UFC matchmaker Joe Silva has informed the company that he will leave his job with the organization, possibly as soon as the end of 2016, MMAjunkie has learned from a person close to the situation.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not publicly authorized to discuss the matter.
Silva’s departure will come on the heels of the UFC’s sale to a group headed up by talent agency WME-IMG, a deal that Silva is said to have profited from as a company executive.
That financial gain, and not any discontent with the sale or new owners, is motivating Silva’s decision to retire, the source said.
A UFC matchmaker since the promotion was owned and operated by SEG prior to its sale to Zuffa in 2001, Silva has worked for the UFC for 21 years.
In 2013, Silva and fellow matchmaker Sean Shelby spoke to MMAjunkie about the stresses and emotional toll of the complex job. With the payout he received as a result of the sale, the source said Silva plans to retire to spend more time with his family.
Shelby, who currently oversees the matchmaking for the featherweight division and below, as well as the women’s divisions, is likely to take over as the UFC’s primary matchmaker, with the possibility of new hires to fill his former role. Silva has been handling the lightweight division and above since Shelby came to the UFC after the promotion’s merger with the WEC.
Neither Silva, who typically does not go on record with the media, nor the UFC have made a formal announcement of Silva’s decision.
