Thiago Silva: So Much Talent, Not Enough Brains

Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

Thiago Silva will go in the book as one of the sad stories of the UFC. This isn’t because he was injured and couldn’t fight or had any health problem that prevented him from fighting. It is because he was a light heavyweight who, in the past, showed so much promise and ended up constantly throwing opportunities away throughout his career. He deserved every consequence he has received.

The latest stunt, which got the fighter removed from the UFC, occurred when he was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. He was originally charged with attempted murder before Judge John Hurley amended the charges.

Now Silva will more than likely never fight inside the octagon as a result of anger issues with a wife he was allegedly separated from. Prior to the most recent incident, it has been reported Silva was accused of assaulting his wife in January by throwing her on a couch and pointing a revolver at her.

Despite his personal life issues, Silva also had problems inside the cage (or at least during the preparation). In 2011, Silva was suspended for a year and fined a total of $33,750 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after admitting he used steroids and provided a fake urine  sample to pass a UFC 125 pre-fight drug test. His victory over Brandon Vera was ruled a no contest.

Something similar happened in 2012 following Silva’s bout with Stanislav Nedkov. After a third round submission victory over Nedkov, he was busted for marijuana metabolites and suspended for six months.

Since the marijuana suspension, Silva had won two straight fights against Rafael Cavalcante (KO) and Matt Hamill (unanimous decision). It almost looked like he may get a on roll, but all that is over now. He was scheduled to face Ovince St. Preux at UFC 171.

With his only losses coming to former light heavyweight champions Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans as well as top contender Alexander Gustafsson, Silva never had a “bad” loss.

Whether or not anyone will take a chance on Silva after his sentence is served is unknown, but no one can deny that he was a decent light heavyweight (16-3 and two no contests) who could compete at the top level. He just made bad choices in his life that led him down the path to nowhere.

Anthony Cloud is a MMA Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Google or like him on Facebook.

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    Come on Thiago! Everyone knows you can’t let it go to the judges..