Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva says he is hanging up the gloves – for real, this time.
A former UFC heavyweight title challenger, Silva (19-15), competed Saturday at Kingdom Fighting 1 in Grenoble, France, where he lost a unanimous decision to [autotag]Salim El Oussaidi[/autotag] (6-1).
Silva once challenged for the UFC heavyweight title in an unsuccessful attempt vs. Cain Velasquez at UFC 160 in May 2013. The loss kicked off a 1-14 (with one no contest) stretch in combat sports leading to his retirement.
In his final 16 combat sports fights, Silva was knocked out 12 times, which lead many fans, media members, and others to call for his retirement.
While Silva initially said he would not compete again following a July 2022 boxing loss, he ultimately returned for Saturday’s bout.
Following the loss Saturday, Silva took off his gloves and laid them in the cage, symbolizing his retirement again. This time, he said, his decision is “100 percent” final.
“It was a great fight,” Silva said Saturday during an Instagram Live (per MMA Fighting). “We tried the knockout all the time, he and I, and in the end I retired. I put down my gloves in the center of the octagon. To me, everything has a beginning and an end, and I’m very happy and satisfied. We never want to stop, no professional athlete wants to stop, even in volleyball or football, but everything has a time, and I did this for 19 years.”
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Silva, 43, had some signature wins prior to the marathon of defeats that closed his career. On his rise to UFC title challenger notoriety, Silva defeated the likes of Andrei Arlovski, Fedor Emelianenko, Travis Browne, Alistair Overeem, and Soa Palelei.
His UFC Fight Night 33 main event against Mark Hunt in December 2013 is widely regarded as one of the best heavyweight MMA fights of all time. The five-round battle was initially ruled a draw, before it was overturned to a no contest due to a positive drug test by Silva.