With Anderson Silva's next fight still four months away, "The Spider" has admitted that he is still psychologically affected by the leg injury that put him on the sidelines. He has also forgone any plans for another title run.
Anderson Silva's next fight is scheduled against Nick Diaz for UFC 183 on January 31st in Las Vegas. It will be the first time for "The Spider" to step inside the Octagon since the broken leg injury he sustained against Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in December 2013.
In a June interview, Silva's physician Dr. Marcio Tannure revealed that the injury sustained by "The Spider" may still have a psychological effect on the fighter, considering its brutal nature.
"He feels unsafe now, maybe sees some images on his head, so we can't demand too much from him right now," Dr. Tannure said. "That's the toughest barrier to overcome. He will only lose this fear with training, and then he will know if he's ready to fight or not. That's absolutely normal."
Training session have already commenced in preparation for Anderson Silva's next fight, but the former UFC middleweight champion himself admitted that he is still trying to exorcise the "ghosts" of his violent injury.
"I've worked with a psychologist so I can get rid of the ghosts of those horrible moments of that fight, when I had that accident," Silva said in an interview with Brazilian media outfit Globo.com. "I'm a little apprehensive in training. I know I can execute the movement, but I end up not doing it for fear."
Anderson Silva's reign as UFC middleweight champion has been a dominant run. He held a seven-year undefeated streak as champion, only to drop the belt to current champion Chris Weidman. He was also considered by many as the "Greatest Of All Time" (GOAT) during his tenure as champion.
Given these accolades, "The Spider" revealed that he is foregoing any further aspirations for another title run.
"In a way you'll see me (fight again), but not for the belt, that thing of being champion again," Silva said. "I don't have patience for this. I think I'm closer to retirement every day."
