More details are coming out regarding the wild brawl that went down at Spaten Fight Night 2 after Wanderlei Silva was disqualified during his exhibition boxing match against Brazilian boxing legend Acelino “Popo” Freitas. Silva took a book out of his old IVC days during the match, repeatedly headbutting Freitas during clinches. After the third […]
More details are coming out regarding the wild brawl that went down at Spaten Fight Night 2 after Wanderlei Silva was disqualified during his exhibition boxing match against Brazilian boxing legend Acelino “Popo” Freitas.
Silva took a book out of his old IVC days during the match, repeatedly headbutting Freitas during clinches. After the third intentional incident, the referee waved the fight off in the fourth round and handed Wanderli a DQ. Then things got even crazier.
Members of both corners climbed into the ring and started fighting. Silva entered the fray, only for a man in a tuxedo to run in from behind and punch him in the back of the head. Silva stepped back and squared up, only to catch another punch from the same man that sent him to the canvas unconscious. The man who knocked him out? Freitas’ son Rafael.
Silva was rushed to Sao Luiz Hospital where he got stitches around his left eye. “The Axe Murderer” was discharged shortly after.
“Popo” released a statement shortly after apologizing for the incident.
“I didn’t come here to tarnish anyone’s image, or to start a fight or a disturbance,” he said. “I came here to put on a show for you, to do my best. If Wanderlei headbutted me, if he elbowed me, it was between him and me and no one else. Neither my team nor his team should get involved. The fight here is between him and me.”
Freitas blamed Silva’s team — which included Wanderlei’s son Thor and coach Fabrico Werdum — for the fracas.
“We tried delivering you a perfect show and I end up beat by his coach out of nowhere,” he said. “Another guy tried to rear-naked choke me, almost chokes me out.”
“I’d like to apologize to Ambev and Spaten. But I’m telling you, we had no fault. Cowardly, it was his team. And I don’t know why they put Werdum in this event. This guy only does s–t in other people’s events. Werdum, be ashamed. If I were you, I’d be ashamed. There’s video of you all over me, trying to hit me.”
Werdum blamed Team Freitas, who he said outnumbered them five to one.
“[Andre] Dida, Thor and I entered the ring when it was all over and Wanderlei was disqualified,” Werdum said. “A lot of people entered from Popo’s side. I think it was 20 of them and only me, Wanderlei, Thor and Dida. We were reacting to their attacks. They started screaming and coming at us, and we were only four.”
Interestingly enough, this all happened on the same date as an infamous Pentagon Combat event on September 27th, 1997 in Rio de Janeiro, which also ended in a brawl. That featured Renzo Gracie and Eugenio Tadeu in a BJJ vs. Luta Livre grudge match which was waved off when the crowd rioted and fans swarmed the cage and chairs started flying.
MMA would be banned in the city of Rio for three years following that incident. We’ll see what happens following this Spaten Fight Night, and whether Spaten — a popular beer brand in Brazil — continues to invest in the sport after this debacle.
Category: General Sports
