Tag: howard davis jr.

Hide Your Wives and Guns: Thiago Silva to Return to MMA This August

(Photo via Sun Sentinel)

Remember when Thiago Silva was kicked out of the UFC for breaking MMA’s psychotic rampage record (previously held by Quinton Jackson)? You know, the rampage that involved putting a gun into his wife’s mouth, threatening her, threatening to shoot up everyone in a BJJ gym, and more?

Save for some kickboxing classes, Silva hasn’t surfaced much lately…until now.

This August, he’ll be back:

Fight Time Promotions, owned by famed boxer Howard Davis Jr., recently signed the beleaguered Brazilian. They made the announcement via Instagram. They also sent out a press release, which Bloody Elbow posted earlier today:


(Photo via Sun Sentinel)

Remember when Thiago Silva was kicked out of the UFC for breaking MMA’s psychotic rampage record (previously held by Quinton Jackson)? You know, the rampage that involved putting a gun into his wife’s mouth, threatening her, threatening to shoot up everyone in a BJJ gym, and more?

Save for some kickboxing classes, Silva hasn’t surfaced much lately…until now.

Fight Time Promotions, owned by famed boxer Howard Davis Jr., recently signed the beleaguered Brazilian. They made the announcement via Instagram. They also sent out a press release, which Bloody Elbow posted earlier today:

Light Heavyweight MMA superstar Thiago Silva will be back in the cage for Howard Davis Jr.’s Fight Time Promotions on Fri. Aug. 29th from the City of Ft. Lauderdale’s historic War Memorial Auditorium. The 12-time UFC Veteran will fight during Fight Time 20 in front of South Florida fight fans for the first time in his career. Silva, with a professional MMA record of 18-3, will fight for his former Boxing Coach – 1976 Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist – Howard Davis Jr., who is also the CEO of Fight Time Promotions.

“Thiago is a phenomenal fighter and a good friend of mine. He works hard in the gym. That being said; it’s an honor and a pleasure to have him fight for the Fight Time Promotions’ family,” said Howard Davis Jr.

That’s right. Silva will make his return to MMA this August. It’s not surprising to see Silva wind up in one of the smaller promotions. What major player would want Silva after facing off with a S.W.A.T. team and all the other heinous, violent actions he was accused of? It’s not as if he’s one of the bigger fighters who can be absolved of all guilt, right?

No opponent has been announced for Silva’s return to the cage. We’d say it’s unlikely Silva would ever see a paycheck from a top promotion again, but MMA is a crazy place.

UFC Vet Din Thomas Injured in Car Accident, Misses Main Event Return

Filed under: NewsVeteran fighter Din Thomas, attempting to return to the cage for the first time in nearly two years, didn’t make it to his fight Friday.

The UFC vet, scheduled to fight in the main event at Fight Time 7 at the War Memorial Auditorium…

Filed under:

Veteran fighter Din Thomas, attempting to return to the cage for the first time in nearly two years, didn’t make it to his fight Friday.

The UFC vet, scheduled to fight in the main event at Fight Time 7 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was reportedly injured in a car accident on the way to the venue. Fight Time promoter Howard Davis Jr. confirmed the news in a video released on YouTube following the show.

Davis, who built the show – “Fight Time 7: The Return of Din Thomas” – around the American Top Team product, gave early specifics on Thomas’ condition, but did not give any details on the accident. No other details about the crash were available late Friday.

“I just got some information from one of his trainers, and he stated that Din is a little banged up,” Davis said in the video. “His ribs might be broken, his arm hurts and his head is a little banged up. (But) they said that he should be OK.”

Thomas (25-8), a 35-year-old who started his career 12-1 to get a shot in the UFC, has been out of action since a January 2010 win over Dustin Pague in a World Extreme Fighting show in Pittsburgh. That win gave him three straight since being cut by the UFC in 2008.

Thomas has had three stints in the UFC. His debut came at UFC 32, a first-round knockout loss to BJ Penn. He followed that with a win over Fabiano Iha at UFC 33, and two wins outside the promotion.

At UFC 39, Thomas lost to Caol Uno. But he rebounded at UFC 41 with a majority decision win over future welterweight champion Matt Serra. Thomas then spent more than three years away from the UFC before returning by way of the comeback season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Season 4.

After the show, Thomas built a three-fight winning streak against Rich Clementi and current lightweight contenders Clay Guida and Jeremy Stephens in 2007. But consecutive losses to Kenny Florian and Josh Neer ended in his release from the promotion with a 5-4 record over the three stints.

In 2010, Thomas was scheduled to fight boxer Ricardo Mayorga in an MMA fight. But a last-minute injunction against Shine Fights and Mayorga, stemming from a cease and desist motion filed by Don King Productions, shut that fight down.

Davis, the head boxing coach at American Top Team, also spoke in the video about his close relationship with Thomas.

“Din is like a son to me,” Davis said. “When I first came to American Top Team eight and a half years ago, there were only five or six fighters at the time. And Din was one of the first fighters I trained. One of the things that really showed me who Din Thomas was, was I always look at someone’s character. He is always honest and up front about himself. (He’s) a very dignified gentleman, and showed poise as a fighter.”

Thomas was scheduled to fight M-1 veteran George Sheppard (10-6) in the main event at Fight Time 7. Fight Time, run by Davis and his wife, has been putting on MMA shows in south Florida for a year.

 

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