(REUTERS) - Anderson Silva said he is content to leave the Octagon in his rear-view mirror.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion told ESPN that his career as a MMA fighter is over.

"I think MMA for me is done," the 46-year-old told the network.

"Because it's hard to train MMA. It's hard to stay training in a good level because you hurt yourself a lot. Now I just try to enjoy.

"I don't need to prove nothing for anybody. I just try to enjoy every single moment I fight in different sports. And that's it."

He is not leaving combat sports entirely.

He is slated to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in a boxing match June 19 in Mexico.

Silva owns a 1-1 career record as a boxer.

Silva has posted a just a single victory in his last nine fights (1-7 with one no-contest) - a span of more than seven years.

He was soundly beaten by technical knockout by Uriah Hall in the fourth round on Oct 31 to fall to 34-11 with one no contest in his career across all organisations.

He also tested positive twice for performance-enhancing drugs, but was cleared of the most recent failed test in 2017.

Silva, known as "Spider", was at his fighting pinnacle from 2006-2013, when he set UFC records for the longest title reign (2,457 days), longest winning streak (16), title fight finishes (nine) and knockdowns (18).

He ranks second in the promotion in title defences (10), a record he held until Demetrious Johnson reached 11 in 2017.