Conor McGregor has called for the UFC to let Anderson Silva fight on, despite calls for the Brazilian legend to retire following a devastating TKO loss to Uriah Hall at UFC Vegas 12 on Saturday night.
Silva, 45, had been performing well in the fight until Hall knocked him down in the third round.
'Spider' made it out of the round but was downed again and ultimately finished off in the fourth stanza.
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Hall bawled on the floor and apologised to Silva after the fight, while fans on social media admitted to finding the contest hard to watch.
Silva said it would be his last fight but in the post-fight news conference he admitted he didn't know if he would retire.
But McGregor doesn't think he should.
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The Irishman believes that more considered match-making for the veteran would go a long way in making his future fights more competitive.
"Sad to see tonight, but I say keep going!" McGregor wrote on Twitter.
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"Real fighters never lose that fire so why try to force it out? Simply put time into finding the correct competition and continue on.
"The right competition is out there, for all levels and ages. Find it and do what you love to do! Forever!"
UFC president Dana White, however, says he will never let Silva fight again for the promotion.
"He's got one [fight left on his contract] and we had a deal. When he signed this contract, we had a deal that this would be his last fight," White explained.
"Tonight, I don't feel good about myself that I let Anderson Silva fight this last fight.
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"We've treated Anderson with nothing but respect and if you guys knew what Anderson Silva gets paid to fight, you'd sh*t your f**king pants.
"I think that we've treated him like family. I shouldn't have let him fight this fight tonight."
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/PATopics: Conor Mcgregor, Anderson Silva, MMA News, UFC, Dana White, UFC Fight Night
