Matt Hamill pulled out of his World Series of Fighting match against Thiago Silva hours before the event. Not wanting to pull Silva from the co-main slot, WSOF pulled up Teddy Holder from his originally scheduled fight against Jake Heun. Holder entered the cage a 4-1 underdog. He wound up eating Silva’s best shot and recovering before delivering his own right hand right behind the ear that crumpled Silva. The latter hung in as long as he could, but Holder kept swarming and forced a referee stoppage at 2:00 of round one.
Last February, an allegedly intoxicated Silva allegedly threatened to shoot 25 people at Pablo Popovitch’s gym in Oakland Park, Florida, due to the relationship between Popovitch and Silva’s estranged wife. The UFC released Silva from his contract then brought him back on when charges were dropped then re-released him after footage of a gun-wielding (and possibly drugged up) Silva surfaced.
With that in mind, MMA media member Adam Martin tweeted the following after the fight (emphasis mine):
Someone please send me the .gif of Thiago Silva getting knocked out. Great moment for the sport.
Now, I’m not one to deny anyone their right to celebrate a good bit of schadenfreude. Especially when that person is Silva’s ex-wife. There are few things more satisfying in life than watching a villainous person get their comeuppance.
But what about this makes it a “great moment for the sport,” exactly? That Thiago Silva took home a paycheck? That he appeared in a featured bout of a card on a national sports cable channel? That Silva’s reputation was apparently good enough to earn a contract from one of the second-tier promotions?
When Adrian Peterson returns to football (or Ray Rice, in the hopefully unlikely event some team signs him), will it be good for that sport when someone tackles him? Or gives him a late hit? Or smushes his facemask into the dirt?
There’s a lot to unpack about cases like Thiago Silva and Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson. Namely, when is it appropriate for perpetrators of domestic violence to resume their athletic careers? If never, are they befit for employment as, say, a garbageman? If so, what does that say about how we view that occupation (which is an important and necessary function of society)? I don’t have those answers.
But I do know that Teddy Holder knocking out Thiago Silva was not a “great moment for the sport”. Ronda Rousey fighting Liz Carmouche was a great moment for the sport. Georges St-Pierre retiring (hopefully) on top and with his health (double hopefully) was a great moment for the sport. The UFC’s first event in New York will be a great moment for the sport.
Thiago Silva getting dropped by a guy on a B-show was a moment. A great moment of schadenfreude. A great moment for those who despise domestic violence. But for the sport? Not when you consider that Thiago Silva was involved at all.
