Anderson Silva still has 'ghosts' about broken leg, 'closer to retirement every day'

Anderson Silva will make his return to the UFC octagon on Jan. 31 after more than a year off from competition, but he sounds like a man not long for the sport.

In his last fight, his second consecutive loss to new middleweight champion Chris Weidman, Silva suffered a gruesome broken left fibula that required a intramedullary rod to stabilize his tibia. As Silva prepares to take on Nick Diaz on Jan. 31, he finds himself working through a psychological recovery as well as a physical one.

Silva explained the process to Fantastico, relayed via MMAFighting.com:

"I feel no pain at all. My strength is back because I’m back to training. The hardest part is self-confidence, to kick again as I used to....

"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. I’m a little apprehensive in training. I know I can execute the movement, but I end up not doing it for fear."

That kind of trepidation after a serious injury is understandable, and it's a bit surprising that at age 39 and with little left to prove that Silva didn't use the injury as a reason to hang 'em up.

While he opted not to then, retirement is something that sounds like a near-term reality:

"I'm over this thing of being champion, having the title. The truth is, there will only be one Ayrton Senna, there will only be one Pele, and there will only be one Anderson Silva, so whoever saw me (as champion) saw me. Who haven't seen me (as champion), won't see it....

"In a way you'll see me (fight again), but not for the belt, that thing of being champion again. I don't have patience for this. I think I'm closer to retirement every day."

Silva can still score a few major paydays before walking away, but if he's serious about no longer wanting to chase the title, and considering he spent the better part of seven years cleaning out the middleweight division, any fight could be Silva's last.

Joining the promotion in June 2006, Silva ranks third in all-time UFC wins with 16, second in title bout victories with 12, and first in consecutive wins (16) and consecutive title defenses (10). He's a surefire, minute-he-retires Hall of Famer.