‘Bigfoot’ Silva returns to MMA after three-year absence

One-time UFC heavyweight title challenger Antonio Silva will return to the cage this fall after a three-year absence from MMA.

“Bigfoot” Silva, 40, signed a contract with Taura MMA to face former LFA heavyweight tournament champ Brett Martin on Oct. 30 at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Fla. The event, Taura 11, will air on Combate and Sport TV.

Despite his absence from MMA, Silva remained active in combat sports with one-offs in the kickboxing promotion Glory and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. He suffered knockout losses in both, adding to a long list of similar setbacks in his later career. Silva has not won an MMA bout since 2015 and has been knocked out in six of his seven most recent fighting appearances.

Martin, meanwhile, is currently on an unusual five-bout winning streak. His tournament win in LFA was achieved after back-to-back disqualification wins – one from punches to the back of the head and the other from illegal knees. Afterward, he apparently parted ways with the UFC feeder league.

Taura has also signed other UFC vets for its upcoming events, including Rousimar Palhares, Guto Inocente and William Macario.