Former champion Silva out of fight against Hall in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has withdrawn from his scheduled fight against Uriah Hall of Jamaica on Saturday in the city of Curitiba in southern Brazil.
Organizers of the event did not provide details for the 41-year-old’s decision, and said Hall will not face a different opponent.
The main fight of the card will be between heavyweight champion and home crowd favorite Fabrício Werdum and American Stipe Miocic.
Silva, who is considered the greatest mixed martial artist in the young sport’s history, has recently faced a series of problems.
Since 2015 the Brazilian has struggled with injuries and tested positive for banned drugs.
Man arrested in hit-and-run that killed MMA fighter
A Palm Beach County judge set a $450,000 bond last week for a man accused of hitting and killing a mixed martial arts fighter before fleeing the scene, according to jail records.
Dennis Wright, of Boca Raton, Fla., faces charges of leaving the scene of a crash causing death, tampering with evidence and driving with a suspended license, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Wright was driving up to 120 miles per hour on Federal Highway May 1, according to Delray Beach Police. Mixed martial arts fighter Jordan Parsons was walking in a crosswalk when he was hit by the Range Rover that Wright was driving, police said.
Spokeswoman Dani Moschella said an anonymous tipster gave detectives Wright’s name. The Range Rover he is suspected of driving belongs to his mother.
The Range Rover had substantial damage to its front end, and Wright tried to get a body mechanic to fix it, police said. When he was turned away, Wright rented a bay at a storage facility and hid the vehicle.
A friend was driving behind Wright, police said, but did not stop to help Parsons.
Parsons fought for Bellator MMA and had an 11-2-0 record. Bellator president Scott Coker last week called Parsons “an exceptional athlete and a rising star in the sport.”
