Wanderlei Silva Hospitalized After Boxing Exhibition with Acelino Freitas
The legendary mixed martial arts fighter, Wanderlei Silva, was hospitalized on Saturday after being knocked out following a boxing exhibition fight in Sao Paulo. Silva, one of the most emblematic figures of the beginnings of MMA, was disqualified in the fourth round for delivering illegal headbutts to Acelino Freitas, 50 years old. After the fight, a brawl broke out between the teams of both fighters. During the confrontation, Silva received a right hook that sent him to the canvas. According to Brazilian media, Silva’s attacker was Rafael, son of Freitas. Fabricio Werdum, former UFC champion and member of Silva’s team, reported on social media that Silva suffered a broken nose and required stitches on his face. Subsequently, he was discharged.Acelino Freitas, former boxing champion, blamed Silva’s team for the fight, especially Werdum, who hit Freitas and other members of his team before Silva was knocked out.Pictures don’t lie. It was very malicious that that guy hit Wanderlei. He punched Wanderlei in the back of the head. I don’t know if it connected clean, but it could have been something very serious.
Fabricio Werdum
Neither the Brazilian National Boxing Council nor the promoter, Spaten Fight Night, announced immediate disciplinary measures. Spaten Fight Night issued a statement stating that the events did not represent their values of “sportsmanship and respect for the rules”. This boxing match was Silva’s first since his retirement from MMA in 2018. He was scheduled to face Vitor Belfort, but Belfort withdrew and was replaced by Freitas with less than a month’s notice. The match was scheduled for eight rounds. Silva weighed 44 pounds more than Freitas for the exhibition.When the fight was over, the referee disqualified Wanderlei for the three headbutts, his coach went for me and hit me. Wanderlei, the fight was between you and me and had nothing to do with the team. If you gave me a headbutt, great, I don’t care. But, unfortunately, Werdum cowardly entered the ring with your son and went against everyone. And I saw that someone also hit you.
Acelino Freitas
