Ex-UFC title challenger Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva books fight against TUF 28 winner Juan Espino on March 23
Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva is making a comeback.
The former UFC heavyweight title contender squared off with some of the biggest names in MMA history, including former world champions Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, Daniel Cormier, Frank Mir, and Fedor Emelianenko. However, ‘Bigfoot’ has struggled to find the win column in recent years, losing 11 straight fights — nine by way of knockout — before finally deciding to hang up his gloves for good.
Eight days later, Silva canceled his retirement, declaring that he was once again looking for a fight.
As announced on his Instagram, ‘Bigfoot’ is scheduled to return against TUF 28 heavyweight winner Juan Espino on March 23 at Gran Canaria Arena in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. No further details regarding the bout have been released.
Silva’s lone UFC heavyweight title opportunity came against Cain Velasquez at UFC 160 in May 2013. He suffered a first-round KO 81 seconds into the bout. He went on to lose five of his next six inside the Octagon before receiving his release from the promotion. ‘Bigfoot’ has primarily fought in Russia since then, but his last outing came under the Kingdom Fighting banner in Grenoble, France.
Silva, 44, went 3-7 during his UFC tenure and currently sits with an overall record of 19-15.
Espino has fared better in his MMA career, amassing a solid 10-2 record since making his pro debut in 2009. His scheduled scrap with Silva will be his first fight since a controversial technical split decision loss to Alexandr Romanov in 2021. ‘El Guapo’ went 2-1 in the Octagon after winning The Ultimate Fighter, but ultimately walked away from the sport due to injuries.
“I couldn’t allow injuries to keep me from saying goodbye to mine the way I like best,” Espino wrote in Spanish on Instagram.
