Rafael Freitas has sought to explain why he attacked Wanderlei Silva in the ring at Spaten Fight Night 2.
Silva, a legendary MMA figure who competed under banners such as UFC and Pride during his peak years, made a comeback this past Saturday night in São Paulo.
A year on from Anderson Silva’s exhibition boxing match against Chael Sonnen at the promotion’s first event, ‘The Axe Murderer’ headlined Spaten Fight Night 2 against former two-time Brazilian boxing champion Acelino Freitas.
Many were already concerned about the 49-year-old’s return given his age, in addition to Silva’s worrying remarks about suffering from a brain injury in 2024. And fans of Silva had their worst fears realized, when the veteran fighter was left out cold on the canvas.
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Acelino Freitas’ son explains why he attacked Wanderlei Silva in the ring
Instead of in the fight itself, Wanderlei Silva was knocked out during a brawl that broke out in the ring. The melee was sparked when ‘The Axe Murderer’ was disqualified for repeatedly head-butting Freitas.
After both teams began throwing punches, Silva was attacked from behind by a man in a tuxedo. Soon after, the same individual left the ex-UFC star out cold with a brutal punch that broke his nose.
The man responsible for knocking out Silva was later identified as Freitas’ son, Rafael. While he has deleted his social media since being revealed as the one who KO’d the MMA vet, he did issue a statement to Brazilian outlet Globo attempting to justify his actions.
“When I realized a brawl had started, initiated by Wanderlei’s team, his son, his coach Andre Dida, and (Fabricio) Werdum…when I saw all of them assaulting my father and my brothers, I (acted) in legitimate defense.
“In the heat of the moment, I only thought about defending my family,” he added.
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Acelino Freitas blames Wanderlei Silva team member for wild post-fight brawl
Silva’s opponent shares his son’s view on the events that unfolded at Spaten Fight Night 2.
Freitas accused Fabricio Werdum of sparking the brawl while reacting to the incident in a video posted to social media.
“I don’t know what the hell these guys put Werdum in this event for,” Freitas said of the former UFC champion in Portuguese during a video on Instagram. “This guy only messes up at other people’s events.
“Werdum, I’m ashamed, man. If I were you, I’d be ashamed, okay? I’m ashamed. You’re the one who came at me. There’s a video of you on top of me, trying to beat me up, man. But God knows what He’s doing,” he added.