Bruno Silva faced a tough challenge from Chris Weidman at UFC Atlantic City. Both fighters were on losing streaks, having only secured one win apiece in their last five UFC appearances. While Chris Weidman emerged victorious, the win was marred by controversy.
Weidman landed four eye pokes on Silva throughout their three-round fight. This sparked outrage within the MMA community, particularly among UFC fighters, who felt Silva was unfairly disadvantaged. Moreover, many wanted the decision to be turned to No Contest instead of a victory for the All-American.
Bruno Silva furious after Chris Weidman secures win with eye pokes
The fight between Bruno Silva and Chris Weidman ended when referee Gary Copeland stopped the fight in the third round after Weidman appeared to land a left hook that dropped Silva and the follow-up shots. However, on further replay, it was found that Silva dropped down after two eye pokes.
Initially thought of as a TKO victory for Weidman, it was changed to a technical decision as Weidman was leading on the judge’s scorecard up until the stoppage. Silva protested furiously at the time of the stoppage and has now made his thoughts known via social media. “The world saw what happened yesterday. I’m a man when I lose and a man when I win, but what happened yesterday was very unfair and frustrating,” said Silva on his Instagram.
Silva went on to criticize Weidman for not following the rules, as Weidman always had his fingers pointing towards his opponent. The Brazilian made it clear that the eye poke from the American was not just a scrape.
Moreover, Silva felt that the fight was a draw, in his opinion. However, all three judges scored for Weidman. Silva wanted the state athletic commission to review the result and change it to a No Contest and he also demanded a rematch.
Alex Pereira displays support to Bruno Silva
Bruno Silva got overwhelming support from the MMA community on social media. Belal Muhammad, Justin Gaethje, and Derek Brunson among others were the big names that came to the support of Silva, as per MMA Junkie.
Now, another big name has sided with Silva. It was none other than Alex Pereira, the UFC light heavyweight champion. Pereira fought Silva in his second fight in the UFC and won via unanimous decision. Many predicted a knockout victory for Pereira when they fought but the fight went all three rounds.
Alex Pereira shows support to Bruno Silva by sharing his statement via. his Instagram story pic.twitter.com/REoWESR3Qr
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 1, 2024
Showing support to his former foe, Pereira shared Silva’s Instagram post on his Instagram stories. Pereira has always been respectful to his former foes, as evidenced by his interactions with Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland.
The Silva versus Weidman fight was not the only fight at UFC Atlantic City that had a weird finish. Jacob Malkoun’s victory over Andre Petroski was bizzare but not controversial. Malkoun rocked Petroski with his hip and finished via soccer kick, ground, and pound.
Do you think Bruno Silva’s loss to Chris Weidman should be changed to a No Contest? Leave your thoughts about it below!
