Anderson Silva nearly retired from MMA before UFC debut in 2006

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What would the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight division be like without reigning champion Anderson Silva perched upon its throne?
A Silva-less Octagon was a lot closer to becoming a reality than some fans may think.
That's because "The Spider," who had suffered a pair of losses under the PRIDE banner, was "discouraged" following a feud with Chute Boxe Academy founder Rudimar Fedrigo and nearly retired from mixed martial arts before signing with Zuffa.
Fortunately for us (and unfortunately for Rich Franklin), Silva had a fellow Brazilian named Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by his side to help him through that difficult time.
Here's more from "Minotauro" (via Sherdog.com):

"Anderson was a little discouraged because of his feud with Rudimar. The doors of Pride were closed to him, and he wanted to stop fighting. I’ve always been a fan of Anderson’s. Back when he was in Meca, I met his dad, and we talked. He always treated me very well. Nobody talked a lot in Japan, but I always had a good relationship with everyone. I always liked to talk with Anderson. He has always been very respectful because he’s a student of the martial arts."

A relatively unknown Silva made his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 5 back in 2006 with a first round obliteration of popular middleweight Chris Leben, who made one of the worst predictions in the history of the sport when he promised to send "The Spider" back to Japan "where the competition was a little easier."
And speaking of easy, Silva rearranged Rich Franklin's face in his next fight to capture the 185-pound belt and hasn't looked back since, amassing a 13-fight win streak during a UFC career that on paper looks like the work of fiction.
Not bad for a fighter who almost called it quits. If he had, anyone want to take a guess as to who'd be the top dog at middleweight? Franklin? Dan Henderson? (gasp) Michael Bisping?