Thiago Silva (born November 12, 1982) is a Brazilian kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of Eagle FC.
Silva was athletic, playing soccer and basketball, and attended school, but ran away from home at age 13 due to his allegedly abusive father, never to see his mother or younger brother again.
[3] Prior to signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Silva fought almost solely in his native country of Brazil.
Silva also won the Fury FC 2 Grand Prix in 2006 and fought in a Pancrase bout against Tatsuya Mizuno before receiving a UFC contract.
Following his first two wins, Silva made his televised debut as part of the main card of UFC 78 against Houston Alexander.
After reversing position and securing the mount, Silva rained down punches until his opponent was knocked out in the opening round.
From the dominant position, Silva attacked with punches and elbows until Mendes tapped out due to strikes in the opening round.
Originally scheduled to face fellow undefeated Brazilian Lyoto Machida at UFC 89, Silva was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injured back suffered while training.
He next fought Keith Jardine's friend and training partner Rashad Evans in the main event at UFC 108, and lost in a unanimous decision.
Following this statement, Keith Kizer, the commissioner of the NSAC, confirmed that Thiago Silva's samples were still undergoing tests; "That’s not accurate.
[9] The Nevada State Athletic Commission will discuss a temporary suspension at a hearing on April 7 as well as the possibility of ruling his most recent victory a no contest.
I did so in an attempt to alter the results of the test and knowingly broke the rules of the Nevada (State) Athletic Commission.
I apologize to the commission, the UFC, Brandon Vera and the MMA fans.Silva said he doesn't want to make an excuse for his behavior, but he did hope to offer an explanation for his decisions.
I also decided that the only way I could continue with the fight was to take injections in my back and spine that contained substances prohibited by the Nevada (State) Athletic Commission.
[12] Silva was briefly linked to a rematch against Brandon Vera on May 15, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier.
[14] Silva, however, was pulled from this bout on March 6 when it was announced he would replace injured Antônio Rogério Nogueira against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on Fuel TV 2.
[17] Silva faced undefeated Bulgarian wrestler Stanislav Nedkov on November 10, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV 6.
[19] Silva next faced debuting former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, Rafael Cavalcante on June 8, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 10.
[33] However, his return was short lived, as on September 19, the UFC released a statement on their website announcing that Silva's contract had been terminated due to new audio and video evidence that had been received that day.
With his contract in WSOF which allows him to fight for other organizations, Silva fought Marcus Sursa in the Gladiator MMA organization, despite winning the first round of the fight he lost in the second round after a controversial stoppage, after those two losses he bounced back by winning in Russia against Stav Economou by a unanimous decision.
Silva faced Batraz Agnaev on July 23, 2017, to defend the Absolute Championship Berkut Light Heavyweight Belt.
Silva fought in ACB 82: São Paulo where he dropped to Middleweight for the first time in his career against Mikhail "Barrera" Kolobegov.
After a submission loss against Ivan Shtyrkov at Russian Cagefight Championship, Silva face Martin Zawada at KSW 49 on May 18, 2019.
After three years away from MMA competition, Silva returned to face Héctor Lombard on May 20, 2022, at Eagle FC 48.
[44] The bout ended in a No Contest in the second round after Silva dropped Lombard with a punch and then hit him with an accidental illegal knee that rendered him unable to continue.