Former UFC light heavyweight Thiago Silva has signed a multi-fight deal with the World Series of Fighting and he will be one of four men in a light heavyweight tournament to decide the inaugural 205 pound champion.
The news of Silva signing with the promotion was reported by MMA Fighting and Silva will meet Ronny Markes in one of the semifinal bout. The other semifinal bout will be Matt Hamill against an opponent still to be determined.
The semifinals of the light heavyweight tournament will be on March 28th and that event will be headlined by Justin Gaethje defending the lightweight title against Luis Palomino.
Silva was released last year by the UFC when he was arrested in South Florida after a standoff with police at his home. At the time of his arrest, police cited that his now ex-wife Thaysa Kamiji claimed that Silva put a gun in her mouth and threatened to kill her. He would end up being charged but the case was dropped when the District Attorney said Thaysa uncooperative and felt she had left the country.
After the charges were dropped, Silva was brought back to the UFC. However, Thaysa released videos online of Silva and ultimately the UFC once again released Silva. In the MMA Fighting report, World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo and Executive Vice President Ali Abdel-Aziz explained the decision to sign Silva.
“[WSOF executive vice president] Ali [Abdel-Aziz] and I talked about it,” Sefo said. “We researched his situation, and the charges were dropped. He wasn’t convicted. In my opinion, you’re innocent until proven guilty. The guy is a great fighter so we want to give him an opportunity.”
“I’ve talked to a lot of guys in his camp,” Abdel-Aziz added. “Everyone talks about his character. “I’m lucky enough to know a little more about the situation with his ex-wife, and I feel comfortable with this. If the judge didn’t convict him, why should we convict him? He’s of the top light heavyweights in the world. We can give him an opportunity and a platform to showcase his skills.”
The venue for the March 28th event has not been determined at this time and the event will air live on NBCSN.