Former UFC fighter Wanderlei Silva was knocked unconscious during a post-fight brawl on Saturday after his bout against retired boxing champion Acelino Freitas.
An exhibition boxing match between the 49-year-old Silva and the 50-year-old Freitas served as the headliner of the Spaten Fight Night 2 event held at ARCA Spaces in São Paulo, Brazil. Freitas, whose last fight in a boxing ring was nearly a decade ago, reminded fans why he’s a two-division boxing world champion.
Freitas toyed with Silva in the ring, leading the latter to get frustrated as the fight went on. Silva lost the fight via disqualification after hitting Freitas with an illegal headbutt in the fourth round.
Tempers flared as Freitas celebrated the victory. Trainers from both sides began exchanging words and eventually blows. During the fracas, Silva got knocked out cold by a man in a tuxedo.
simplesmente a maior porradaria generalizada após a luta do Popó x Wanderlei Silva
— Central do Braga (@CentralDoBrega) September 28, 2025
que loucurapic.twitter.com/heV17G0uLN
The entire ordeal looked like something crafted by WWE’s scriptwriters. If the event’s organizers were hoping to draw attention with their headliners, they certainly got it, and then some.
The identity of the man remains unclear, but he’s probably a friend or family member of Freitas who is also in the boxing community. He was holding a championship belt as he entered the ring and immediately threw punches at Silva while he had his back turned. The man’s killer right hook that took down Silva did not look like one thrown by an amateur.
Silva was inducted into the “Pioneer Wing” of the UFC Hall of Fame last year. He has not fought in the octagon since he was knocked out in 2018 by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, whose son made headlines last month for a similar reason.
