And what a terrific photo selection, given the circumstances. (*slams head off desk*)
Last month, when Josh Grispi and War Machine were busted in two of the most heinous domestic assault cases since, well, Thiago Silva stuck a gun in his ex-wife’s mouth, Dana White made sure to emphasize how bullshit it was that both men were being labeled “UFC fighters.”
“It’s horrible… and every time I’ve got to see, ‘Ex-UFC fighter’ when the stories are written. “He fought twice! Six years ago!” said White of War Machine, “He was a current Bellator, Viacom fighter. He fights for Viacom. Not the UFC.’ ”
An understandable frustration, as the last thing the MMA community needed was to be unfairly labeled as, I don’t know, a horrifying culture of misogynists. When Thiago Silva was arrested months prior for, I repeat, sticking a gun in his wife’s mouth and engaging in an armed standoff with police, White told reporters that Silva “will never fight in the UFC again.” It was a minor, albeit comforting thing to know in an otherwise disturbing string of events.
And it lasted eight months. Eight f*cking months.
Now cleared of all charges in his domestic assault case due to the fact that his ex-wife has left the country (likely out of fear), Thiago Silva has been re-signed by the UFC. I’ll say that again, Thiago Silva has been *re-signed* by the UFC.
The announcement was made by representatives from Silva’s Blackzilians camp earlier today and confirmed by several sources.
Look, I know we may hate on the UFC to excess around here, but this move is nothing short of ridiculous. Aside from Silva’s recent legal troubles, which one final time, involved him sticking a gun in his ex-wife’s mouth, Silva has also been busted for falsifying a urine sample and testing positive for marijuana while under UFC contract (during a stretch between 2010-12 where he went 0-2 with 2 NC). He also missed weight for his most recent fight at Fight Night 29, but apparently, it takes more than three strikes before you’re out in the UFC. Or more than five.
Seriously, the overwhelming display of incompetence by the UFC is nothing short of astounding here. Literally everything about Thiago Silva screams liability, yet because he is a moderately known name who puts on occasionally thrilling performances, he has been welcomed back with open arms by the same organization that fired Jason High for shoving a ref before even reviewing the footage. Crazy pills, I feel like I’m taking them.
Could someone explain to me what exactly are the grounds for permanent expulsion under this magical Code of Conduct the UFC loves to wave around whenever it’s convenient? Because Thiago Silva is a arson charge away from completing the Decathlon of Unprofessionalism and is seemingly being rewarded every step of the way.
I can’t wait to see how the UFC’s spinmaster tries to handle this one.
“Silva’s a good guy and the victim of a big misunderstanding. He didn’t beat his woman within an inch of her life, he just said some things that got taken out of context. And plus, he’s technically innocent! What else do you f*cking people need? Honestly, the way you media f*cks chose to attack him without knowing all the facts is f*cking disgusting, and you should all be ashamed of yourselves. F*ck.”
Ugh, I need a shower.