Wanderlei Silva vs. Freitas (Updated)

Combat Sports
41
42
43

To the coward that did THIS to Vanderlei, you f—– up,” Sonnen posted.

“Only I am allowed to make him look a’fool.

“Have a Care, dummy. I’ll see you soon.”

As of this writing, neither Acelino nor Rafael have publicly responded to Sonnen’s fiery rhetoric.

Silva and Sonnen fought once during their careers at Bellator NYC in 2017 with Sonnen earning a unanimous decision victory. They coached a season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil opposite each other, a season that included an infamous brawl on set between the two middleweights.

Fast forward to 2025, Silva and Sonnen entered the UFC Hall of Fame separately during the latest induction. Sonnen retired from MMA following a loss to Lyoto Machida in June 2019.

It’s uncertain if Silva will take legal action against Rafael Freitas after the brutal assault.

44
45

image
image1079×717 61.1 KB

46

Andre Dida, Silva’s longtime coach, was hit with a 365-day suspension. Dida landed at least two clean punches to Freitas’ face during the brawl. It remains to be seen if MMA commissions in Brazil will also follow the CNB suspension and ban Dida for that period.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, who was in Silva’s corner and threw punches in the brawl, was not sanctioned by CNB because he was not licensed by CNB. The same applies to Wanderlei Silva’s son Thor.

Luis Claudio Freitas and Iago Gutierrez Freitas, members of Acelino’s team, were also hit with 180-day bans, while Lucas Pontes da Silva received a 90-day suspension.

47
48
49

The music :joy:

1 Like
50

Some real bitch shots to the back of the head. Wandy definitely was throwing headbutts and was DQ’d for it, he didn’t deserve that.

Where was security???

51

It’s Brazil.

52

Putting more carrots in the meter

53
54

He should sue himself for injuries. The guy is a moron.

55
56

Few would argue that Silva broke the rules (multiple times) during his fight with Freitas, which fully justified the disqualification, but the post-fight retribution still left fans and pros shocked. Cejudo and Usman agree “The Axe Murderer” put himself at risk when he chose to physically engage with the people in the ring.

“I don’t think also that they should hold their head down,” Cejudo said. “It’s not a sucker punch. That’s my dad. Everybody’s swinging in the ring.”

“You were still involved in the brawl,” Usman said. “You were swinging at civilians that were in there that weren’t in there to fight you.”

More than anything, Usman is concerned about what this means for Silva’s future. Few were clamoring for Silva to continue fighting as he approaches his 50th birthday next July, and the grisly scene in Sao Paulo only renewed calls for Silva to step away from combat sports competition for good.

“Wanderlei was out cold,” Usman said. “This is what worried me, the way his head hit the canvas as well. I mean, for people that you’re already dealing with some type of head traumas over the years and brain injuries, to take a shot like this, I think it’s—I don’t want to say this for the man, but as far as continuing the fighting career, it’s a tough one. You’ve got to question the fighting career after this.”

1 Like