Anderson Silva retires this weekend at UFC Vegas 12, but the fighter feels the promotion has changed and not necessarily for the best since Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta left the promotion.
The former middleweight champion believes the UFC became less family friendly once the Fertitta Brothers left.
“I think the UFC changed for me when Lorenzo came out,” Silva told MMA Junkie. “Lorenzo tried to put inside the UFC the big family, and right now it’s completely different, but I continue to fight inside the UFC because I have a lot of friends, and I feel the same family. But, yeah, of course it’s changed a lot when Lorenzo is not inside.”
Endeavor is the majority owner of the UFC now, with a multitude of celebrities and UFC President Dana White holding smaller shares in the promotion. Silva says that the UFC felt more like family for him and other fighters before the Fertitta Brothers exited the promotion.
“I think Lorenzo and the Fertitta brothers, who (were) the owners of the UFC, the relationship with fighters was more close, especially for me,” Silva said. “I love Dana (White), but Lorenzo and his brother (were) very close to the fighters and tried to make the UFC fighters part of the UFC family.”
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