Wanderlei Silva has shared a worrying update after he was knocked out on Saturday night.
At 49 years old, the former PRIDE FC Middleweight Champion and UFC Hall of Famer made the walk for his comeback fight—a boxing match against Acelino Freitas (41-2) at Spaten Fight Night 2 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The main event would not end well for Wanderlei Silva as he was disqualified for headbutting Freitas in the fourth round.
All hell broke loose after that, with both of the fighters’ teams engaging in a brawl inside the ring.
During the chaos, Silva was brutally knocked out by Freitas’ son, Rafael, and had his body dragged out of the boxing ring.
Silva was sent to the hospital and was later released, showing massive damage to his eye in his first post-fight video.
- READ MORE: Wanderlei Silva opponent apologizes as post-fight brawl leaves 49-year-old knocked out cold
Wanderlei Silva has a ‘headache that won’t go away’ after shock KO
Silva was one of the fighters who voiced their support for the UFC antitrust settlement last year, citing the repercussions of a traumatic brain injury.
On Sunday, Silva shared a health update to Instagram, with his right eye swollen shut.
“Thank you all very much for your messages,” Silva wrote to his fans in Portuguese.
“I’m not feeling very well, very dizzy and have a headache that won’t go away.
“This week, I’ll do more detailed tests to find out if I had any more serious head trauma,” Silva added.
Silva addressed the disqualification in a separate video.
“Yesterday in my fight against Popó I received a few warnings during the fight and in the 4th round I ended up getting disqualified,” Silva explained.
“There was widespread confusion in the ring afterwards. At that moment, while I was just trying to protect my son and calm the situation, I was cowardly attacked, leading me to need medical attention.
“I want to reassure everyone: I’m fine and still being monitored,” Silva continued.
“I want to thank immensely the organization of the event, especially the Spaten team for their prompt service, care and attention to us.
“I still want to express my gratitude to the fans and my team for their dedication and especially to the audience who were present and accompanied this moment.
“My story has always been one of struggle, discipline, and surrender—and this is how I will continue,” Silva added.
Wanderlei Silva’s final MMA fight took place seven years ago
Tomorrow will mark seven years since Wanderlei Silva had his last MMA fight.
Following a legendary run that saw him fight in the UFC and PRIDE FC, Silva ended up fighting for Bellator in his forties.
Silva lost to ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ rival Chael Sonnen by decision in the main event of Bellator NYC in 2017.
The following year, Silva was knocked out by former rival and ex-UFC champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson inside two rounds at Bellator 206.