Antônio Silva (fighter)

Antônio Silva
Born (1979-09-14) September 14, 1979
Brasília, Brazil[1]
Other names Bigfoot
Pezão
Nationality Brazilian
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[2]
Weight 265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb)
Division Heavyweight
Super Heavyweight
Reach 80.0 in (203 cm)[3]
Style Shotokan Karate, Boxing, BJJ, Judo
Fighting out of Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil
Team Team Nogueira
American Top Team
Rank Black belt in Shotokan Karate
Black belt in Judo
Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2]
Years active 2005–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total 32
Wins 19
By knockout 14
By submission 3
By decision 2
Losses 12
By knockout 10
By decision 2
No contests 1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
External image
Antônio Silva

Antônio Carlos Silva[4] (born September 14, 1979) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the heavyweight division of the UFC. He is a former EliteXC Heavyweight Champion, a former Cage Rage World Heavyweight Champion and a former Cage Warriors Super Heavyweight Champion. He has also competed for K-1 Hero's, BodogFIGHT, Strikeforce and World Victory Road. Known for being one of the five men (along with Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Fabrício Werdum, Dan Henderson, and Matt Mitrione) to defeat Fedor Emelianenko in mixed martial arts competition.

Background

Originally from Brasilia, Brazil, Silva began training in karate at the age of four, and received his black belt at the age of 12. After 13 years of karate training, Silva transitioned to Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo at the age of 17.[5]

Mixed martial arts career

Club affiliation

Silva began his career with the UK-based Wolfslair MMA Academy in 2005. In 2006, after his bout with Tadas Rimkevicius, Wolfslair requested (to Silva's instructor Mario Neto) that Silva leave the team and return to Brazil. The gym claims Silva owed it over £20,000; however, Silva states that it owed him £6,000 in fighter purses for two fights, for which he was promised £3,000 each. After training with Brazilian Top Team during the dispute, Silva joined American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.[6] He also trained at the Imperial Athletics gym in Boca Raton, Florida, for his quarterfinal bout with Fedor Emelianenko in the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament.[7]

Early career

Silva made his professional debut in the United Kingdom against Georgian fighter Tengiz Tedoradze, who would become the Cage Rage British Heavyweight Champion two fights later. Silva was impressive in his debut, winning by TKO only 48 seconds into the fight. In his next bout, Silva made his Cage Warriors debut and won again via strikes after his opponent submitted.

Silva then made his Cage Rage debut and became the Cage Rage World Heavyweight Champion after defeating his opponent via TKO. Silva then returned to Cage Warriors to fight longtime veteran Ruben "Warpath" Villareal for the Cage Warriors Super Heavyweight Championship and won again via TKO, and became the Cage Warriors Super Heavyweight Champion. Silva followed this up with a knockout win over Lithuanian fighter Tadas Rimkevicius before making his Japanese debut for K-1 Hero's. In his debut for the organization, he defeated longtime veteran Tom Erikson via TKO and then won his next fight by knockout.

This brought Silva's record to an undefeated 7-0 with all his wins coming by TKO/KO within the first round. Silva faced Eric Pele in his first and only fight with the BodogFIGHT promotion and was handed his first career loss with a controversial TKO.

EliteXC

On February 10, 2007, Silva made his EliteXC debut at EliteXC: Destiny, against UFC veteran Wesley Correira. Silva won by TKO due to strikes in the first round.

Silva was originally scheduled to fight on the Dynamite!! USA card as a representative of EliteXC. He was to face Jonathan Wiezorek, but the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) discovered a benign tumor on his pituitary gland in his pre-fight medicals and refused to license the fighter. As a result, Silva underwent brain surgery that summer in order to have the tumor removed.[8]

Post-surgery, Silva finally faced Jonathan Wiezorek at EliteXC: Renegade in November 2007. He won the fight by-rear naked choke in the first round. His next victory came by split decision (28–29, 29–28, and 30–27) over former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez.

On July 26, 2008, Silva won the EliteXC Heavyweight Championship, with a second-round TKO win over UFC veteran Justin Eilers. Silva later tested positive for the anabolic steroid Boldenone, and was suspended for one year and fined $2,500 by the California State Athletic Commission.[9] According to Silva's manager, Alex Davis, the positive test was caused by Silva's use of Novedex, a testosterone-booster he takes to raise his low testosterone levels (a symptom of his acromegaly). "He has to treat it", said Davis. "He spends between $6,000 and $8,000 a month just on medicine for it. He needs to be able to keep fighting to make a living. If it's between Antônio's health and pleasing the athletic commission, we have to choose his health."[10]

Sengoku

Soon after, Silva signed on to fight at World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku no Ran 2009. He was advised not to fight in Japan by the California State Athletic Commission. He ignored this advice, and continued to claim that he had not used steroids. At the January 4, 2009 event, he defeated Yoshihiro "KISS" Nakao by TKO when Nakao suffered a knee injury in the first round.

At Sengoku 10 he fought Jim York, winning by submission in the first round. With both fighters looking tentative on the feet, Silva took York down once, but was stood up by the referee. Later in the round, he took York down again, assuming the half-guard position and landing effective hammerfists and punches, before moving into an arm triangle choke from the side control position to secure victory.

Strikeforce

On November 7, 2009, Silva suffered the second loss of his career, losing a decision to Fabrício Werdum at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers. After dominating the first round, Silva fractured his left hand in the beginning of the second.[11][12][13]

Silva defeated former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski on May 15, 2010, at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery,[14] via decision.

He was scheduled to face Valentijn Overeem on Dec. 4, but Overeem suffered an injury and withdrew from the fight.[15] He was replaced by Mike Kyle.[16] Kyle knocked down Silva in the first round with a punch, but Silva survived Kyle's ground and pound and recovered. In the second round, Silva mounted Kyle and forced a TKO stoppage with punches.

Silva defeated Fedor Emelianenko in the quarterfinal round of the 2011 Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament, via doctor stoppage between the second and third rounds. He was expected to meet Alistair Overeem in the semifinals, but Overeem withdrew from the fight due to injury. He was replaced by one of the tournament alternates, Daniel Cormier. Cormier knocked Silva out with standing punches at 3:56 of round 1.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On January 7, 2012, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira told "Portal do Vale Tudo" Silva had signed a UFC contract. Silva was scheduled to debut against Roy Nelson on May 26, 2012 at UFC 146,[17] but was rescheduled to face Cain Velasquez instead.[18] Velasquez defeated Silva by TKO in the first round.

Silva faced Travis Browne on October 5, 2012 at UFC on FX 5.[19] Early in the fight Browne injured his hamstring, limiting his movement. Silva capitalized on Browne's limited mobility by backing him against the cage. After a big right sent Browne to the canvas, Silva finished him off with strikes on the ground for a first round TKO victory.

Silva next faced Alistair Overeem on February 2, 2013 at UFC 156.[20] Leading up to the fight, Overeem was dismissive of Silva's skills, claiming he was better than his opponent in every aspect of MMA.[21] Despite being a significant underdog and losing the first and second rounds, Silva won the fight via KO in the third round. The win also earned Silva his first Knockout of the Night honor.[22]

Silva faced Cain Velasquez in a rematch for the UFC Heavyweight Championship on May 25, 2013 at UFC 160.[23] Silva was rocked with a right hand early into the fight and finished again via TKO in the first round.

Silva faced Mark Hunt on December 7, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 33 in the main event.[24] It was a back-and-forth affair that saw both men trade the advantage over five full rounds. The end result was a majority draw (48–47 Hunt, 47–47, and 47–47).[25] Post-fight, Dana White said the bout won Fight of the Night and, despite the draw result, both men would receive their win bonuses.[26] Silva forfeited his win money and $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus to Hunt after failing a post-fight test for elevated testosterone (he had been undergoing UFC-approved testosterone replacement therapy). He was suspended for nine months, retroactive to the date of the fight.[27]

Silva faced Andrei Arlovski in a rematch on September 13, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 51.[28] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Following this fight, Silva returned to the hospital for surgery to remove a pituitary gland tumor - which causes his acromegaly - that had reemerged. The surgery was successful and he expects to return to fighting in 2015.[29]

Silva was expected to face Frank Mir on February 28, 2015 at UFC 184.[30] However, the bout with Mir was moved up a week and instead served as event headliner for UFC Fight Night 61.[31] Silva lost the fight via knockout in the first round, as Mir dropped Silva with a left hook and finished him with a barrage of ground and pound.[32]

Silva faced Soa Palelei on August 1, 2015 at UFC 190.[33] He won the fight by TKO in the second round.[34]

A rematch with Mark Hunt took place on November 15, 2015 at UFC 193.[35] Silva lost the fight via TKO in the first round.[36]

Silva next faced Stefan Struve on May 8, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 87.[37] Silva lost the bout via knockout in the first round as he was stunned by a right hook on the chin followed with a knee to the body and multiple elbows to the side of his head.[38]

Silva fought Roy Nelson on September 24, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 95.[39] He lost the fight by knockout in the second round.[40] Subsequently, he was released from the UFC.[41]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 19–12–1 Vitaly Minakov KO (punches) EFN-FNG 68 June 2, 2017 2 1:37 St. Petersburg, Russia
Loss 19–11–1 Ivan Shtyrkov Decision (unanimous) Titov Boxing Promotion: Shtyrkov vs. Silva November 18, 2016 3 5:00 Yekaterinburg, Russia
Loss 19–10–1 Roy Nelson KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Lansberg September 24, 2016 2 4:10 Brasília, Brazil
Loss 19–9–1 Stefan Struve KO (elbows) UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski May 8, 2016 1 0:16 Rotterdam, Netherlands
Loss 19–8–1 Mark Hunt TKO (punches) UFC 193 November 15, 2015 1 3:41 Melbourne, Australia
Win 19–7–1 Soa Palelei TKO (punches) UFC 190 August 1, 2015 2 0:41 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Loss 18–7–1 Frank Mir KO (punch and elbows) UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir February 22, 2015 1 1:40 Porto Alegre, Brazil
Loss 18–6–1 Andrei Arlovski KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski September 13, 2014 1 2:59 Brasília, Brazil
NC 18–5–1 Mark Hunt NC (overturned) UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot December 7, 2013 5 5:00 Brisbane, Australia Fight of the Night. Silva tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone.
Loss 18–5 Cain Velasquez TKO (punches) UFC 160 May 25, 2013 1 1:21 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States For the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Win 18–4 Alistair Overeem KO (punches) UFC 156 February 2, 2013 3 0:25 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Knockout of the Night.
Win 17–4 Travis Browne TKO (punches) UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot October 5, 2012 1 3:27 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Loss 16–4 Cain Velasquez TKO (punches) UFC 146 May 26, 2012 1 3:36 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 16–3 Daniel Cormier KO (punches) Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov September 10, 2011 1 3:56 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinais.
Win 16–2 Fedor Emelianenko TKO (doctor stoppage) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva February 12, 2011 2 5:00 East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinais.
Win 15–2 Mike Kyle KO (punches) Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II December 4, 2010 2 2:49 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Win 14–2 Andrei Arlovski Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery May 15, 2010 3 5:00 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Loss 13–2 Fabrício Werdum Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers November 7, 2009 3 5:00 Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States
Win 13–1 Jim York Submission (arm-triangle choke) Sengoku 10 September 23, 2009 1 3:51 Saitama, Japan
Win 12–1 Yoshihiro Nakao TKO (knee injury) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku no Ran 2009 January 4, 2009 1 1:42 Saitama, Japan
Win 11–1 Justin Eilers TKO (knees and punches) EliteXC: Unfinished Business July 26, 2008 2 0:19 Stockton, California, United States Won the EliteXC Heavyweight Championship. Tested positive for boldenone post-fight.
Win 10–1 Ricco Rodriguez Decision (split) EliteXC: Street Certified February 16, 2008 3 5:00 Miami, Florida, United States
Win 9–1 Jonathan Wiezorek Submission (rear-naked choke) EliteXC: Renegade November 10, 2007 1 3:12 Corpus Christi, Texas, United States
Win 8–1 Wesley Correira TKO (flying knee and punches) EliteXC: Destiny February 10, 2007 1 3:49 Southaven, Mississippi, United States
Loss 7–1 Eric Pele TKO (punches) BodogFight: USA vs. Russia December 2, 2006 1 2:40 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Win 7–0 Georgy Kaysinov KO (punch) Hero's 7 October 9, 2006 1 1:08 Yokohama, Japan
Win 6–0 Tom Erikson TKO (punches) Hero's 5 May 3, 2006 1 2:49 Tokyo, Japan
Win 5–0 Tadas Rimkevicius TKO (punches) CWFC: Strike Force 5 March 25, 2006 1 3:22 Coventry, England Defended the Cage Warriors Heavyweight Championship.
Win 4–0 Ruben Villareal TKO (punches) CWFC: Strike Force 4 November 26, 2005 1 3:07 Coventry, England Won the Cage Warriors Heavyweight Championship.
Win 3–0 Rafael Carino TKO (corner stoppage) Cage Rage 12 July 2, 2005 1 2:55 London, England Won the Cage Rage World Heavyweight Championship.
Win 2–0 Marcus Tchinda Submission (punches) CWFC: Strike Force May 21, 2005 1 3:03 Coventry, England
Win 1–0 Tengiz Tedoradze TKO (punches) UKMMAC 10: Slugfest March 6, 2005 1 0:48 Colchester, England

Personal life

Antônio Silva is married to Rosario Pimentel[42] and they have two daughters together, Anne and Aysha. He and his family reside in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ UFC 160: Bigfoot Silva: "I Will Get The Victory" - YouTube
  2. 1 2 "Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva - Official UFC fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Bigfoot vs. Mir". UFC.com. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  4. ↑ http://boxing.nv.gov/2012%20Results%20Web/05-26-12%20MMA.pdf%5B%5D
  5. ↑ Antonio Silva - Biography - IMDb
  6. ↑ Antonio Silva: "I want to tell you my side of the story" | MMA Shorts | MMA Gloves | MMA Clothing | MMA Equipment. MMAUniverse.com (August 8, 2006). Retrieved on February 14, 2011.
  7. ↑ Big Foot fight camp for the fight against Fedor. YouTube. Retrieved on February 14, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Antonio Silva Exclusive Interview". mmasportsmag.com. February 2, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Silva, Dewees Test Positive". Sherdog.com. 2008. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
  10. ↑ MMA Steroid Busts: The Definitive Timeline | CagepotatoCagepotato. Cagepotato.com. Retrieved on February 14, 2011.
  11. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Fedor Bloodied But Victorious". Sherdog.com. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  12. ↑ Morgan, John. (March 25, 2010) Silva wants rematch with Werdum after dispatching of Arlovski at Strikeforce St. Louis. MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved on February 14, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Antonio "Big Foot" Silva wants a rematch with Werdum after he takes out Arlovski , UFC/MMA News In One Place , MMABay: Powered by TapouT". MMABay. March 25, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Overeem vs. Rogers, Arlovski vs. "Bigfoot" official for May 15 Strikeforce event in St. Louis". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Valentijn Overeem Injured, Strikeforce Debut Nixed". MMAWeekly.com. November 27, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Mike Kyle Tapped to Face Antonio Silva for Strikeforce". MMAWeekly.com. November 29, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Antonio Silva vs. Roy Nelson slated for UFC 146 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. March 7, 2012. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  18. ↑ "UFC 146: Cain Velasquez vs Antonio Silva booked for May 26 in Las Vegas". mmamania.com. April 22, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Heavyweights Travis Browne, Antonio Silva to headline UFC on FX 5 in Minneapolis". mmajunkie.com. July 27, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Overeem eyes return at UFC 156 to face 'Bigfoot' Silva on Super Bowl weekend.". http://www.lvrj.com. November 13, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012. External link in |work= (help)
  21. ↑ "Alistair Overeem says Bigfoot Silva will be just another statistic after UFC 156 knockout". MMAmania.com. January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  22. ↑ "UFC 156 Bonuses: Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar, 'Bigfoot' Silva, Bobby Green banks $50,000 apiece". sherdog.com. February 2, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  23. ↑ Matt Erickson (2013-02-12). "Velasquez-Silva 2, Dos Santos-Overeem booked for UFC 160 in May". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
  24. ↑ Staff (2013-09-04). "Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva targeted for UFC's December return to Australia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  25. ↑ Staff (2013-12-07). "Antonio Silva drew with Mark Hunt". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  26. ↑ Staff. "UFC Fight Night 33 bonuses: Rua, Silva and Hunt pick up $50,000 awards". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  27. ↑ "Antonio Silva fails post-fight drug test". Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  28. ↑ Tristan Critchfield (3 July 2014). "‘Bigfoot’ Silva, Andrei Arlovski to Headline UFC Fight Night in Brazil". sherdog.com. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  29. ↑ Jesse Holland. "Tumor returns, forces Bigfoot Silva into surgery in Brazil". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
  30. ↑ Staff (2014-11-12). "Frank Mir vs. Antonio Silva set for UFC 184 in Los Angeles". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
  31. ↑ Ariel Helwani (2015-01-07). "Frank Mir vs. Antonio Silva moved to Feb. 22 following Glover Teixeira knee injury". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-01-07.
  32. ↑ Brett Okamoto (2015-02-23). "Frank Mir blitzes Antonio Silva". espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  33. ↑ Liam Croy (2015-04-25). "Soa 'the Hulk' in battle of the giants". au.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  34. ↑ Ben Fowlkes (2015-08-01). "UFC 190 results: 'Bigfoot' Silva blasts past Soa Palelei with second-round TKO". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  35. ↑ Mark Bergman (2015-08-19). "'Bigfoot' Silva and Mark Hunt will square off again at UFC 193". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  36. ↑ Brookhouse, Brent. "UFC 193 results: Mark Hunt finishes Antonio Silva in first in rematch of classic war". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  37. ↑ Guilherme Cruz (2016-02-19). "'Bigfoot' Silva vs. Stefan Struve booked for UFC event in Netherlands". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  38. ↑ Ben Fowlkes (2016-05-08). "UFC Fight Night 87 results: Stefan Struve destroys Antonio Silva in 16 seconds". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  39. ↑ Dann Stupp (2016-08-03). "Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva added to UFC Fight Night 95 in Brazil". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  40. ↑ Steven Marrocco (2016-09-25). "UFC Fight Night 95 results: Roy Nelson blasts 'Bigfoot' for second-round KO, then blasts ref McCarthy". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  41. ↑ Marc Raimondi (2016-10-21). "UFC releases Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  42. ↑ April 5, 2012. "Antonio Bigfoot Silva Wife Rosario and their family (pics, bio, Wiki)". FabWags.com. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
Achievements
New championship 1st Elite XC Heavyweight Champion
July 26, 2008 – October 20, 2008 		Incumbent
New championship 1st Cage Warriors Super Heavyweight Champion
November 26, 2005 – present 		Incumbent
Vacant
Title last held by
Ian Freeman		 3rd Cage Rage World Heavyweight Champion
July 2, 2005 – October 20, 2008 		Incumbent
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