Wanderlei Silva Hospitalized After Boxing Exhibition in Sao Paulo
Wanderlei Silva, a mixed martial arts legend, was treated at a hospital on Saturday after being knocked out following a boxing exhibition fight in Sao Paulo. Silva, 49, was disqualified in the fourth round for delivering illegal headbutts to Acelino Freitas, 50. Immediately after the fight, a brawl broke out between the teams of both fighters. During the fight, Silva received a right hook that left him lying on the ground. Brazilian media identified the aggressor as 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 needed stitches on his face. He was discharged after receiving treatment.Acelino Freitas, former boxing champion, blamed Silva’s team for the fight, especially Werdum, who threw several punches at Freitas and other members of his team before Silva was knocked out.Images don’t lie. It was very cruel that that guy hit Wanderlei. He punched him in the back of the head. I don’t know if it was a clean hit, 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. In a statement, Spaten Fight Night said that the events did not represent their values of “sportsmanship and respect for the rules”. This boxing match was Silva’s first since retiring from MMA in 2018. He was scheduled to face Brazilian MMA legend Vitor Belfort, but Belfort withdrew and was replaced by Freitas less than a month in advance. The fight 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
