Ex-UFC Fighter Arrested After Standoff
OAKLAND PARK (CBSMiami) – A now ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran fighter was arrested just before midnight Friday after he threatened a group of people at a jiu-jitsu school and then barricaded himself in his home.
Thiago Silva, 31, is being held by on no bond in the Broward County Jail on charges including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest without violence, and two counts of aggravated assault.
The initial call to the sheriff's office at 7:45 p.m. after Silva allegedly threatened the people at the jiu-jitsu school at 777 E. Oakland Park Boulevard.
According to police, Thiago Silva came to the jiu-jitsu center and his wife came outside to avoid a confrontation. His wife said Thiago smelled of alcohol and showed her a black Glock gun and pointed at the victim saying she had to bring a man named Pablo Popovitch outside, according to the arrest affidavit.
Pablo came outside to help the wife, but when Thiago allegedly threatened to kill both of them, the wife and Pablo ran back inside and called 911, according to police.
After that, Silva went to his home on the 200 block of Coral Heights Blvd and locked himself inside. BSO deployed a SWAT team to the area and set up a perimeter around the home.
BSO SWAT approached the house and Thiago came out, but didn't comply with the commands of officers. The SWAT team used a taser on Thiago and he then complied and was taken into custody.
Police described Thiago, "appeared to be extremely intoxicated and uttered that he did not know what was going on" and then asked for a lawyer.
UFC officials released a statement Friday afternoon that read, "The Ultimate Fighting Championship has terminated the contract of Thiago Silva, effective immediately."
A friend of Thiago called the entire incident, "shocking to everybody."
"Never, never. He was a quiet, very nice person, nice husband, his wife is adorable. He was a family boy," said Rosio.