Eddie Alvarez defends teammate Thiago Silva: 'He got dealt a bad hand'
Eddie Alvarez thinks the UFC made the right move re-signing Thiago Silva.
Silva, Alvarez's Blackzilians teammate, was arrested in February on charges of aggravated assault and battery, sending threatening texts and aggravated assault and resisting arrest without violence following an incident with his estranged wife, Thayse Kamiji, outside of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in South Florida.
The charges were dropped two weeks ago because Kamiji has left the country and will not cooperate with authorities. The UFC worked quickly to bring him back into the fold. Silva denies the allegations.
"He was run through the ringer," Alvarez told FOX Sports. "Every once in awhile we all get a bad hand dealt to us. He got a bad hand dealt to him. He went through it and came out unstained and successful. Why not [re-sign him]?"
The initial accusations from Kamiji were very serious. Kamiji told cops that Silva, on separate occasions, put a gun inside her mouth, sent her threatening texts and followed her to Pablo Popovitch's gym with a gun, threatening her and Popovitch, a jiu-jitsu coach. Kamiji and Popovitch are romantically involved. Silva and Kamiji have been separated since December 2012.
Silva was initially held without bond and issued an immigration hold, which was later removed. He spent several weeks in jail before being released on $25,000 bond in March. After that, he was forced to wear an ankle monitor.
Silva, 31, said last week on "The MMA Hour" that Kamiji wanted a divorce and was trying to get money out of him.
"I never pointed any gun at my ex-wife, I never tried to hurt [her]," Silva said. "Everything she said was a lie. So, that's the truth."
In February, UFC president Dana White said Silva would never fight again in the UFC, especially after he was involved in a standoff with police. But White admitted he spoke too soon.
"If you take his side of the story, her side of the story, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but he went through the process and he wasn't charged with anything," White said last week on FOX Sports Live. "The guy should have the ability to make a living."
Alvarez agrees and believes Silva, who he calls a good teammate and extremely helpful to have around the Boca Raton gym. The Blackzilians camp also includes UFC stars like Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson.
"He's a hell of a guy," said Alvarez, who makes his UFC debut in the co-main event of UFC 178 on Sept. 27 against Donald Cerrone. "It doesn’t shock me that things went the way they went, that he came out unscathed."
Silva, a native of Brazil, holds a 16-3 pro MMA record with two no contests, stemming from a failed drug test (marijuana) and a falsified urine sample. He is currently on a two-fight winning streak and was scheduled to compete at UFC 171 in March. Silva has not fought since last October, a unanimous decision win over Matt Hamill.
On "The MMA Hour," Silva said "people will forget" about the incident.
"They always do," he added.
