Last seen in 2017 against Vitaly Minakov, Bigfoot Silva will return to the combat sports world after signing on with Bare Knuckle FC.
Former Strikefroce and UFC heavyweight Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva will carry on with his combat sports career, but now, he’s venturing outside of MMA. On Thursday, Bare Knuckle FC (BKFC) announced via its official website that they had signed the hulking Brazilian. When he makes his debut with the organization, it will have been over two years since his last attempt at MMA.
“We are happy to announce the signing of ‘Bigfoot’ Silva to our roster,” said BKFC President David Feldman. “He has fought and beat some of the best in the world. We have some intriguing matchups that we are talking about with him now. I really expect great fighters (sic) from Antonio.”
Silva (19–12, 1NC) shot to fame as part of Strikeforce’s stacked heavyweight division, where he picked up wins over legends Andrei Arlovski and Fedor Emelianenko. When the UFC swallowed up Strikeforce, he would drop his promotional debut to Cain Velasquez, but wins over Travis Browne and Alistair Overeem earned him a title shot — also against Velasquez.
Once again, Silva came up short, then went on a downward spiral that saw him win just once more in his career. A famed 2013 slugfest with Mark Hunt, ruled a draw, was later turned to a No Contest when Silva failed a drug test.
After being cut by the UFC in 2016, Bigfoot took a couple of fights in Russia, against Ivan Shtyrkov and Vitaly Minakov, losing both.
No date or opponent has been announced for Bigfoot Silva’s BKFC debut.
