Wanderlei Silva issued a public apology to the UFC regarding statements he made last year about the UFC “fight fixing.” The UFC released him from his contract according to Silva’s attorney.
Silva wrote a public apology on his official Facebook page which retracted the allegations that spurred a lawsuit by the UFC. Last year, Campbell and Williams, the same law firm that just assisted Nick Diaz with resolving his dispute with the NAC, sued Silva for defamation.
Via Silva’s Facebook post:
“In July of last year, I posted a number of comments on Facebook and Twitter, which included repeated claims that the UFC “fixed fights” and that I could “prove it.” I hereby retract any such statements in their entirety as I failed to understand that the term “fight-fixing” specifically refers to the illegal action or practice of dishonestly determining the outcome of a contest before it occurs. I understand the UFC’s reputation would be harmed if my fans and others actually believed the UFC engaged in fight fixing, and I have no evidence to support such a claim. I apologize for any misunderstanding my comments may have caused.”
It appears that the Silva and the UFC have resolved their legal dispute. Although there has been no official word that the lawsuit is over, all signs point to the end.
Terms of the agreement are confidential per a report from MMA Junkie.
From the release, it appears that Silva will be free to sign with any organization of his choosing. Ross Goodman, Silva’s attorney, indicated that they plan to proceed with a lawsuit against the NAC once the commission rules on Silva’s suspension.
Payout Perspective:
It appears that the on-going saga with the NAC will continue until a hearing next month. But, Silva will be able to fight where he sees fit. The apology and subsequent release seems to be a joint agreement to part ways which seems strange considering the UFC is very aggressive when it comes to the protection of its brand. The Facebook post retraction looks to be drafted by someone other than Silva which may conclude that the parties are willing to part ways instead of conduct further discovery in the UFC-Silva defamation claim.
Not that it matters, but it was the right thing to do. To accuse the UFC of fight fixing is absurd. Sure they may put fights together that make sense money wise but not ranking wise, but that is business.
Silva will likely fight in Japan for the next Risen event. Good luck to him, time to move on from this chapter of his life.