Mixed martial arts legend Wanderlei Silva’s foray into boxing took a bizarre turn, followed by a brutal one. Silva was facing former two-division world champion Acelino Freitas in an exhibition fight at Spaten Fight Night 2 in Sao Paulo, Brazil when he was disqualified after a clearly intentional headbutt.
Exhibition boxing often looks like little more than a glorified sparring match. Bouts between former MMA and boxing stars became a frequent staple of the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rather than the standard easy approach to such a fight, Silva appeared to grow increasingly frustrated as Freitas, who retired from professional competition in 2017 with a career record of 41-2 with 34 knockouts, was clearly the superior boxer.
At one point, Silva pinned Freitas in the corner and ignored the referee’s instructions to separate, leading to a point deduction. Just a few minutes later, Silva launched his head into Freitas’ and lost a second point. It didn’t take much longer before Silva had been disqualified from the exhibition.
After the fight, both teams were in the ring when shoving began. Silva was struck with a blow from behind from what appeared to be a Freitas team member. The chaos continued to build before someone landed a sweeping right hand to Silva’s chin, sending the MMA legend crashing to the canvas unconscious.
Silva was a former PRIDE middleweight champion and competed in the UFC both prior to and after his storied run in the Japanese promotion. A fan favorite for his wild brawling style, Silva retired as a member of the Bellator roster in 2018 with a record of 35-14-1. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame as a part of the Pioneer Wing in 2024.
