Silva Disqualified; Brawl Knocks Him Out

Wanderlei Silva was disqualified for repeated headbutts in his exhibition boxing return against Acelino "Popo" Freitas at Spaten Fight Night 2 in São Paulo, and the decision immediately sparked a chaotic post-fight brawl. During the melee Silva was struck by a man Brazilian media identified as Freitas' son Rafael and was knocked out cold; he was taken to a hospital, treated for a fractured nose and facial stitches, and later released. Freitas blamed Silva’s corner—particularly Fabricio Werdum—for escalating the violence, while Werdum and Silva’s team said members of Freitas’ camp entered the ring and provoked the confrontation. The knockout and widely shared footage drew condemnation from fighters and commentators, who warned the incident damages the sport’s reputation and renewed concerns about Silva’s long-term brain health given his prior symptoms consistent with traumatic brain injury. The bout had notable pre-fight context: Silva was making his first combat appearance since 2018, weighed roughly 44 pounds more than Freitas, and had been promoted as a major boxing debut.