Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey is coming off of the second loss of her professional MMA career, a 48 second destruction at the hands of Amanda Nunes. Former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva has suffered his fair share of tough defeats as well, which put him in a good spot to offer advice to Rousey.
“After her first loss, I sent her a message,” Silva said to Combate. “Right then, I posted something on social media motivating her. I think regardless of what happened and what will happen in your life, you need to keep your head up because what you did will stay in history. Regardless of wins or losses, you need to care about what you see as the most important in your life. I hope 2017 is a year of many wins for you and new accomplishments, and that if you keep fighting, that you return well. The way I see it, personally and technically as a fighter, pick your opponents better when you return. Don’t fight someone who’s as active as the champ. I think it was the wrong strategy. I hope you come back. You’re a great athlete. God bless you.”
Silva was once the most dominant champion in UFC history, but has fallen on rough times in his last few octagon appearances, something he knows how to deal with.
“I always dealt very well with defeat, because I’ve had defeats early in my career at a time I couldn’t lose,” Silva said. “If I lost, I couldn’t provide for my daughter and put money in the house. So losses are part of it. People need to understand that athletes train very hard to go up there. They train for four, five months. I, for one, at the time when I had the title for eight years, if during all those … years I was champion, if I spent … 10 days with my family, it’s a lot – because I was 100 percent dedicated to fighting and to giving it to my best, to bring some joy to the people. So when something like this happens, of people spray painting, criticizing, calling names, these people need to think about that. Because we’re there to do our jobs and show this work that’s not only ours, but also from a team that dedicated themselves for months.”
UFC 208 takes place on Saturday, February 11 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York with Holly Holm and Germaine De Randamie headlining.
