silva went back to his room Saturday night after his unanimous decision win over Nick Diaz. There, he saw his 17-year-old son Khalil. And Khalil began to cry.

"My son talked to me serious," Silva said at the post-fight press conference. "When I talked to my son, my son cried. 'Dad, stop, please. Back home. Please. You don't need more fights.'"

It's for that reason that Silva said he needs to speak with his family before he decides whether or not he'll retire. At UFC 183 here at MGM Grand, he made a miraculous comeback, returning just 13 months after breaking his leg in the Octagon. After hearing the announcement that he had beaten Diaz, Silva crumpled to the mat and shed tears himself.

"I'm very happy, so yeah," Silva said. "It's my mission. My coach say you have the mission tonight. You need to win. You need to win, because your people in Brazil are waiting for this."

Many people, including possibly Silva himself, didn't think he would be able to return from the gruesome injury. At UFC 168 in December 2013, Silva attempted a leg kick on Chris Weidman in a middleweight title fight. Weidman checked the kick and Silva's left leg broke. It was a compound fracture and Silva's screams of pain were haunting.

The former middleweight champion and greatest UFC titleholder of all time said multiple times before this fight that his family wasn't a big fan of him continuing to fight. Silva, 39, didn't have much to prove. His legacy has already been cemented as one of the best MMA fighters ever.

So it'll be his family that he speaks to again on the potential continuation of his fighting career.

"I need to talk to my family," Silva said. "I love my job. This is me. I love fight. But I need to talk to my family, because this is more important to my life now."

If this is the end, Silva (34-6) went out as a winner, the same distinction he held countless times in his career. UFC president Dana White said that Silva would earn a title shot against Weidman if he beat Diaz, but even before the fight Silva didn't seem to agree with that, telling Brazilian media he needed another two or three wins before becoming No. 1 contender again.

When asked what he would do if he was the only one involved in the decision, Silva said he would probably not retire. But the choice won't be his alone.

"I love my job," Silva said. "I love UFC. When my son talked to me, I'm a little scared."