PHOTO | Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva has gotten even bigger since leaving the UFC

By Tom Taylor - May 10, 2017

At 6’3, and more than 265 lbs, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is a big, big man. Though he is far from the fighter he once was, having lost seven of his last ten fights, he remains one of the most physically imposing fighters in the game. And somehow, he still seems to be getting bigger.

Bigfoot Silva returns against Vitaly Minakov

On June 2, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Bigfoot will take on the undefeated Vitaly Minakov, who is far and away the best heavyweight outside the UFC. As this massive heavyweight showdown draws ever closer, the promoter, Fight Nights Global, has released an in-depth infographic for it, complete with recent images of both Minakov and Bigfoot. If these images are any indication, Bigfoot has been packing on some extra weight in advance of this fight.

Whether Bigfoot’s apparent weight-gain is part of a plan to overpower the dangerous Minakov, or an indication of a reduced focus on training is difficult to say. Whatever the case, he’s clearly gotten much bigger.

Antonio Bigfoot Silva

Bigfoot currently sits at 19-11-1. Over the course of his career, which crescendoed during his time in Strikeforce and the UFC, he defeated names like Andrei Arlovski, Mike Kyle, Travis Browne, Alistair Overeem, and Soa Palelei. His recent losses have occurred against dangerous opposition in Cain Velasquez, Andrei Arlovski, Frank Mir, Mark Hunt, Stefan Struve and Roy Nelson – all of whom finished him with strikes.

Minakov, meanwhile, is currently riding high on an incredible 19-0 record, and that record wasn’t exactly crafted against weak opposition, either. Though top quality heavyweight talent is difficult to find outside the UFC, Minakov has managed to fight and dominate respectable names like Cheick Kongo, Alexander Volkov, Josh Copeland, Geronimo Dos Santos, Peter Graham, DJ Linderman, and Eddie Sanchez. If he wins this fight, he is likely to become an even more appealing target than he already is for the UFC.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/10/2017.


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Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva