Thiago Silva Charged With Assault, Battery and Resisting In Florida

Thiago Silva, UFC Light-Heavyweigt, Receives Multiple Charges In Florida

Facts:

Thiago Silva's Mugshot

• Silva was originally charged with attempted murder, but charges were downgraded at arraignment
• Was denied bond based on his flight risk and risk to victims
• Has been fired from the UFC as of February 8th

Thiago Silva, 31, sits in a Broward County jail on multiple charges of violence after an alleged incident with deadly weapon. The former UFC light-heavyweight has been charged with 2 counts of aggravated assault with a weapon, 1 count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and 1 count of resisting an officer without violence. 

According to reports, Kamiji, his estranged wife, filed for a restraining order sometime during the last week of January. Silva allegedly pushed her to the ground, stuck a gun in her mouth and threatened to kill her. 

Thiago Silva in the UFC Octagon

Thaysa Kamiji-Silva

On February 6, between 7 and 8 PM, Silva allegedly entered the Pablo Popovitch Mixed Martial Arts Academy armed with a firearm of some sort and threatened some 25 people including Pablo Popovitch, owner of the academy, and Thaysa Kamiji-Silva, his estranged wife. Popovitch and Kamiji were allegedly involved in a romantic relationship, which is what is said to be the catalyst for this incident. No shots were fired, and nobody was hurt. Officials were called to the scene, and Silva soon left.

Pablo Popovitch

Silva then traveled to his Oakland Park, Florida home, where he barricaded himself inside of his home. At 11:00 PM of the same evening, police officials had confirmed that the standoff had come to a conclusion, and that Silva had been taken in without incident. 

At his arraignment the following day, Judge John Hurley set his bail at over $2.5 million dollars. However, identifying Silva, a Brazilian native, as a flight risk and the fact that there was ongoing domestic violence cases against Kamiji-Silva, and the possibility that Silva was a danger to his wife and the community, Hurley denied his bail altogether. 

Hurley added, "You're a professional fighter. With or without a weapon you could easily kill your wife. The  court notes that this was not isolated, this looks like ongoing domestic violence. I think there is a reasonable conclusion that you would confront your wife again and the court is concerned that you would bring great harm to her or kill her."

UFC President Dana White wasted no time in the matter of Silva's employment stating to TMZ, "He [Silva] will never fight in the UFC again." 

Silva was slated to fight Ovince St. Preux at UFC 171 on March, 15 in Dallas, Texas. According to a Sherdog report, Nikita Krylov has replaced Silva as St. Preux's opponent. UFC officials have yet to confirm this.

Silva is not the first mixed martial artist to be charged with domestic violence. Most recently, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, ironically, former host of MTV's "Bully Beatdown," was charged twice for corporal injury of spouse, felony charges. He allegedly kicked, choked, and urinated on his victim, Ana Priscilla aka Ana Stable. He also stated that he would "like to fight Stephen Hawking."