UFC legend Wanderlei Silva’s first fight in seven years was a complete disaster.
The 48-year-old took a long break from combat sports after being knocked out by Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson at Bellator 206 in September 2018.
Wanderlei Silva returned against former two-time world boxing champion Acelino Freitas (41-2) in an exhibition at Spaten Fight Night 2.
‘The Axe Murderer’ outweighed his opponent by 44lbs, but it didn’t help him when they fought on Saturday night.
Wanderlei Silva’s first fight in 7 years
Wanderlei Silva was dominated by the much more experienced boxer during the first two rounds.
So, the MMA legend decided to get back to his roots and use illegal methods against Acelino Freitas.
Silva was deducted two points for throwing repeated headbutts before ultimately being disqualified.
The referee had seen enough and waved things off at 1:34 of round four.
Post-fight, all hell broke loose in the ring with members of both teams trading punches.
Silva ran into a massive hook from an unknown person that left him out cold on the ring floor.
Wanderlei Silva was supposed to face Vitor Belfort
Vitor Belfort was originally scheduled to be Wanderlei Silva’s opponent at Spaten Fight Night 2.
Belfort knocked Silva out in 44 seconds when they met in MMA at UFC Brazil in 1998.
Unfortunately, ‘The Axe Murderer’ was robbed of a chance at revenge when Belfort withdrew from their rematch.
‘The Phenom’ says he suffered two concussions in training, but his long-time rival isn’t buying it.
“He needs to do what he’s always talking about,” Silva said at a press conference last Sunday. “He’s always talking about strength, perseverance, optimism, and then does that.
“That shows how important the mental part is for the athlete. An athlete needs to be confident, to believe in himself. He must know what he can do. He should stand in front of the mirror and say, ‘I’m a lion! I’m a lion!’
“Anything, right? Hire a psychologist, do therapy, right? But this fight is scheduled for next year. Like I said, I would be here on the 27th. I’m here. I’ll be here next time, too. And that time, I hope he doesn’t run.”