Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Danny
Silva's career might be cut short.

Silva (11-2) recently revealed that he is contemplating retirement
after spending three days in the hospital. Despite his body hurting
after a recent training session, “Puma†went for a three-mile run.
It was during the run that Silva's body started shutting down. When
he saw swelling on his neck after returning home, the 29-year-old
visited the hospital.

UFC featherweight Danny Silva details neck thrombosis,
pulmonary embolism

Silva's scans revealed a massive thrombosis in his neck, with part
of the clot causing a pulmonary embolism in his lung. Doctors told
him that while 50% of patients wouldn't have made it, the UFC
prospect's great physical shape helped him survive. With much still
unknown about his health, Silva is unsure about his future in
fighting.

The American, who has only lost to surging contender Kevin
Vallejos in four UFC outings, says his second-round knockout
win over Kuris Campbell at UFC London this past March might have
been his “last dance.â€

“Could this have been my last dance? I don't know,†Silva wrote on
Instagram before detailing the entire ordeal.

“Two weeks ago I thought I had a rib out. I pushed through like
every fighter does. Friday I sparred, did my sprints, and my team
thought I looked good. I didn't want to make excuses, but I
mentioned that my left arm was hurting and my rib was hurting. My
team helped with cupping and scraping. That same night I went for a
run at 8 p.m. I did 3 miles. On the 3rd mile, my body was shutting
down. I pushed because I won't quit on myself, and 3 miles should
be nothing. I got home, and there was swelling on the left side of
my neck and pec. A good doctor friend of mine recommended I go to
the ER to make sure I wasn't having a heart attack. After 9 hours
in the ER, doing EKGs and CT scans, they came back with some bad
news. I had multiple blood clots. They found a massive thrombosis
in a vein in my neck, and part of the clot had broken off and
traveled to my lung, causing a pulmonary embolism. This news has
changed my life. Spending 3 nights in the hospital was awful. The
fact that I was still sparring and in such good shape just tells me
how tough I can be in the face of adversity. Because I'm in such
good shape I was able to survive. They told me 50% of people don't
make it. The fact that I was training, sparring and pushing myself
may have saved my life. But right now there's still so much I don't
know. I'm finally out of the hospital, but I have to be on
medication for a couple of months. This isn't the first time I've
had a setback. My worst enemy has always been me. My mind is
strong. It sucks when something out of your control tries to take
you away from your dream.â€

Silva then reflected on how his recent health scare might affect
his future before thanking those closest to him.

“I won't give up. I'd rather die trying, as bad as that sounds,
especially because I was close to dying. Before that, I want to say
thank you to everyone who took care of me during this hard time. My
nurses and doctors were incredible, and I'm beyond grateful for the
care I received. To my friends and family who showed up, stayed
with me and never left my side—I felt all the love. You all gave me
the strength I needed to get through this. I'm sorry to all my
friends, my family and my team. I wish the outcome was different.
Hope God has a plan.â€

Makhachev recently received a black belt in taekwondo from his
coach, Seifulla
Magomedov, who is a four-time European taekwondo champion.
However, Makhachev, who is from Dagestan, humbly admits that the
credibility of his black belt is questionable.

Islam Makhachev questions new taekwondo black belt after
receiving promotion

Makhachev believes the black belt was more of a gift from his coach
than a well-deserved promotion.

“This belt we have to check,†Makhachev told MMA Junkie. “One of my
coaches is Russian Olympic team coach. He just give me. I call this
gift. Not something I really deserve.â€

Like many of Makhachev's one-liners, “checking belts†has become a
part of mixed martial arts folklore. The phrase was first used by
the reigning welterweight champion while discussing the threat
posed by fighters with black belts in jiu-jitsu. Makhachev famously
said that the credibility of jiu-jitsu black belts needs to be
checked, as there are too many being doled out.

Makhachev (28-1) defended the
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title four times,
the most in the division's history, before moving up to
welterweight, where he dethroned Jack
Della Maddalena to win the title last year. He is now scheduled
to defend his 170-pound title for the first time against Ian Garry
(17-1) at UFC
330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

Makhachev is scheduled to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title against
Ian
Garry in the main event at UFC
330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Alvarez
was specifically brought into Makhachev's camp to mimic Garry and
the Spaniard is now reportedly set to compete at the upcoming
numbered event.

Joel Alvarez replaces Geoff Neal and joins Islam Makhachev vs.
Ian Garry card at UFC 330

As reported by Alvaro Colmenero, Alvarez (23-4) has accepted a
short-notice fight against Chidi
Njokuani (25-12) at UFC 330. “El Fenomeno†steps up on about
two weeks' notice after Njokuani's original opponent, Geoff Neal,
pulled out due to an injury.

Alvarez is 8-3 in the UFC, with all of his losses coming against
elite opponents. He went 7-2 while competing as a lightweight in
the promotion, although he missed weight twice. Despite putting
together a three-fight win streak at 155 pounds without missing
weight across 2023 and 2024, he opted to move up to welterweight,
winning his 170-pound debut in the UFC against Vicente
Luque.

He is coming off a submission loss against Yaroslav
Amosov that snapped a four-fight winning streak with three
finishes. Meanwhile, Njokuani is 5-5 in the UFC and currently on a
two-fight slump.