One day after criminal charges dropped, Thiago Silva is back in the UFC
In February, Thiago Silva was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after allegedly entering a jiu-jitsu school in Florida with a gun looking for his ex-wife and her new boyfriend before he barricaded himself inside an apartment while in a standoff with police and the SWAT team.
The next day he was released from the UFC under the guise that he would never fight in the Octagon again.
Now six months later, Silva is off the hook for any criminal activity and he's back in the UFC.
The Brazilian had all the charges dropped against him on Thursday by a Broward County, Florida judge and it took less than 24 hours for the UFC to reconsider their stance and re-sign him to a new deal with the promotion.
Silva's management team and training facility in Florida made the announcement via Instagram.
UFC president Dana White was quoted after Silva's arrest as saying he would 'never fight in the UFC again' but it appears with his court case settled he'll be welcomed back with open arms.
“When this thing went down, I said he'd never fight in the UFC again. When I watched it unfold on TV and heard of the charges, it didn't look good for Thiago Silva,” White said via a press release on Friday. “But he was acquitted of all charges. How do you not let the guy fight again?
“He went through the legal process and came out of it untainted. He deserves to be able to make a living again. He's back under contract."
Prior to his release from the UFC, Silva was on a two-fight win streak and was scheduled for a bout against Ovince St-Preux in March. While he's currently dealing with an injury, Silva hopes to be back in action as early as January 2015.
