Thiago Silva is a UFC fighter no more. The UFC today released a statement to the media confirming that the light heavyweight has been released from his contract following numerous criminal charges laid against him, including aggravated assault, stemming from an incident in Florida on Thursday night. The statement reads as follows. “The Ultimate Fighting Championship has terminated the contract of Thiago Silva, effective immediately.” Silva was arrested on Thursday evening in Oakland Park, Florida, after he allegedly brought a gun to Pablo Popovictch Mixed Martial Arts gym. Popovitch called the police, Silva fled to his home, and after a long standoff with police Silva was tasered and then taken into custody, where he was charged with numerous criminal charges, including attempted murder. According to the police report, Silva had been arguing with his ex-wife Thaysa in recent weeks and allegedly put a gun to her mouth just a week ago. As well, he allegedly sent a text message this week to her saying he was going to kill her. This morning, Silva went before a judge and the charge of attempted murder was dropped and changed to aggravated assault with a firearm. However, the judge ruled that Silva is still a threat to his community and he has been jailed indefinitely without bond. As soon as Silva left the courtroom, the UFC sent the statement out that they had terminated his contract, despite the fact he has yet to be convicted of any of the charges. However, the UFC’s Fighter Code of Conduct, which was established last year, lets the UFC terminate the contracts of any fighter if they feel they have violated it. And in this case, the promotion felt Silva violated it and decided to cut him. Silva, 31, had been booked to fight Ovince St-Preux in a light heayvweight contest at UFC 171. Now, the promotion is looking for a replacement opponent for St-Preux, and Nikita Krylov has already offered on Twitter to take Silva’s spot. Silva (16-3, 2 NC) has been a staple of the UFC’s 205-pound division since 2007, and racked up a 7-3, 2 NC in the promotion while fighting most of the top fighters in his weight class. A member of the Blackzilians, Silva is known for his knockout power and aggressiveness, and at one time was thought to be a serious contender for the UFC light heavyweight title before his career fell off due to numerous failed drug tests and disappointing losses. In the last three years, Silva has been suspended twice for taking PEDs (once for faking a urine test at UFC 125, and once for marijuana) and now these criminal charges. It’s obvious that he was more trouble than he was worth, and even though he has not been convicted of any of these latest criminal charges yet, the UFC didn’t want to deal with the headache and the bad publicity. So they cut him, even though he hasn’t had his day yet in court. I understand why the UFC cut Silva but at the same time, the promotion has stood behind other fighters facing criminal charges like Rampage Jackson and Jeremy Stephens in the past, which exemplifies the inconsistencies in the company’s policies. Regardless, though, the Silva incident gives a bad look to the sport and the UFC is clearly doing everything they can to distance themselves from the situation. Stay tuned to MMAoddsbreaker.com in the coming weeks for updates to the story.
