Headed into Saturday night, few believed it would be Anderson Silva’s last fight—and almost assuredly, it won’t be. If anything, fans were simply hoping the 45-year-old wouldn’t fail in an ignominious fashion and ignite those all-too-familiar pangs of disappointment, regret, and even guilt that so often come when combat athletes fight long past their prime.
Naturally, of course, that’s exactly what happened. The typically passive and inactive Uriah Hall suddenly sprang to life after 14 minutes, sent Silva clattering to the canvas and never looked back—eventually dribbling the former pound-for-pound king’s head off the floor for the fourth-round knockout.