MIAMI – In a fight between former UFC champions, Anderson Silva earned a second-round victory over Tyron Woodley on Friday night in a cruiserweight contest scheduled for six rounds on the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua at the Kaseya Center.
Silva (50) hit Woodley with an uppercut in the second round and knocked him down with a series of punches. Woodley got back on his feet, but his body language suggested he had had enough and after 1:33 he led to a corner kick and threw in the towel.
“I just tried to take my time and utilize the distance,” Silva said. “I’m lucky.”
Silva was unlucky.
Silva (4-2, 3 KO), the longest reigning champion in UFC history (2,457 days), transitioned to boxing full-time in 2021 when he was released from his UFC contract after winning just one of his last nine MMA fights. The Brazilian defeated former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and knocked out Tito Ortiz in 2021, but lost to Paul by unanimous decision in 2022.
Silva was originally scheduled to face Chris Weidman in his first fight in over three years, ending his legendary UFC reign. However, a shoulder injury forced Weidman to withdraw from the fight and he was quickly replaced by Woodley.
Woodley (0-3) was the UFC welterweight champion from 2016-2019, but left the organization when his contract expired in 2021. He faced Paul twice, losing by split decision in August 2021 before being brutally knocked out in a rematch four months later.
On Friday night, Woodley was no match for Silva and struggled with his opponent’s five-inch height advantage. Silva waited patiently for Woodley to attack in the first round as boos began to fill the arena due to the lack of action. Everything changed in the second round when Silva closed the distance, angled and fired an uppercut that shocked Woodley. When Woodley was in trouble, Silva bounced combinations off his opponent until he fell to the canvas.
Silva then said he wanted to become a police officer in Beverly Hills, California, where he currently lives, but had not yet retired from boxing. He said he wanted to get back into the fight against an enemy he calls “Venom” for his “Spiderman.”
“Chris Weidman,” Silva replied when asked who he wanted to fight next. “Chris, I know you hurt your shoulder, and I’m waiting. I’m waiting for you to get better. Let’s go show how former UFC fighters can do a good job in boxing and respect the boxing community. I’m waiting for you.”
In the co-main event, unified junior lightweight champion Alycia Baumgardner (17-1, 7 KO) promised a knockout at the most crucial moment, but had to settle for a knockdown and a unanimous decision over Leila Beaudoin (13-2, 2 KO).
Two judges scored the fight 117-110, and one judge scored the fight 118-109 for the champion, who defended her titles in 12 three-minute rounds.
Baumgardner, who recently signed with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions earlier this year, was the undisputed women’s junior lightweight champion but vacated the WBC title in protest at the governing body’s refusal to sanction a women’s championship fight under men’s rules. She acclimatized well to the longer fight, showing excellent fitness and skills.
She showed excellent footwork and worked on her jab to establish herself early on against her opponent. Beaudoin was tired of the champion’s power in her right hand and did well to mostly avoid it. Midway through the rounds, Baumgardner changed his strategy and started drilling into the Canadian until he finally broke through with a chopping right hand that knocked down Beaudoin at the end of round 7.
Although Beaudoin was well behind, she refused to fold and came to life in round 11, briefly defeating Baumgardner with a pair of counter right hands. However, the champion upped her game in the final round and landed hard combinations that put an exclamation point on her performance.
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