Making the late game swerve into boxing, UFC legend, and Hall of Famer Anderson Silva is fitting right in, even at 46-years old.
On Saturday, Silva reacquainted himself with the “sweet science” and took fellow UFC legend, Tito Ortiz, to the bleachers. It should be noted that twenty percent of Ortiz’s purse was forfeited after he missed weight by roughly five pounds. The Brazilian legend recently dipped his feet in the waters of boxing just under three months ago and did so successfully. After becoming a free agent, Silva has been linked to potential fights with some big names like both of the Paul brothers.
The last time Silva laced up the boxing gloves was against Julio César Chávez Jr. in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and won the bout via split decision. Triller Fight Club once again pitted a former MMA fighter against a retired boxer in their main event. Initially, Belfort was scheduled to fight Oscar De La Hoya, but the legend was forced to pull out of the fight after being hospitalized with COVID-19. Taking his place on a weeks’ notice, boxing legend, Evander Holyfield at 58-years old looked in shape, but his performance told a different tale.
Evander Holyfield vs Vitor Belfort #HolyfieldBelfort #TrillerFightClub pic.twitter.com/twt1uSHtY4
— TRILLER (@triller) September 12, 2021
I was ready mentally and physically, anyone who knows me knows I fought hard. I promise I will be back!
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) September 11, 2021
Many thought Silva would walk away with the victory by decision, but the Brazilian showed why he’s widely regarded as one of the most deadly strikers in combat sports history. All it took was just 81-seconds for Silva to dismantle Ortiz and put his lights out. This knockout came shortly after “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” attempted to pressure “The Spider” against the ropes in the corner.
Silva’s face-plant knockout of Tito Ortiz marks his first finish since 2012, where he bested Stephan Bonnar with a combination of vicious knees and punches to earn a TKO.
With MMA denoting its first legitimate representative for boxing, fans are calling for Silva to fight with either of the Paul brothers.
Check Out What The Pros Had To Say After Anderson Silva Knocked Out Tito Ortiz
DOWN GOES ORTIZ 😱
Anderson Silva delivered a first-round KO 🕷 #HolyfieldBelfort (via @FiteTV) pic.twitter.com/LuV7piySUQ
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) September 12, 2021
WINNER @SpiderAnderson 💥🥊 #OrtizSilva #TrillerFightClub pic.twitter.com/q2vUocFEVp
— Triller Fight Club (@trillerfight) September 12, 2021
É hoje meu povo!
POR MAIS QUE TENTE, NÃO SOU O MELHOR, MAS SOU CAPAZ DE FAZER AQUILO QUE MUITOS ACHAM IMPOSSÍVEL. VOU FAZER MEU TRABALHO COMO SEMPRE FAÇO. E ACIMA DE TUDO VOU HONRAR MINHA EQUIPE, MINHA FAMÍLIA, MEU BRASIL. #trillerfightclub @trillerfight
— Anderson Silva (@SpiderAnderson) September 11, 2021
“AS MUCH AS I TRY, I AM NOT THE BEST, BUT I AM ABLE TO DO WHAT MANY FIND IMPOSSIBLE. I WILL DO MY JOB AS I ALWAYS DO. AND ABOVE ALL I WILL HONOR MY TEAM, MY FAMILY, MY BRAZIL.#trillerfightclub @trillerfight” Silva posted.
Wow Anderson looks great once again ! Who’s next ?
— Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) September 12, 2021
Man, Tito was out for a while there. Hope he’s all good.
— Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) September 12, 2021
Damn I tweeted and put my phone down and when I looked up Tito was face down 😲😲😲😲😲
— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) September 12, 2021
.@LoganPaul we lost our last fights let’s entertain our fans!! @triller ASAP
— Tito Ortiz (@titoortiz) September 12, 2021
Wrestlers boxing
Grandpa’s boxing
Youtubers boxing
What’s coming next yo boxing?— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) September 12, 2021
Who would you like to see Anderson Silva box next?
