Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Antonio Silva has signed a deal with Brazil-based promotion Taura MMA
According to a press release Monday, Silva (19-12-1 MMA) will make his promotional debut at Taura MMA 11 on Oct. 30 in Kissimmee, Fla. against current LFA heavyweight champion Brett Martin. News of the fight was first reported by Combate.
Martin, 26, won back-to-back fights in LFA’s heavyweight championship tournament in 2019. However, both of his victories in the four-man bracket ended via disqualification. Six of Martin’s nine wins have come inside the distance.
Silva won’t be the only UFC veteran competing at Taura MMA 11. Ex-UFC fighters Rousimar Palhares, Guto Inocente, and William Macario are also slated for the event.
Silva’s most recent combat sports ventures took place outside of MMA’s boundaries. The heavyweight veteran competed against Gabriel Gonzaga in bare-knuckle boxing last October, losing via TKO. Prior to that, Silva fought in kickboxing under the Glory banner where he suffered a second-round knockout to Rico Verhoeven in late 2017.
In MMA, Silva is currently on a five-fight losing skid, most recently competing in the summer of 2017. He is 1-8 in his nine most recent MMA fights. All of his losses in that stretch have come via knockout or TKO.
The Brazilian holds notable wins over Alistair Overeem, Travis Browne, Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, and Ricco Rodriguez. Silva challenged for the UFC title gold back in 2013, losing to then-UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez via TKO. Silva was released from the UFC in 2016.
Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva returns to fight LFA champion after three-year MMA absence