Antônio Carlos "Bigfoot" Silvahttp://boxing.nv.gov/2012%20Results%20Web/05-26-12%20MMA.pdf (born 14 September 1979) is a Brazilian professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

and

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

who competes in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

division. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, he has competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

Cage Rage Cage Rage Championships, also known as Cage Rage, was a United Kingdom-based, mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went into liquidation and is now no longer trading. Cage Rage had been owned and ma ...

Fight Nights Global AMC Fight Nights (or Fight Nights Global before 2021) is a Russian mixed martial arts organization that previously hosted K-1 and other martial arts events. It is one of the largest promotion companies in the world and features some of the top-ra ...

World Victory Road World Victory Road (WVR) is a defunct Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of PRIDE FC by Zuffa. It operated in c ...

K-1 HERO'S Hero's was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1. Grown from and branched off of K-1's earlier experiments in MMA, including the ''K-1 Romanex' ...

, and

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish owned mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under the Cage Warrio ...

. He is the former EliteXC Heavyweight Champion, Cage Rage World Heavyweight Champion, and Cage Warriors Super Heavyweight Champion.

Background

Originally from

Brasília Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...

Distrito Federal A federal district is a type of administrative division of a federation, usually under the direct control of a federal government and organized sometimes with a single municipal body. Federal districts often include capital districts, and they ...

, Silva began training in

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

at the age of four, and received his black belt at the age of 12. After 14 years of

training, Silva transitioned to

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

and

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

at the age of 17.

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 The Brazilian Top Team (BTT) is an academy specialized in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and mixed martial arts. It established in April 2000 by Murilo Bustamante, Ricardo Libório, Mário Sperry and Luis Roberto Duarte, former members of the Carlson Graci ...

during the dispute, Silva joined

American Top Team American Top Team (ATT) is one of the primary teams in mixed martial arts. The gym was founded by Dan Lambert, who brought in former members of Brazilian Top Team Marcus "Conan" Silveira, Marcelo Silveira and Ricardo Liborio, but there is no for ...

Coconut Creek, Florida Coconut Creek is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. Situated north of Miami, it had a population of 57,833 in 2020. It is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city seceded from ...

. He also trained at the Imperial Athletics gym in

Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

, for his quarterfinal bout with

Fedor Emelianenko Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko ( rus, Фёдор Влади́мирович Емелья́ненко, r=Fyodor Vladimirovich Yemelyanenko, p=ˈfʲɵdər vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ jɪmʲɪˈlʲjænʲɪnkə, IPA; born ...

in the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament.

Early career

Silva made his professional debut in the United Kingdom against

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

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

debut and won again via strikes after his opponent submitted. Silva then made his

debut and became the Cage Rage World Heavyweight Champion after defeating his opponent via TKO. Silva then returned to

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 Hero's was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1. Grown from and branched off of K-1's earlier experiments in MMA, including the ''K-1 Romanex' ...

. In his debut for the organization, he defeated longtime veteran

Tom Erikson Tom Erikson (born July 6, 1964) is an American former amateur wrestler and mixed martial artist who competed in the super heavyweight division. Weighing between and throughout his career, "The Big Cat" began wrestling at an early age and was ...

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 Eric Pele (born October 21, 1969) is a retired United States, American mixed martial artist of Samoans, Samoan descent and former List of KOTC champions, King of the Cage Super Heavyweight Champion. Pele is also an accomplished tattoo artist who ...

in his first and only fight with the BodogFIGHT promotion and was handed his first career loss with a controversial TKO.

EliteXC

On 10 February 2007, Silva made his

debut at EliteXC: Destiny, against

veteran

Wesley Correira Wesley John Correira Jr. (born November 11, 1978), nicknamed Cabbage, is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions. An iron chinned brawler, Correira began his career in 2000 and came to pr ...

. Silva won by TKO due to strikes in the first round. Silva was originally scheduled to fight on the

Dynamite!! USA ''SoftBank presents Dynamite!! USA'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event co-promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), the promoters of K-1 kickboxing events and Hero's MMA events, and EliteXC. The event was held on Saturday, June 2, ...

card as a representative of

. He was to face Jonathan Wiezorek, but the

California State Athletic Commission The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) regulates amateur and professional boxing, amateur and professional kickboxing and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) throughout the State by licensing all participants and supervising the events. ...

(CSAC) discovered a benign tumor on his

pituitary gland In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland, about the size of a chickpea and weighing, on average, in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. The ...

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. Post-surgery, Silva finally faced Jonathan Wiezorek at EliteXC: Renegade in November 2007. He won the fight by a 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 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

Ricco Rodriguez Ricco Rodriguez (born August 19, 1977) is an American semi-retired mixed martial artist currently competing in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 1999, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, EliteXC, I ...

. On 26 July 2008, Silva won the EliteXC Heavyweight Championship, with a second-round TKO win over UFC veteran

Justin Eilers Justin Mark Eilers (June 28, 1978 – December 25, 2008)Eilers Shot Dead
– Sherdog.com ...

. Silva later tested positive for the

anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone (medication), testosterone as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related ...

Boldenone Boldenone (developmental code name RU-18761), is a naturally occurring anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) and the 1(2)- dehydrogenated analogue of testosterone. Boldenone itself has never been marketed; as a pharmaceutical drug, it is used as ...

, and was suspended for one year and fined $2,500 by the

. According to Silva's manager, Alex Davis, the positive test was caused by Silva's use of Novedex, a

testosterone Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondar ...

-booster he takes to raise his low testosterone levels (a symptom of his

acromegaly Acromegaly is a disorder that results from excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet. There may also be an enlargement of the forehead, jaw, and nose. Other ...

). "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."

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 4 January 2009 event, he defeated Yoshihiro "KISS" Nakao by TKO when Nakao suffered a knee injury in the first round. At

Sengoku 10 ''World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 10'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Victory Road on September 23, 2009. The event included three Gold Cup matches featuring the winners of Sengoku: Gold Cup South Korea versus the winners o ...

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 Half guard (or half mount) is a ground grappling position where one combatant is lying on the other, with the bottom combatant having one leg entangled. Sometimes the bottom combatant is said to be in half guard, while the top combatant is in ...

position and landing effective hammerfists and punches, before moving into an arm-triangle choke from the side control position to secure victory.

Strikeforce

On 7 November 2009, Silva suffered the second loss of his career, losing a unanimous decision to

Fabrício Werdum Fabrício Werdum (; born 30 July 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Heavyweight Champion who competes in the Heavyweight division. He is also a 4-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, a two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Wor ...

at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers. After dominating the first round, Silva fractured his left hand in the beginning of the second. Silva defeated former

Andrei Arlovski Andrei Arlovski (born 4 February 1979) is a Belarusian-American professional mixed martial artist, actor and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ho ...

on 15 May 2010, at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery, via unanimous decision. He was scheduled to face

Valentijn Overeem Valentijn Overeem (; born 17 August 1976) is a retired Dutch professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer currently signed with United Glory. A professional competitor since 1996, he has previously fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, ...

on 4 Dec, but Overeem suffered an injury and withdrew from the fight. He was replaced by

Mike Kyle Michael Andrew Kyle (born March 31, 1980) is an American professional mixed martial artist and boxer currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2001, Kyle has competed for the UFC, the WEC, Strikeforce, the ...

. 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 Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

Kyle and forced a TKO stoppage with punches. Silva defeated

in the quarterfinal round of the 2011 Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament, via TKO (doctor stoppage) between the second and third rounds. He was expected to meet

Alistair Overeem Alistair Cees Overeem (born 17 May 1980) is a Dutch professional heavyweight mixed martial artist and kickboxer, currently competing in the heavyweight division of Glory. He is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Heavyweight C ...

in the semifinals, but Overeem withdrew from the fight due to injury. He was replaced by one of the tournament alternates,

Daniel Cormier Daniel Ryan Cormier (; born March 20, 1979) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and current commentator for the UFC. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Ch ...

. Cormier knocked Silva out with standing punches at 3:56 of round 1.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On 7 January 2012,

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (, born 2 June 1976), better known as Minotauro or Big Nog, is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Inter ...

told "Portal do Vale Tudo" Silva had signed a UFC contract. Silva was scheduled to debut against Roy Nelson on 26 May 2012 at

UFC 146 ''UFC 146: dos Santos vs. Mir'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event (PPV) promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on May 26, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card featured five MMA bouts ...

, but was rescheduled to face

Cain Velasquez Caín Ramirez Velasquez (born July 28, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist, currently appearing for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He is widely known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, ...

instead. Velasquez defeated Silva by TKO in the first round. Silva faced

Travis Browne Travis Kuualiialoha Browne (born July 17, 1982) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed as a heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Browne was born in H ...

on 5 October 2012 at

UFC on FX 5 ''UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot'' (also known as ''UFC on FX 5'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 5, 2012, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the fifth UFC event broadcast li ...

. 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

on 2 February 2013 at

UFC 156 ''UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar '' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 2, 2013, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Paradise, Nevada. Background A bout between Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida was brie ...

. Leading up to the fight, Overeem was dismissive of Silva's skills, claiming he was better than his opponent in every aspect of MMA. 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. Silva faced

in a rematch for the

UFC Heavyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

on 25 May 2013 at

UFC 160 ''UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on May 25, 2013, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The main event was a rematch between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez and Ant� ...

. Silva was rocked with a right hand early into the fight and finished again via TKO in the first round. Silva faced

Mark Hunt Mark Richard Hunt (born 23 March 1974) is a New Zealand former mixed martial artist and kickboxer of Samoan descent, currently living in Sydney, Australia. Hunt competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) until 2018 and was the winn ...

on 7 December 2013 at

UFC Fight Night 33 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 33'') was a mixed martial arts event held on 6 December 2013, at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The event was broadcast live on Fox Spo ...

in the main event. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw both men trade the advantage over five full rounds. The result was a majority draw (48–47 Hunt, 47–47, and 47–47). Post-fight, Dana White said the bout won ''Fight of the Night'' and, despite the draw result, both men would receive their win bonuses. 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 Androgen replacement therapy (ART), often referred to as testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), is a form of hormone therapy in which androgens, often testosterone, are supplemented or replaced exogenously ...

). He was suspended for nine months, retroactive to the date of the fight. Silva faced

in a rematch on 13 September 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 51 ''UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 51'') was a mixed martial arts event held on September 13, 2014, at Ginásio Nilson Nelson in Brasília, Brazil. Background The event in Brasília was the first that the o ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Following this fight, Silva returned to the hospital for surgery to remove a

tumor - which causes his

- that had reemerged. The surgery was successful and he expects to return to fighting in 2015. Silva was expected to face

Frank Mir Francisco Santos Mir III (; born May 24, 1979), is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed for Bellator MMA in the Heavyweight division. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for sixteen years. A f ...

on 28 February 2015 at

UFC 184 ''UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 28, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort was expected to serve ...

. However, the bout with Mir was moved up a week and instead served as event headliner for

UFC Fight Night 61 ''UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 61'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 22, 2015, at the Ginásio Gigantinho in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Background The event was the first that the UFC has hosted ...

. 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. Silva faced

Soa Palelei Soa Palelei (born 12 July 1977) is an Australian retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 2002 until 2015, he most notably competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE Fighting Championships. Background Born in 1977, Newc ...

on 1 August 2015 at

UFC 190 ''UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 1, 2015, at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between former UFC Bantamweigh ...

. He won the fight by TKO in the second round. A rematch with

took place on 15 November 2015 at

UFC 193 ''UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm'' was a mixed martial arts event held on 14 November 2015, at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was the most attended UFC event in the history of the company at the time, with 56,214 people filling th ...

. Silva lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Silva next faced

Stefan Struve Stefan Jaimy Struve (; born February 18, 1988) is a Dutch former mixed martial artist who competed as a heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). At , he is the tallest fighter in the history of the UFC. Background Growing up in th ...

on 8 May 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 87 ''UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 87'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 8, 2016, at the Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Background The event was the first that the organization hosted ...

. 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. Silva fought Roy Nelson on 24 September 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 95 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He lost the fight by knockout in the second round. Subsequently, he was released from the UFC.

Post-UFC career

After the release from UFC, Silva fought Ivan Shtyrkov in Russia on 18 November 2016. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. He then faced

Vitaly Minakov Vitaly Viktorovich Minakov (russian: Виталий Викторович Минаков; born February 6, 1985, Bryansk) is a Russians, Russian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Sambo (martial art), sambist and judoka currently competing ...

at Fight Nights Global 68 on 2 June 2017. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round. On 28 July 2020, it was announced that Silva had signed a contract with Taura MMA. He was expected to make his promotional debut against Brett Martin at Taura MMA 11 on 30 October 2020. However, the bout was cancelled on the fight week. Subsequently, Silva signed with Arena Fighting Championship and was expected to face Chris Barnett at AFC 2 on 12 December 2020, but the whole event was postponed due to multiple

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

cases. Silva made his return to MMA against Quentin Domingos on 13 June 2021 at Megdan Fighting 9. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. Silva was scheduled to headline Gamebred FC 2 against Alex Nicholson on September 11, 2021. However, his prevailing contract with Eagle Fighting Championship prevented him from competing at the event and he was replaced by Jonathan Ivey. In turn, Silva was scheduled to face

Davit Modzmanashvili Davit Modzmanashvili ( ka, დავით მოძმანაშვილი) (born 13 July 1986) is a heavyweight freestyle wrestler from Georgia who since 2017 competes for Uzbekistan. He won a silver medal for Georgia at the 2012 Olympics ...

at an EFC event on September 26, 2021. However, Bigfoot Silva pulled out of the bout. Silva was scheduled to face

Tyrone Spong Tyrone Clinton Spong (born 3 September 1985) is a Surinamese-Dutch professional boxer and mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. As a boxer, he held the WBC and WBO Latino heavyweight titles in 2018. In kickboxing, he is the former WFCA cr ...

on January 28, 2022, at EFC 44. However, he was pulled from the bout to be replaced by

Sergei Kharitonov Sergei Valerievich Kharitonov (russian: Серге́й Вале́рьевич Харито́нов, Sergéj Valér'jevich Kharitónov, ; born August 18, 1980) is a Russian professional heavyweight mixed martial artist and former kick ...

. Silva returned against Oleg Popov at MMA Series 53 on June 24, 2022. He lost the bout, getting knocked out 15 seconds into the 2nd round.

Kickboxing

In August 2017 Silva signed with

Glory Kickboxing Glory, formerly Glory World Series, is an international kickboxing promotion based in Singapore, which is owned by Pierre Andurand. It is one of the largest kickboxing promotion companies in the world, and features some of the highest-level fight ...

, and made his debut against

Rico Verhoeven Ricardo Verhoeven (born 10 April 1989) is a Dutch professional kickboxer who currently competes in the heavyweight division of GLORY, where he is the reigning Glory Heavyweight Champion. A professional since 2004, he also competed in the K-1, ...

at Glory 46 on 14 October 2017 in Guangzhou, China. After being dominated by arguably the No. 1 heavyweight kickboxer of the time, Silva was knocked down by a headkick in the second round. The referee stopped the fight less than a minute later officially ruling the match a TKO win for Verhoeven. Silva was scheduled to challenge Greg Tony for World Kickboxing Network Super Heavyweight title at the final day of WKN World Cup 2019 on 30 November 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. The fight was cancelled due to withdrawal of Silva, who wasn't medically cleared after suffering the defeat by knockout in his previous bout.

Kickboxing record

Bare-knuckle boxing

On 16 August 2019, it was announced that Silva had signed a contract with the

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. BKFC is the first promotion to hold an official state-sanctioned and commissioned bare-knuckle boxing event in the United States since 1 ...

. Subsequently, on 28 August 2019, it was announced that Silva would make his promotional debut headlining BKFC 8 against fellow UFC veteran

Gabriel Gonzaga Gabriel Gonzaga Santos Nogueira (; born 18 May 1979) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is perhaps best known for his upset head-kick knockout of M ...

on 19 October 2019. He lost the fight by knockout in the second round.

Personal life

In late 2020, Silva adopted twin brothers in his native Brazil.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts * MMA Lineal championship **Heavyweight Lineal Championship (One time) *

** EliteXC Heavyweight Championship (One time, first, last) *

** Cage Rage World Heavyweight Championship (One time, last) *

** Cage Warriors Super Heavyweight Championship (One time) **One Successful Title Defense *

**2011 Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinalist *

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

** Knockout of the Night (One time) ** Fight of the Night (forfeited after testing positive for elevated testosterone)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 19–14 (1) , Oleg Popov , KO (punch) , MMA Series 53 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:15 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–13 (1) , Quentin Domingos , TKO (punches) , Megdan Fighting 9: Under the Bright Sky , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Šabac Šabac (Serbian Cyrillic: Шабац, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Mačva District in western Serbia. The traditional centre of the fertile Mačva region, Šabac is located on the right banks of the river Sava. , the city p ...

, Serbia , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–12 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , Fight Nights Global 68: Pavlovich vs. Mokhnatkin , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:37 ,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–11 (1) , Ivan Shtyrkov , Decision (unanimous) , Titov Boxing Promotion: Shtyrkov vs. Silva , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administra ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–10 (1) , Roy Nelson , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Lansberg , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:10 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–9 (1) ,

, KO (elbows) , UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:16 ,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–8 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:41 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 19–7 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:41 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–7 (1) ,

, KO (punches and elbows) , UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:59 ,

, Brazil , , - , NC , align=center, 18–5 (1) ,

, NC (overturned) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:21 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:25 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:27 ,

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–4 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:36 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–3 ,

, KO (punches) , Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 ,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 ,

, KO (punches) , Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:49 ,

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hoffman Estates, Illinois Hoffman Estates is a village in Illinois, United States. The village is located primarily in Cook County, with a small section in Kane County. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 52,530. The village now serves a ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Jim York , Submission (arm-triangle choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:51 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 ,

Yoshihiro Nakao (born June 25, 1972) is a Japanese semi-retired professional mixed martial artist and former K-1 kickboxer and PRIDE FC fighter who has defeated the likes of Don Frye, Choi Mu-Bae, Jim York, Wesley Correira and Edson Draggo. Nakao is a World ...

, TKO (knee injury) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku no Ran 2009 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

Justin Eilers Justin Mark Eilers (June 28, 1978 – December 25, 2008)Eilers Shot Dead
– Sherdog.com ...

, TKO (knees and punches) , EliteXC: Unfinished Business , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:19 ,

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (split) , EliteXC: Street Certified , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Jonathan Wiezorek , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EliteXC: Renegade , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:12 ,

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

, TKO (flying knee and punches) , EliteXC: Destiny , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:49 ,

Southaven, Mississippi Southaven is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is a principal city in Greater Memphis. The 2020 census reported a population of 54,648, making Southaven the third-largest city in Mississippi and the second most populous ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , BodogFight: USA vs. Russia , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:40 ,

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Georgy Kaysinov , KO (punch) , Hero's 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:08 ,

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 ,

, TKO (punches) , Hero's 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Tadas Rimkevicius , TKO (punches) , CWFC: Strike Force 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:22 ,

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Ruben Villareal , TKO (punches) , CWFC: Strike Force 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:07 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Rafael Carino , TKO (corner stoppage) , Cage Rage 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 ,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Marcus Tchinda , TKO (submission to punches) , CWFC: Strike Force , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Tengiz Tedoradze , TKO (punches) , UKMMAC 10: Slugfest , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 ,

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

, England ,

Professional boxing record

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%" , - ! !Result !Record !Opponent !Type !Round, time !Date !Location !Notes , - , 1 , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Viacheslav Datsik , , 2 (4), 0:44 , July 8, 2022 , align=left,

Bare knuckle record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

, KO (punches) , Bare Knuckle FC 8 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:50 ,

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, United States , , -

Footnotes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Antonio 1979 births Brazilian male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Super heavyweight mixed martial artists Brazilian male kickboxers Heavyweight kickboxers Mixed martial artists utilizing Shotokan Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Bare-knuckle boxers Brazilian male karateka Brazilian male judoka Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu People with acromegaly Living people Sportspeople from Brasília Brazilian sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Club affiliation

Early career

EliteXC

Sengoku

Strikeforce

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Post-UFC career

Kickboxing

Kickboxing record

Bare-knuckle boxing

Personal life

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional boxing record

Bare knuckle record

See also

Footnotes

External links