One former UFC champion does not appear to have much sympathy for Wanderlei Silva.
Silva entered the ring on Saturday night for a controversial return to combat sports at the age of 49. An exhibition boxing match at Spaten Fight Night 2 marked the Pride legend’s first action since 2018.
Things did not go well for ‘The Axe Murderer’, both during his fight against two-time Brazilian boxing champion Acelino Freitas and in the aftermath. After getting disqualified for constantly head-butting Freitas, Silva was knocked out by his opponent’s son when a wild brawl broke out in the ring.
Given what sparked the melee, one of Silva’s ex-UFC rivals thinks he only has himself to blame.
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Michael Bisping reacts after former opponent Wanderlei Silva got KO’d by opponent’s son
The latest prominent name to react to Silva’s gruesome KO after his comeback fight was Michael Bisping.
Bisping lost to Silva at UFC 110 in a decision that ‘The Count’ still disagrees with to this day. Along with that, the Englishman also points to the Brazilian’s history with performance-enhancing substances as a reason for his dislike of the Pride legend.
With that in mind, it was perhaps unsurprising that Bisping suggested Silva “got what he deserved” after seeing his ex-opponent repeatedly fouling in the ring at Spaten Fight Night 2.
“An MMA icon, an absolute legend of the game…Wanderlei Silva, was just knocked out,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “He was cheating, he was being a dirty fighter, he was head-butting left right, and center…then it all kicks off.
“Nasty, really is. … You can’t blame (Freitas’) people, or his crowd, for being p—- off.
“This is quite the fall from grace…Wanderlei Silva was someone that I was a huge fan of,” Bisping continued. “These days, I’m not the biggest fan. I’ve always had a strong stance against people who take steroids.
“I did share the Octagon with Wanderlei Silva. … If you ask me, I was robbed on the judges’ scorecards. … I thought I won round one (and) round two. … I was robbed.
“In this boxing fight, he kind of got what he deserved. … We saw Wanderlei Silva head-butting his opponent. … It was nasty to see that at 49 years old.”
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Wanderlei Silva to undergo more tests after experiencing post-KO headaches
A positive health update came from Silva’s manager soon after the wild ending to Spaten Fight Night 2, with ‘The Axe Murderer’ showing no signs of immediate serious damage in hospital.
But following his release, it seems the Brazilian has been feeling the aftermath of the scary KO.
“They took me to the hospital yesterday, and I had some tests done, but I have since had a really bad headache,” Silva said in a video on social media.
“I will do more tests here in Curitiba to be able to figure out what happened to me and if I have any more serious head injuries,” he added.
Those remarks are especially concerning given the Pride legend’s words in support of the UFC antitrust settlement last year. Silva expressed worry about a “traumatic brain injury,” having experienced the symptoms of CTE.