This weekend, Thiago Silva steps back into the UFC cage, but this time he will be repping a different team.
Silva, a longtime member of American Top Team, recently switched camp and is now part of the Blackzilian team. He joins such members as Rashad Evans, Tyrone Spong and Anthony Johnson in the Florida-based camp.
According to mmajunkie.com, the three years Silva spent with American Top Team were “a waste.”
“Once I moved to American Top Team, my life started going the wrong way,” Silva said of the super camp, which has produced some of MMA‘s biggest names. “It wasn’t a good team. I think I lost three years of my life training the wrong way. Their coaches didn’t have much to teach the athletes. I’m glad I found a real team now and I now have the ability to get back on track.”
Silva has had storied troubles as of late. In his last five fights, the man formerly a fight away from a title shot has gone 1-3 with a no-contest.
He was knocked out by Lyoto Machida at UFC 94, but recovered with a knockout win of his own against Keith Jardine at UFC 102. He was then defeated by Rashad Evans in the main event at UFC 108.
He would come back and destroy Brandon Vera at UFC 125, but the decision was turned to a no-contest when he failed his drug test. He was subsequently suspended for a year.
Upon his return, Silva would lose to Alexander Gustafsson on short notice, though he claims to have injured his ribs just days before the event.
He now faces Stanislav Nedkov in China this weekend in a must-win situation. Hopefully, his move to the Blackzilian camp has revitalized him.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com