Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia is the latest fighter to move to slap competitions.
‘The Maine-iac” has been out of action since a decision defeat to Ruslan Magomedov in October 2013. That defeat was the third in a row for the former UFC heavyweight champion. Prior to that loss to Magomedov, Sylvia suffered losses to Tony Johnson and Satoshi Ishii.
Following his latest defeat, the former champion retired. Granted, it wasn’t much of a choice, as he was denied medical clearance for a 2015 fight. Sylvia was scheduled to face Juliano Coutinho, but the fight was canceled after weigh-in day, where he came in at 371 pounds for the matchup.
However, he wasn’t suspended due to his weight, as the bout was supposed to be contested at super-heavyweight. Sylvia was medically suspended by the Mohegan Tribe due to an issue with an MRI and remains under suspension today. In order to compete, he will have to get medically cleared, but it seems he’s going to try.
For a decade, Tim Sylvia has been out of competition, but that hiatus is now over. As first reported by The Underground’s John Morgan, the former UFC heavyweight champion has signed to SlapFight Championship. Sylvia will face a man by the name of ‘Belldozer’ in the main event of SlapFight 25 in April.
For those unaware, the company the former UFC champion signed to has no association with Dana White’s PowerSlap league. While that endeavor has been blasted ever since its launch last year, SlapFight Championship proceeds them.
Former #UFC champ Tim Sylvia (@timsylviamma) is making the move to Slap Fighting.
“The Maine-iac” will compete on April 22 for SlapFIGHT Championship (@SlapFIGHTUSA), the organization that preceded @powerslapleague.
Details: https://t.co/y3qBiAAfu4 pic.twitter.com/UwN9Cx8XBD
— John Morgan (@JohnMorgan_MMA) March 30, 2023
“We are extremely excited for the debut of Tim Sylvia at SlapFIGHT,” CEO J.T. Tilley stated in a press release. “Tim has joined us as a guest cornerman during our past two underground events, and the excitement of the sport has captured his focus.”
He continued, “He has reached a multi-fight agreement with SFC and we look forward to seeing him in competition on April 22.”
While the signing of a former UFC champion looks good on paper, the 47-year-old has had terrible medical issues. In 2020, Sylvia made headlines for revealing that he was suffering from a gruesome infection stemming from his broken arm against Frank Mir at UFC 48.
What do you make of this news? Will you watch SlapFight 25 with Tim Sylvia? Sound off in the comment section below PENN Nation!
