Michael Chiesa’s Frat Boy Moment

UFC welterweight and sometimes color commentator Michael Chiesa was absolutely elated after taking in teammate Julianna Pena’s monumental victory from the stands at UFC 269. It’s clear, however, that his exuberance was assisted by a large number of wobbly pops — which led to the unfortunate decision by “Maverick” to hop the guard rail and run towards the octagon. Predictably halted by security personnel, Chiesa wound up face planting, bloodied, and dragged out of the area.

You can see the start of Chiesa’s sprint to the octagon below.

ABSOLUTE CHAOS AND FANFARE AFTER PEÑA WON 😱 #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/e0dNAdKBkn

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 12, 2021

Dana White shed some info on the incident post-fight. “How do I say this without embarrassing this guy? He had a little bit too much to drink this evening. When she won, he freaked out and tried to jump into the octagon and fell down on his face, cut his eye and busted his eye open, then was arguing with the police that he needed to get into the octagon to be with her, because that’s his teammate. They dragged him out, got him outside, we calmed him down in the back, I went back and talked to him for a minute. We’re all good.”

It’s easy to understand Chiesa’s desire to celebrate with his teammate, but there are strict rules as to who can enter the octagon following a fight in place for a reason. Remember the Conor McGregor incident at Bellator 187? Or, you know McGregor vs. Khabib and co. at UFC 229? Chiesa wasn’t up to anything insidious, mind you — it was more of a drunken frat boy moment.

Never Change, Chael

At this point, it honestly feels like Chael Sonnen could talk his way out of a murder rap. Ahead of this year’s World MMA Awards, where he served as host, Sonnen talked to us about being fired by the UFC twice, and still coming back to be all over your TV screen.

We’ll just let these quotes speak for themselves.

“I’ve been fired by Dana twice. Dana’s my favorite guy, just in life in general, I look up to that man. He’s fired me twice. People think I kiss up to Dana— I don’t work for Dana, I haven’t worked for Dana in years because he fired me! Some people have a little bit of a bad sense of humor, they’re upset with me because I robbed a couple of banks. What about all the banks I didn’t get caught robbing? ‘He failed a couple of drug tests’ — what about all the drugs I took that they didn’t find in my system? Final score, Chael Sonnen’s ahead.”

“I’m not saying I’m a hero. I’m basically like Robin Hood. I have a Robin Hood outfit. Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor, I stole from the rich and then I kept it. And I’m not saying I’m a hero— but I am.”

Ring Card Girl of the Year

We caught up with Ring Card Girl of the Year Brittney Palmer prior to her win at the 2021 World MMA Awards.

Bigfoot Not Sure Why He’s Out of Eagle FC 44 Main Event… Really?

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva says he’s not sure why he’s not longer fighting Tyrone Spong in the Eagle FC 44 main event next year.

Really?

Speaking to MMA Fighting, Silva said he first heard he was out of the fight via the media. “No one from the promotion told me anything as to why I’m out. They simply changed it, put [Sergei] Kharitonov in, and told me nothing.” He later added that he had heard from “people in the MMA Industry” that the Florida commission wouldn’t let him fight in the U.S., but countered that he wasn’t under suspension anywhere in the country.

Eagle FC would later release a statement claiming Silva was “not medically fit” to compete in the fight, scheduled for January 28, 2022.

Regardless of reason, pulling Silva from the bout is the right call. Bigfoot’s involvement with the fight was met with condemnation from multiple media outlets, including this one, and fans. The former UFC title challenger has won just a single fight since 2013. He’s 1-9, 1NC since that time, and also suffered losses in kickboxing and bare knuckle boxing during that stretch. Spong, meanwhile, posted a 14-0 record in boxing between 2015 and 2019.

In short, the fight was a brutal mismatch on paper. While Spong is only 2-0 as a mixed martial artist and last competed in 2013, Bigfoot has been knocked out in ten of his last 11 losses, including bare knuckle boxing and kickboxing.

Commissions nix fights all the time when fighter records don’t match up to make a competitive fight. That’s all the reason needed to pull Bigfoot from a fight that never should have been booked in the first place. It seems extremely odd that Silva wasn’t informed of the news and underlying reason directly from the commission or promotion, if true, but it’s the correct outcome in the end. You could book Sergei Kharitonov against Francis Ngannou tomorrow, and you wouldn’t fear for the man’s life, even though he’d be a sizable underdog in the fight. The same can’t be said of Bigfoot, as it feels like a strong gust of wind would knock the man out at this point.

Daniel Torres Misses Weight, Stripped of Title Ahead of KSW 65

We actually did cover this unfortunate turn of events this week, but it bears repeating. As numerous fighters will tell you, they actually have two jobs. The first is to make weight, the second is to show up and fight. Ahead of KSW 65, Daniel Torres failed to complete job #1 successfully. Since he happened to be the KSW featherweight champion at the time, the Brazilian wound up stripped of his title, which was up for grabs in a rematch with Salahdine Parnasse.

Ouch. This could not have come at a worse time for Torres, who was on a nice little run— a four fight win streak, capped off with beating Parnasse for the title in their first meeting.

Parnasee later won the fight. Insult, meet injury.

Jake Paul Thinks He Can Beat Tyron Woodley in MMA With Two Year’s of Training

“If I can learn how to box in two years and beat people like him then why can’t I learn how to do MMA in two years and beat people like him? That’s my answer. It will happen at some point. 100 percent.”

That’s the joke.

That said, Paul absolutely smoked Tyron Woodley in their rematch on Saturday. He either needs to face an actual boxer, or try fighting MMA fighters in MMA.

TOFC Cancelled One Day Out, Fighters Paid

The inaugural Tarps Off Fight Club event, Brawl by the Falls, has been cancelled — well, tentatively postponed — due to the surging omicron variant of COVID-19.

TOFC 1 was expected to feature Scott Hudson in a lightweight title fight against Dominic Clark, among other bouts. It was a welcome addition to the Ontario MMA landscape, which has seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years. However, with venue capacities reduced in the province due to omicron, and COVID cases spiking, the decision was made to call the card off.

On the plus side, all fighters who showed up and made weight Friday will be paid.

https://twitter.com/TheBanesMMA/status/1471862588568846342

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Bigfoot Unsure Why He Was Yanked From Fight, Jake Paul to MMA? appeared first on Cageside Press.

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva’s involvement on the card raised eyebrows the moment it was announced earlier this month. Paired up against decorated kickboxer Tyrone Spong, it felt like a bad night at the office was awaiting Bigfoot. That’s thanks to the hulking Brazilian posting a 1-9, 1NC record in MMA since 2013 — not to mention losing bouts in bare knuckle boxing and kickboxing as well.

Spong, meanwhile, ran up a record of 14-0 in the boxing ring during that same span. As the main event of Eage FC 44, the promotion’s North American debut, the booking was a questionable one. With Bigfoot’s withdrawal, however, a more suitable opponent has been found: Bellator MMA, Strikeforce, and PRIDE standout Sergei Kharitonov.

Kharitonov (33-9, 2NC) is a tough night at the office for any heavyweight. A longtime veteran of the sport, he’s coming off a win over Fabio Maldonado (who, for the record, seems game to fight just about anyone at this point). Prior to that, he fell via submission to Cheick Kongo this past August at Bellator 265.

ESPN was first to report news of the opponent change. Eagle FC has caught the eye of western fight fans thanks to the involvement of Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former UFC lightweight champion. Nurmagomedov took control of the promotion in 2020; the outfit was formerly known as Gorilla Fighting Championship. Rizvan Magomedov, Pressident of Dominance MMA Russia, who helped manage Nurmagomedov’s fighting career, serves as CEO of Eagle FC.

Eagle FC 44 takes place January 28, 2022 in Miami, FL. In addition to Sergei Kharitonov vs. Tyrone Spong, former UFC champions Rashad Evans and Renan Barao are also expected to compete at the event.

The post Bigfoot Out, Sergei Kharitonov In Against Tyrone Spong at Eagle FC 44 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Atop the Eagle FC 44 card will be none other than former UFC heavyweight Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, taking on decorated kickboxer Tyrone Spong. ESPN’s Marc Raimondi was first to report news of the main event.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans is also expected to compete at the show, as first revealed by Yahoo’s Kevin Iole.

Spong (2-0 MMA) has not competed in mixed martial arts since picking up a pair of wins under the World Series of Fighting banner back in 2012/2013. Since then, Spong has competed mainly in boxing, going 14-0 between 2015 and 2019, and winning the WBC and WBO Latino Light Heavyweight titles.

Of course, Spong is best known for his kickboxing career where he captured multiple titles, and was a GLORY tournament winner (2013 SLAM Tournament Champion).

Bigfoot Silva, on the other hand, has struggled over the past eight years. And that’s putting it mildly. Since 2013, the Brazilian has just a single win, against Soa Palelei at UFC 190 in 2015. He’s 1-9, 1NC in MMA, and also found himself knocked out by Gabriel Gonzalez in a bare knuckle boxing match in 2019. Even more concerning, of his nine losses in MMA since 2013, he’s been stopped in eight of them.

Most recently, Bigfoot was finished via TKO against Quentin Domingos in June, a fight that took place in Serbia.

On paper, the pairing is the sort that makes you wonder how any athletic commission could sanction it, even if Spong is technically just 2-0 in MMA.

As for Evans, the retired former UFC light heavyweight champ will be back at 205lbs after dabbling at middleweight late in his career. No opponent has been named as of yet for “Suga,” who finished his UFC tenure on an 0-5 run and was later inducted into their Hall of Fame.

The post Eagle FC To Debut Stateside on Jan. 28, Tyrone Spong vs. Bigfoot Silva Headlines appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bigfoot Silva joined Taura MMA. And a number of other notable names are set to join him.

Silva has not competed since 2017 in MMA, but he is set to face off with LFA standout Brett Martin, who is on a five fight winning streak. Taura MMA plans to hold an event in Florida on October 30, with Silva featured. The event will be their eleventh.

A press release distributed to Cageside Press and other outlets acknowledges some of the other big name signings for Taura MMA, which is based out of Brazil. A member of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Brasilia, Bruno ‘Korea’ Mesquita has signed with the promotion. In addition to being a member of the TUF household, he was also a standout for the Brazilian ‘Watch Out Combat Show’ (WOCS). Mesquita holds a professional record of 11-3-1, and is a winner of four straight before a majority draw in his last appearance in the cage.

Two other standout names are to be involved with Taura MMA this October: former UFC fighters Jose Maria and Efrain Escudero. Efrain Escudero won TUF Season 8 (Nogueira Vs. Mir) back in 2008. His record in the UFC stands at 4-7 as he was sporadic with the promotion. Escudero has also competed in Bellator and PFL in his lengthy career. He’s currently sitting with a 31-16 record, and won his last fight via heel hook in 2019.

Jose Maria, at 38 years old, is looking to get back in the win column after a loss in his previous fight for ACA (Absolute Championship Akhmat) in Russia. With only two appearances in the UFC, both losses, Maria has fought 48 times in his professional career, holding a 39-9 record.

While the promotion has yet to announce most of the match-ups for these fighters, it is clear Taura MMA is looking to make an impact with their signings. We’ll find out if that works out come Taura MMA 11 on October 30.

The post Taura MMA Continues Signing Big Names for October Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

Properly Antonio Silva (19-12, 1NC), the heavyweight fighter was long a staple of promotions including Elite XC, Strikeforce and the UFC. He was also a Cage Warriors heavyweight champion. The Brazilian holds notable wins over Andrei Arlovski, Fedor Emelianenko, Travis Browne, and Alistair Overeem, and challenged Cain Velasquez for gold in the UFC.

His pair of fights against Mark Hunt (one turned to a No Contest following a drug test failure) had fans enthralled.

However, a 1-8, 1NC run to finish his MMA career saw Bigfoot being knocked out far too easily, first in the UFC, then in Russia. He subsequently moved on to bare knuckle boxing, appearing BKFC 8 last October, where he lost to another former UFC heavyweight standout, Gabriel Gonzaga.

It appears it’s back to MMA for Silva next. Taura MMA announced Monday that Silva had signed to fight for them, adding a video on their official Facebook page (the news was later announced via press release). He’s expected to take on Brett Martin (9-1, 1NC) on October 30. The event will be held at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.

He’ll have some familiar company on the card: Rousimar Palhares and Guto Inocente are also expected to appear.

If the bout does come to fruition it will have been three years between MMA bouts for Silva. In addition to his 2019 bare knuckle effort, however, he also took a kickboxing fight during his hiatus. That bout, against Rico Verhoeven at Glory 46 in 2017, also resulted in a knockout loss for Bigfoot.

The post Bigfoot Sighting: Antonio Silva Returns to Cage at Taura MMA 11 appeared first on Cageside Press.

BKFC 8 featured 11 bouts and 9 (T)KOs took place. Not a bad finishing rate to say the least. The bare-knuckle proceedings went down at Florida State Fairgrounds Entertainment Hall. There were quite a few visceral visuals throughout the night. Over five hundred pounds of humanity entered the ring and chucked knuckles for the top of the marquee prize fight. From top to bottom though, BKFC 8 delivered the goods and offered up something for BKB fans of all stripes. This is your BKFC 8: Silva vs. Gonzaga Recap.

BKFC 8: Silva vs. Gonzaga Recap

Antonio Silva vs. Gabriel Gonzaga……………Silva was bobbing and weaving a bit while Gonzaga looked to get some feints going. Both were looking to force the other to make a move and present an opening. Gonzaga began having some success with the jab and worked the body a bit. Bigfoot looked to move forward at certain points but seemed to whiff at the air. The connectivity wasn’t there.

In the second round, Gonzaga landed a big jab and tagged Bigfoot with a right hand that noticeably staggered Silva a bit earlier. Gonzaga never let him off the hook and the flurry that unfolded afterward crumpled Bigfoot Silva. The fight was waved off with Gonzaga being the declared the victor at 1:50 of the second round.

Jim Alers vs. Julian Lane………………Alers landed strong from out the gate and landed some good punches from the half plum. Lane was having some moments with left straight and body shots but he was cut in the first round. The second frame saw Alers charge forward and get the TKO stoppage 53 seconds in.

Angelo gets the split

Joey Angelo vs. Walber Barros…………Angelo vs Barros was one of the rare decisions on the card but the fans were not shortchanged on the action end of things. Barros was looking to measure out Angelo while Angelo mostly pawed away his lead hand to try to get his own pace going. The second round saw Angelo looking to commit more and he did land a nice step-in left hand.

Barros looked to land a right hand but fell short as the round ended. Angelo began landing good counter punches in the third frame and bloodied Barros a bit. Barros was flicking out the jab more but Angelo would time his entries and tee him up with more significant combos. The fight slowed down in the final round but again, Angelo showed superior ringcraft and greater connectivity. Angelo was awarded a split decision victory.

Nguyen got the win

Dat Nguyen vs. Travis Thompson……………..Thompson was looking to gain an advantage in the clinch during the first frame. This worked to some effectiveness in the early going until Nguyen landed a big uppercut. Nguyen began using his superior ring craft and was boxing up Thompson from a distance.

The story of the fight kept unfurling in this fashion with Thompson looking to apply pressure ad dirty box while Nguyen stayed on the outside and pieced up Thompson. Nguyen began landing at will while not getting hit at all in the final frame en route to scoring the inevitable unanimous decision win.

TKOs abound

Abdiel Velazquez vs. Rick Caruso…………Velasquez dropped Caruso as the decay from the ring bell still reverberated through the venue. Velazquez landed some significant follow-up shots to the head and body while geing another knockdown in the first round. The second round looked like a repeat of the first with Caruso hitting the canvas seconds in. his time he wouldn’t get up though and Velazquez scored the second-round knockout at the eleven-second mark.

Reggie Pena vs. Lorenzo Hunt…………Hunt was swinging with vicious intent early and this resulted in Pena getting cut up solidly. Around his eyes and forehead were covered with plasma. Pena wore the crimson mask but was still looking to pump the jab in the second round.

Hunt was landing some good body shots while being defensively savvy. The bout is eventually halted in the third round at the two-minute mark via doctor stoppage from Pena’s deep cuts.

TKOs abound cont.

Delandy Owen vs. Sheena Star………………Starr looked to set the pace early but Owen was tagging her with some straights. Both punched each other a fair bit in the clinch. Starr stumbled Owen but Delandy came back with a body shot. Owen came out hard in the second round with a high volume approach. Owen is cut but this fired her up even further as she dropped Starr with some big bombs. This resulted in the fight being halted at 1:01 of round two.

Dave Mundell vs. Ronnie Forney…………..Forney got right to it and both began trading big bombs with each other. Forney worked in some close quarters punches then was dropped. Mundell smelled blood and landed some good straights as well as uppercuts. Boh traded punches early in the second round bu a good uppercut would drop Forney for good. Both men got cut up but it was Mundell raising his hand in victory at 1:09 via first-round TKO.

BKFC 8 Prelims

Gustavo Trujillo vs. Robert Morrow………….Trujillo dropped Morrow early on in the bout. Trujillo slept Morrow 35 seconds which elicited a stoppage.

Jared Warren vs. Brian Maxwell………………….Both looked to pump the jab early on but Maxwell quickly put Warren down. Warren responded with big shots of his own and two big lefts put MAxwell to the mat. Another huge left greeted Maxwell when he got up and he was unable to answer the ten count. Warren got the KO win at 1:59 of the opening round.

Zach Juusola vs. Fred Pierce…………..A right hand from Pierce kicked off the proceedings with Juusola looking to play more of an outside game early. Pierce suffered a cut that the doctor checked. Pierce would come back swinging after the brief halting of the action and would drop Juusola to end the round. Juusola would rally back in the second with an unwavering flurry of punches that resulted in a bloodied Pierce crumpling to the canvas. The ref waves off the action with Zach Juusola getting the second-round KO over Fred Pierce 33 seconds in.

The post BKFC 8: Silva vs. Gonzaga Recap appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bare Knuckle FC’s return to Florida, BKFC 8, brought former UFC heavyweight title challengers Bigfoot Silva and Gabriel Gonzaga with it. And in the end, Bigfoot once again found himself on the wrong end of a knockout blow.

A right hand by Gonzaga dropped Silva in the second round, and while Bigfoot would make it back up that time, he was dropped again moments later.

“I worked my combinations,” said Gonzaga after the fight. “I know I used a lot of my speed and my jab worked well. When I saw an opportunity, I threw my hands and that was it.

“I loved this victory because it was a lot to do with boxing, and it was even better with no gloves on,” continued Gonzaga.

Citing money as the motivation, it sounds like Gonzaga might be back for another go in Bare Knuckle FC. As for Bigfoot, hopefully this is the final bow for the hulking heavyweight. The end of his UFC run (and his post-UFC career) saw him stopped in 4 of 5 fights in MMA, and in both his kickboxing and now bare knuckle boxing ventures.

Full results from the event can be found on our BKFC 8 live results page.

The post BKFC 8: Silva vs. Gonzaga Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

If nothing else, BKFC 8 was set to take advantage of a rare Saturday night lacking MMA or boxing action. The UFC hosted a rare Friday night show this weekend, and the only notable boxing action was across the pond, with the Robbie Davies Jnr vs. Lewis Ritson card getting a 2PM start time for North American viewers.

End result, if you were fully subscribed to the idea that Saturday night is meant for fighting, then BKFC 8 was your fix.

The bare knuckle boxing show was headlined by Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva taking on Gabriel Gonzaga, two former UFC heavyweights getting a little long in the tooth. Silva’s MMA career peaked when he fought Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight championship at UFC 160. Or maybe it peaked with his knockout of Alistair Overeem to earn that shot. Either way, the man who once stopped Fedor Emelianenko ended his MMA run 1-7, and hadn’t fought since June 2017 in MMA (he also came up short in a GLORY kickboxing bout that October).

Gonzaga, at least, had fared slightly better, finishing out his MMA career on a two-fight skid. Another former UFC title challenger, he last fought for Russian Cagefighting Championship in May of last year.

No takedowns, no submissions, just two massive heavyweights — 280lb+ Silva vs. 260lb Gonzaga — throwing with ill intent.

Also on the card, ‘Lemme Bang, Bro’ legend Julian Lane squaring off with UFC vet Jim Alers.

Live results from BKFC 8 can be found below as they happen! BKFC 8 live on FITE TV

Bare Knuckle FC 8: Silva vs. Gonzaga Results

Antonio Silva vs. Gabriel Gonzaga………….Gabriel Gonzaga defeated Antonio Silva via KO in round two at 1:50
Jim Alers vs. Julian Lane………….Jim Alers defeated Julian Lane via TKO in round two at 0:53
Dat Nguyen vs. Travis Thompson………….Dat Nguyen defeated Travis Thompson via unanimous decision
Abdiel Velazquez vs. Rick Caruso………….Abdiel Velazquez defeated Rick Caruso via TKO in round two at 0:11
Reggie Pena vs. Lorenzo Hunt…………. Lorenzo Hunt defeated Reggie Pena via TKO doctor stoppage in round three at 2:00
Joey Angelo vs. Walber Barros………….Joey Angelo defeated Walber Barros via split decision
Delandy Owen vs. Sheena Star………….Delandy Owen defeated Sheena Star via TKO in round two at 1:01
Dave Mundell vs. Ronnie Forney………….Dave Mundell defeated Ronnie Forney via TKO in round two at 1:09
Gustavo Trujillo vs. Robert Morrow………….Gustavo Trujillo defeated Robert Morrow via KO in round one at 0:35
Jared Warren vs. Brian Maxwell………….Jared Warren defeated Brian Maxwell via KO in round one at 1:59
Zach Juusola vs. Fred Pierce………….Zach Juusola defeated Fred Pierce via KO in round two at 0:33

The post BKFC 8: Silva vs. Gonzaga Live Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Once, they were feared UFC heavyweights. Now, Brazilian behemoths Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva and Gabriel Gonzaga enter the world of bare knuckle boxing. At BKFC 8, the pair throw down in the main event — for which Bigfoot weighed in north of 280lbs.

Fighters hit the scales Friday ahead of the event in Tampa, Florida.

Gonzaga was a svelte 260.6lbs compared to Silva’s 284.2lbs. So, super heavyweight then?

The UFC vets aren’t the only notable names on the card. ‘Let me Bang, Bro’ TUF alum Julian Lane will be banging against Jim Alers in the evening’s co-main event. ‘Nitrane’ was 1-1 in Bare Knucke FC heading into the fight, while Alers, another UFC vet, had won his first bout in BKFC against Elvin Leon Brito earlier this year.

Weigh in results for BKFC 8 are blow, plus the official weigh-in video!

Bare Knuckle FC 8: Silva vs. Gonzaga Weigh-In Results

Antonio Silva (284.2) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (260.6)
Jim Alers (155) vs. Julian Lane (153.5)
Dat Nguyen (135) vs. Travis Thompson (137.7)
Abdiel Velazquez (135.5) vs. Rick Caruso (139.4)
Reggie Pena (195.3) vs. Lorenzo Hunt (196.3)
Joey Angelo (184.8) vs. Walber Barros (183.2)
Delandy Owen (115.5) vs. Sheena Star (118.1)
Dave Mundell (189.6) vs. Ronnie Forney (192.5)
Gustavo Trujillo (204.8) vs. Robert Morrow (202.5)
Jared Warren (191.5) vs. Brian Maxwell (194.3)
Zach Juusola (165) vs. Fred Pierce (165)

The post BKFC 8: Silva vs. Gonzaga Weigh-In Results — Bigfoot North of 280 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The bare knuckle boxing wave continues, with BKFC at the forefront. And it continues to piggyback on MMA notables from yesteryear. On Wednesday, BKFC (Bare Knuckle FC) announced that a heavyweight showdown between Bigfoot Silva and Gabriel Gonzaga would be the BKFC 8 main event this October.

The promotion, who has dipped into the MMA pool with names like Chris Leben, Jason Knight, and Artem Lobov, have gone back to the early 2010s on this one. Gonzaga (17-12 MMA) was with the UFC from UFC 56 in 2005, all the way to a 2016 loss to Derrick Lewis. He then left the sport, saying he’d return for a hefty payday, and dabbled in boxing. The Brazilian, legendary for turning the tables on Mirko Cro-Cop with a head kick KO of his own, returned to action last year, losing to Alexander Emelianenko in Russia.

Gonzaga would earn a title shot off the Cro-Cop knockout, but lose to Randy Couture at UFC 74. He briefly left the promotion in 2011, but was back the following year.

Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva (19–12 (1) MMA) was signed by BKFC just weeks ago. A former UFC and Strikeforce heavyweight, he’s best remembered for finishes of Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem, plus his brilliant battle with Mark Hunt in their first meeting, widely considered one of the best heavyweight fights of all time.

However, Silva’s UFC run ended in a downward spiral, going 1-6, 1NC then picking up two more losses outside the promotion. He has not fought in MMA since 2017.

Both fighters were quoted in Wednesday’s press release.

“It’s a great honor for me to fight for a great new company like BKFC,” said Silva. “They are doing everything right and this is a great opportunity for me to showcase my boxing. Fighting with bare knuckles is where it all started for me. I will be ready for Gonzaga, so he better be ready for me. I’m fighting for my children and nothing will stop me.”

“I have fought everywhere in the world, in the biggest organizations, and bare knuckle is exciting, pure and it’s where it all started,” said Gonzaga. “I am excited to have the second half of my career fighting for BKFC. I have no doubt I made a great choice and BKFC will be one of the biggest promotions in the world. I can’t wait to fight ‘Bigfoot’ Silva. He is a great fighter, but I am coming ready to win.”

BKFC 8 takes place October 19, 2019, airing live on pay-per-view from the Florida State Fairgrounds Entertainment Hall in Tampa, Fl.

The post Bigfoot Silva vs. Gabriel Gonzaga to Headline Bare Knuckle FC 8 appeared first on Cageside Press.