Issue 107

November 2013

The unknown fighters who left their mark on the records of MMA’s biggest stars. In 2006, Antonio Silva was supposed to be the next big thing at heavyweight - until Eric Pele spoiled the party.

From early 2005 to late 2006 Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva was considered one of the hottest heavyweight prospects in MMA. Now a legend-beating UFC fighter, at the time the undefeated six-foot-four, 265lb Brazilian was making a name for himself by destroying all heavyweights put in front of him. So when he fought late replacement Eric Pele at BodogFight: USA vs. Russia in Vancouver, most believed he would get a speedy victory. But as we find out on a regular basis in MMA, things rarely turn out as predicted.

So how did an accomplished artist and tattooist such as yourself get into mixed martial arts?

“I got into mixed martial arts around 1997 or 1998 when I met a gentleman named John Lewis. I was a wrestler in high school and also did some wrestling in college, but not really anything to shake a stick at. When I met John I was really out of shape and I was looking to do something with my life instead of just lifting weights. I was entertaining the thought of going to a boxing gym, but when I met John he asked me if I wanted to do jiu-jitsu. So I went to the gym and after my first time getting choked out I was hooked (laughs).”

At the time, Bigfoot Silva was this undefeated prospect coming out of Brazil, and there weren’t that many videos of him on the net as now, so how much did you know about him?

“Oh I knew who he was. I was really into the sport and by the time the fight came around there was a buzz around his name. I remember my buddy telling me that there was this big dude with a tattoo on his back and they call him Bigfoot. Then I saw his breakout fight against Tom Erikson and I remember thinking that this guy was a f**king beast (laughs).”

What were your initial thoughts when you found out you’d be facing Silva? 

“My manager asked me – as a joke – what would I do if I had to fight Bigfoot, and I looked at him and said, ‘F**k that!’ (laughs). Two days later, a representative from BodogFight called and told us that Bigfoot’s opponent had fallen through and asked if I was still available. My first reaction was that I didn’t really need to take that fight, but after thinking about it I decided to do it. Also, it was a sweet deal and I knew that they were setting me up for a fall because they wanted Bigfoot to face Alexander Emelianenko. They needed somebody to beat up on. So I began training and my confidence grew and I started to believe I could beat him.”

You knocked him down before you got the TKO finish at 2:40 of the first round. What was going through your head? His corner thought it was stopped early, right?

“Well there are a few reasons as to why I think I knocked him down, one of them being the fact that I was a southpaw and he’d never faced one before. However when I knocked him down I was like, ‘S**t! Get on him!’ (laughs). I’m not a referee but I was hitting him pretty good and all I know is that I had to keep going until the referee stopped. I don’t know if the rules are different in Canada but I’ve always thought they were a bit trigger-happy. But I’m not a referee; I just fight.”

Did you speak to Antonio afterwards? Did he take the defeat badly considering it was his first loss?

“He was very humble after the fight. He came over to me to shake my hand and give me a big hug. He kept on saying to me, ‘Next time, next time’ (laughs). Even at the club afterward he would pat me on the back and say, ‘Good punch.’ His trainers on the other hand, they were pissed (laughs). They were so f**king bitter, and I get it; but don’t be bitter at me, be bitter with the referee if they felt that way. I tried to go and see him before he fought Cain (Velasquez) the first time but I didn’t get a chance.”