Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight fighter Thiago Silva got into an hour long armed standoff with cops Thursday night in his Florida home, authorities said, and was still being held in jail as of Saturday, authorities said.
The 205-pound brawler allegedly drove to rival MMA gym Pablo Popovitch’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu School in Oakland Park, Fla. According to authorities, Silva threatened students and instructors at the school, but no one was injured.
Cops said the mixed martial artist then drove back to his home on Coral Heights Court, where cops said he barricaded himself with a gun and his wife and child. By 11:45 p.m, Silva voluntarily surrendered to the Broward County Sheriff’s Department.
According to police, the armed standoff with police and the threats to Popovitch’s school are a part of a domestic dispute between Silva and his wife.
Broward County jail records show that Thiago Silva, 31, was being held without bond following his arrest Thursday on charges that included attempted murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and obstruction without violence. But his attorney, Scott Saul, told The Associated Press the charges were downgraded during a Friday court appearance to aggravated assault with a firearm and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Saul said he entered a not guilty plea on Silva’s behalf.
Broward Circuit Judge John Hurley noted during the court appearance that there was no probable cause to support the attempted murder charges but ordered Silva held without bond after expressing concern about the nature of the allegations and said Silva, a Brazilian mixed martial artist, posed a flight risk.
“He’s upset because he’s been humiliated and he’s in jail,” Saul said of Silva. “He’s been very unfairly treated as some type of aggressive animal just because he’s a professional athlete. There are no marks on this woman’s body. He’s not accused of ever hitting her. When I’m dealing with him, I’m dealing with the perfect gentleman.”
But a probable cause affidavit shows Silva had threatened his estranged wife on several occasions.
On Wednesday, police said Silva sent his wife a text message in Portuguese that read “…you are going to die. I am going to hire someone to kill you.” The next day Thiago Silva “had been drinking and extremely intoxicated” when he drove to the gym and threatened to kill his wife and her now-boyfriend who owns the gym, the report said.
“I will go in the gym and start shooting everyone,” Silva said. There were 25 people in the gym at the time, the report noted.
The boyfriend went outside and Silva threatened to kill him and his wife, the report said. The boyfriend eventually called police and Silva drove off. He was later arrested at his home and appeared to be intoxicated and “uttered that he did not know what was going on,” the report said.
The report said Silva and his wife had been married for 13 years, but Saul said the two were separated.
The UFC has released Silva from his contract, and the Brazilian is currently facing deportation if found guilty, authorities say.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.