What happened to Wanderlei Silva against Acelino 'Popo' Freitas? A look at bizarre events that left the UFC legend knocked out

Wanderlei Silva suffers brutal knockout. [Image courtesy: Getty]
Wanderlei Silva suffers brutal knockout in post-fight melee. [Image courtesy: Getty]

Wanderlei Silva made his combat sports return after seven years in an eight-round exhibition boxing matchup against former WBO and WBA super featherweight champion and two-time WBO lightweight champion Acelino Freitas. The two headlined Spaten Fight Night 2 at ARCA Spaces in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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The UFC Hall of Famer was disqualified after he committed several fouls throughout their bout, including an intentional-looking headbutt that prompted the referee to end the bout. Following that, there was a furious altercation between the two teams inside the ring. X user @DovySimuMMA recently shared a clip of Silva getting knocked out by a man wearing a tuxedo via a vicious right hand, leaving him unconscious on the canvas.

Check out the post below:

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Silva reportedly weighed 50 pounds more than Freitas and tried to use his aggression to dominate the former boxing champion. However, the 50-year-old displayed his experience in the squared circle by hurting him in the first and second rounds before completing the third round on a high note.

Things got heated in the fourth round when the referee had to step in to separate them, as 'The Axe Murderer' had a point deducted for a headbutt before committing another foul. Silva again violated the rule, which forced the referee to take away a third point and eventually disqualify him. Uncrowned shared clips of the 49-year-old's headbutts on X, which appeared intentional.

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UFC veteran Fabricio Werdum and Andre Dida, who were in Silva's corner, entered the ring and attacked Freitas' corner, which led to a full-scale brawl between two teams. Silva was caught in the melee and ended up getting knocked out in a devastating fashion.

The former UFC fighter's last MMA appearance came at Bellator 206 in 2018, where he lost to Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson via second-round knockout.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena
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