Thiago Silva (fighter)

Thiago Silva
Born	Thiago Anderson Ramos da Silva November 12, 1982 (1982-11-12) São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	206 lb (93 kg; 14.7 st)
Division	Light Heavyweight
Reach	75.0 in (191 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Team	American Top Team
Rank	Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Mixed martial arts record
Total	17
Wins	14
By knockout	11
By submission	2
By decision	1
Losses	2
By knockout	1
By decision	1
No contests	1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Thiago Anderson Ramos da Silva (Portuguese pronunciation: [tʃiˈaɡu ˈsiwvɐ]; born November 12, 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who got his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Jorge Patino. Silva currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Once a member of the renowned Chute Boxe Academy, Silva now trains with established fighting stable American Top Team. Silva owns victories over Keith Jardine, Houston Alexander and James Irvin.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Prior to signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Silva fought almost solely in his native country of Brazil. During his first 9 professional bouts, he attained a perfect 9–0 record, winning 7 of these bouts by KO or TKO and 1 by submission. Thiago also won the Fury FC 2 Grand Prix in 2006.

UFC career

Silva made his UFC debut against James Irvin at UFC 71. During the first round, Irvin injured his knee after a takedown from Silva and was unable to continue the fight. Silva was awarded the win by TKO. Silva's next fight was against UFC newcomer Tomasz Drwal at UFC 75. Silva won the fight by TKO due to strikes in the second round.

Following his first two wins, Silva made his televised debut as part of the main card of UFC 78 against Houston Alexander. During the bout, he quickly exposed Alexander's ground game, which had been untested in Alexander's first two knockout victories. After reversing position and securing the mount, Silva rained down punches until his opponent was knocked out in the opening round.

Silva was next slated to face future UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans at UFC 84, but Evans was forced to pull out after being asked to fill in for a fight against Chuck Liddell at UFC 88. Instead, Silva squared off against UFC newcomer Antonio Mendes. After being dropped and momentarily stunned by a head kick from Mendes, Silva survived the flurry of strikes from Mendes and managed to take him down, securing the mounted position. From the dominant position, Silva pounced away with punches and elbows until Mendes tapped out due to strikes in the opening round.

Originally scheduled to face fellow undefeated light heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida at UFC 89, Silva was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injured back suffered while training. The fight was later rescheduled and took place at UFC 94. Machida won via one punch Knockout at the end of the opening round, ending Silva's thirteen fight undefeated streak.

Silva was slated to fight former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, but Dana White instead chose to match Griffin against long time middleweight champion Anderson Silva. He instead fought Keith Jardine at UFC 102. Early in the fight Silva countered an uppercut by Jardine with a short left hook that dropped Jardine, Silva then followed up with four punches on the ground rendering Jardine unconscious, stopping the fight at 1:35 of the first round.

He next fought Keith Jardine's friend and training partner Rashad Evans in the main event at UFC 108, and lost in a unanimous decision. Evans was able to keep octagon control through aggressive wrestling and takedowns throughout the majority of the fight, though Silva connected with two hooks that dropped Evans and momentarily dazed him in the final round. The judges scored the bout 29-28 in favour of Evans, resulting in Silva's second professional MMA loss. After the bout with Evans, it was confirmed that Silva had three herniated discs prior to the fight.

Silva was scheduled to face Tim Boetsch at UFC 117, but was forced off the card with a back injury and replaced by UFC newcomer Todd Brown.

Silva fought fellow Muay Thai expert Brandon Vera on January 1, 2011 at UFC 125. He won by unanimous decision after dominating Brandon Vera with ground and pound, including open palm thrusts which resulted in Vera's nose being broken.

UFC 125 Drug Test

Silva was expected to face the former light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson on May 28, 2011 at UFC 130, although there were rumors that the fight had been canceled due to injury or failed drug tests from his UFC 125 bout. In a statement with Brazilian MMA site Tatame, Thiago denied that he was injured; "Injured? Me? I’m very healthy. That’s not true and looks like the NSAC did two tests, one was positive and the other negative, I'm calm."

Following this statement, Keith Kizer, the commissioner of the NSAC, confirmed that Thiago Silva’s samples are still undergoing tests; "That’s not accurate. We have gotten only the first sample back. It could be weeks before we find out the results for the second test." The UFC didn't want to take any chances in waiting for the second test for Silva, so they replaced Silva with Matt Hamill.

On March 29, Kizer released the details surrounding the questions about Silva's UFC 125 drug test. He confirmed that the findings, after two different drug testing facilities analyzed his urine sample, were inconsistent with human urine. This suggests that Silva submitted either an altered or substituted specimen for the sample used in the drug test. The Nevada State Athletic Commission will discuss a temporary suspension at a hearing on April 7 as well as the possibility of ruling his most recent victory a no contest.

On March 30 Silva released a statement admitting using a urine adulterant.

“

I used a urine adulterant when giving a sample following my fight with Brandon Vera. I did so in an attempt to alter the results of the test and knowingly broke the rules of the Nevada (State) Athletic Commission. This was a terrible decision on my part for which I will be punished. I am prepared to accept this punishment, learn from it and move on. I apologize to the commission, the UFC, Brandon Vera and the MMA fans.

”

Silva said he doesn't want to make an excuse for his behavior, but he did hope to offer an explanation for his decisions.

“

"Please do not interpret this as an attempt to justify my actions. I know they were wrong, and I know I made bad decisions... I reinjured my back 45 days before the fight with Brandon Vera. After not fighting for a year, I made the decision to not pull out of the fight. I also decided that the only way I could continue with the fight was to take injections in my back and spine that contained substances prohibited by the Nevada (State) Athletic Commission. I also made the decision to use a product to hide the presence of these substances in a urine test."

”

After the hearing, the Nevada State Athletic Commission handed Silva a one-year suspension along with changing his previous win over Brandon Vera at UFC 125 to a no contest, forfeiture of 25 percent of his purse, and $20,000 out of a $55,000 win bonus.

Return post-suspension

Silva had served his one-year suspension on January 1, 2012.

Silva was briefly linked to a rematch against Brandon Vera on May 15, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 3. However, Vera was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Igor Pokrajac.

Personal life

Silva ran away from home at age 13 due to his abusive father, never to see his mother or younger brother again. From age 13 onwards, he lived on his own in the favelas or slums of São Paulo. At age 18, he began to train in mixed martial arts and due to his poverty often had to choose between eating and training.

Silva currently resides in Coconut Creek, Florida with his wife Thaysa who is a black belt in BJJ as well.

Championships and accomplishments

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

• State and Brazilian BJJ Tournaments Winner

Mixed martial arts

• Fury FC 2: Final Combat
  • Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
17 matches	14 wins	2 losses
By knockout	11	1
By submission	2	0
By decision	1	1
No contests	1

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
NC	14–2 (1)	Brandon Vera	No contest (overturned by NSAC)	UFC 125	02011-01-01 January 1, 2011	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Originally won via unanimous decision; result overturned after Silva falsified a urine sample.
Loss	14–2	Rashad Evans	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 108	02010-01-02 January 2, 2010	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	14–1	Keith Jardine	KO (punches)	UFC 102	02009-08-29 August 29, 2009	1	1:35	Portland, Oregon, United States
Loss	13–1	Lyoto Machida	KO (punch)	UFC 94	02009-01-31 January 31, 2009	1	4:59	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	13–0	Antonio Mendes	Submission (punches)	UFC 84	02008-05-24 May 24, 2008	1	2:24	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	12–0	Houston Alexander	TKO (punches)	UFC 78	02007-11-17 November 17, 2007	1	3:25	Newark, New Jersey, United States
Win	11–0	Tomasz Drwal	TKO (punches)	UFC 75	02007-09-08 September 8, 2007	2	4:23	London, England
Win	10–0	James Irvin	TKO (knee injury)	UFC 71	02007-05-26 May 26, 2007	1	1:06	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	9–0	Tatsuya Mizuno	KO (soccer kick)	Pancrase: Rising 2	02007-02-28 February 28, 2007	1	4:29	Tokyo, Japan
Win	8–0	Vitor Vianna	TKO (arm injury)	Fury FC 2: Final Combat	02006-11-30 November 30, 2006	1	1:50	São Paulo, Brazil	Won the Fury FC 2 GP
Win	7–0	Claudio Godoi	TKO (punches)	Fury FC 2: Final Combat	02006-11-30 November 30, 2006	1	2:06	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	6–0	Dino Pezao	TKO (punches)	Show Fight 5	02006-11-09 November 9, 2006	1	4:34	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	5–0	Dave Dalgliesh	Submission (heel hook)	Fury Fighting Championship 1	02006-09-27 September 27, 2006	1	1:05	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	4–0	Claudio Godoi	Decision (unanimous)	Show Fight 4	02006-04-06 April 6, 2006	3	5:00	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	3–0	Rodrigo Gripp de Sousa	TKO (doctor stoppage)	Shooto: Brazil 9	02005-12-03 December 3, 2005	2	1:14	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	2–0	Flavio Polones	KO	Arena Combat Cup 2	02005-11-05 November 5, 2005	1	N/A	São Paulo, Brazil
Win	1–0	Rubens Xavier	TKO (head kick and strikes)	Predador FC 1	02005-09-10 September 10, 2005	2	4:17	São Paulo, Brazil

External links

• Professional MMA record for Thiago Silva (fighter) from Sherdog
• Official UFC Profile