Thiago Silva, Matt Hamill Verbally Agree To UFC Fight Night 29 Match
Light heavyweights Thiago Silva and Matt Hamill have verbally agreed to a match at UFC Fight Night 29.
Silva told MMA Fighting that he had accepted an offer to fight Hamill in Brazil in October, and that they were just waiting to sign a contract making the match official.
“I didn’t get the contract yet, but it looks like yes, I’m fighting (Hamill) in Brazil,” Silva said. “They offered me that fight and I accepted it, so I’m just waiting for the contract.”
Thiago Silva‘s most recent fight was against Rafael Cavalcante at UFC on Fuel TV: Nogueira vs. Werdum in June. Silva won the match by KO at 4:29 in the first round, earning his first Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night honors.
Prior to that match, Silva last fought Stanislav Nedkov at UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le in November 2012. Silva originally won the match by arm-triangle submission, earning his first Submission of the Night, but the result was overturned after he tested positive for marijuana metabolites.
Matt Hamill most recently fought at UFC 152 in September 2012, beating Roger Hollett by unanimous decision. Even with Hamill’s 11-4 MMA record (10-4 in the UFC), Silva wasn’t expecting to fight the former Ultimate Fighter contestant.
“He wasn’t one of the guys I wanted to fight. I was expecting for a top 10 opponent, but they all are scheduled to fight so that was the option they gave me,” Silva said. “I don’t choose opponents, I’m here to fight and I want to fight the best. I’m going straight forward. That’s my style and it will never change.”
Prior to his fight against Cavalcante, Silva hadn’t fought in his native Brazil since 2006.
“It was a great experience, and that’s why I wanted to fight there again. That was one of the reasons why I came to America in the first place, our sport wasn’t recognized as a sport, but I was happy to see that our people respect us,” Silva said. “And that’s awesome, because we have some great talents there that doesn’t have the opportunity they deserve.”
UFC Fight 29 is scheduled for October 9 in Barueri, São Paulo, Brazil.
[Pictured: Thiago Silva]
