Getty Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva & Mark Hunt
Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva has suffered two knockouts over the course of the last two weeks.
On Friday, Bigfoot headlined a Hardcore Boxing card in Moscow, Russia, opposite Vyacheslav Datsik. After getting dropped at the end of the first round with what appeared to be a late blow, Silva was knocked out standing during the second frame.
After Datsik backed Bigfoot into a corner, he landed punishing blows until Silva was out on his feet. The referee stepped in, stopped the action and walked Big Foot back to his corner.
Watch the brutal KO via the embedded tweet below:
Vyacheslav Datsik finishes Big Foot in the 2nd round. Silva looked out on his feet
On June 24, two weeks before his boxing KO, Bigfoot was finished in a mixed martial arts fight at the 15-second mark. Oleg Popov starched the ex-UFC heavyweight at MMA Series 53 in Moscow and that knockout can be watched below via the embedded tweet:
Bigfoot Silva just got knocked out COLD in Russia
he is now 1-10-1 in his last 12 fights. it’s time to retire
Silva (19-14, 1 N/C MMA) hasn’t earned a win in combat sports since his TKO over Soa Palelei at UFC 190 in August 2015. He’s lost his last seven MMA bouts in a row, six via KO/TKO. Before defeating Palelei, Bigfoot had been beaten by KO/TKO in his last three of four fights.
Further, Silva was knocked out by Gabriel Gonzaga at Bare Knuckle FC 8 in October 2019.
MMA Community Members Share Their Concern for Bigfoot
At 42 years old, Bigfoot has lost over a dozen matches by KO/TKO. After Silva’s loss to Datsik, many in the MMA community shared their take on the state of Bigfoot’s career, specifically the startling number of times he’s been knocked out.
MMA Fighting’s Eric Jackman shared a screenshot of Silva’s record on Tapology, writing: “JFC. We’re good here, right?” Then, MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz responded: “And still missing today’s boxing KO loss. Someone has to have that conversation with the man.”
@NewYorkRic And still missing today’s boxing KO loss. Someone has to have that conversation with the man
Bigfoot’s former manager, Alex Davis, then tweeted: “You cannot defend a man from his own self. I did my very best. The plan was for him to stop fighting 8 kos ago. He made the $. I let go at that point, could not be a part of this. But he always goes in with a big heart and never reminisces on a loss.”
MMA Junkie’s Nolan King also weighed in on Silva, writing: “Bigfoot Silva making us sad” is becoming a monthly segment on my timeline. I do not enjoy.”
Front Row Fight Club’s Adam LeBarr tweeted: “‘Bigfoot’ Silva is 3-12-1 in his last 16 outings, and was only just knocked out this past June 24th (14 days). It’s a shame to see promotions like this/these take advantage of his name and continue to book him damaging fights. Can we use our brains to save his, please?”
Bigfoot Fought for the UFC Title in 2013 Against Then-Champ Cain Velasquez
Silva fought for the UFC heavyweight title nearly a decade ago when he took on then-champion Cain Velasquez at UFC 146 in May 2013.
Silva was riding the momentum of two back-to-back finishes into the rematch, however he was once again trounced by Velasquez, losing by first-round TKO.
Despite dealing with several losses, Siva has also had big wins in his fighting career, beating the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem, Travis Browne, Andrei Arlovski and Ricco Rodriguez.
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Ex-UFC Title Challenger ‘Bigfoot’ Silva Suffers 2 Knockouts in 2 Weeks