• UFC 132

Sonnen wants Wanderlei retired and Dana White agrees

Wanderlei Silva lasted 27 seconds against Chris Leben © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: 'Distracted' Wanderlei 'never considered quitting'
  
• News: 'Bums, immigrants & phonies' - Sonnen blasts Brazilians
  
• News: Ashamed Wanderlei wants revenge, not retirement
  
• News: Machida doesn't believe it's the end for Wanderlei
  
• News: Machida will fight Sonnen after 'bathrobe' jibes
  
• News: Awesome Ortiz rescues career by choking Bader
  
• News: Bowles or Johnson to get next crack at Cruz
  
• News: Cruz edges Faber war in fight that hints at greatness
  
• News: Ortiz wants winner of Forrest v Shogun next
  
• News: Rocked Leben goes into auto-pilot to KO Wanderlei
  

Chael Sonnen has called for Wanderlei Silva to retire from the sport of MMA following his knockout loss at UFC 132, and president Dana White agrees.

Silva suffered a third defeat in his last four fights, and his sixth loss in the last eight, against Chris Leben in Las Vegas. The legendary Brazilian lasted 27 seconds before Leben sunk him with a left hook, followed by a series of uppercuts.

The Axe Murderer has led an incredible career, producing some of the most memorable knockouts the sport has seen, but White believes Silva has entered into Chuck Liddell territory: His chin simply cannot take punishment anymore.

"People love him so much because of the way he fights and his style and the type of person he is," White said. "But yeah, [it's] probably the end of the road for Wanderlei.

"People knew that Silva and Leben were going to come out and they were going to throw until somebody fell down, and it was Wanderlei tonight.

"I think it's one of those ones where I'd like to sit down and talk to him and kind of Chuck Liddell him into it," White said. "I think the guy has nothing left to prove.

"He's a warrior. People love him all over the world, and I just don't want to see that happen to him anymore."

Middleweight rival Sonnen, who had been goading Silva in the build-up to the fight, was typically arrogant about what he would have done to Wanderlei, stating he would have needed less than 27 seconds to finish him. But he did call for the 35-year-old to retire.

"I don't have any ill will towards Wanderlei," Sonnen told MMA Fighting. "Hope he's okay. He can't do this work. This isn't a line of work that he's going to... he just can't do this work.

"I certainly wish him well. I hope he's okay.The only guy that would have finished him quicker was me.

"Wanderlei is going to need to do something else. I don't have any interest in getting in there with him. I don't want to be the next guy to force him to have a flashlight shined in his eyes."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.