Thiago Silva Refused License To Fight, Replaced By Clifford Starks At WSOF 22

Thiago Silva’s tale of woe continues to grow, as the ex-UFC light-heavyweight contender carries on the slow and ugly fade in to obscurity. After multiple failed drug tests in the UFC, including an attempt to pass off dog urine as his own, the Brazilian knockout artist hit headlines when he was arrested for a litany of felony charges. A later video showing Silva abusing his wife while holding a loaded handgun also did little for his reputation, and the UFC had seen enough, giving him his marching papers in late 2014 just days after re-signing him.

An unsuccessful WSOF (World Series Of Fighting) debut against Teddy Holder led many to question Silva’s continued existence in the fight game, then we learned he’d be facing Mike Kyle at WSOF 22, in a fight that could be argued even on paper. Now that has also gone pear shaped, as the Nevada State Athletic Commission has refused to license Silva, as per Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com:

Thiago Silva is out of WSOF 22 cause NAC wouldn’t license him due to past issues, per WSOF. They are actively seeing a new opp for Kyle …

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 27, 2015

Issue was he needed to appear in front of NAC due to fake urine incident of a year’s back but didn’t so NAC wouldn’t clear him. More later.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 27, 2015

At 32 years old it’s becoming increasingly apparent that Silva may have trouble ever fighting again. His extensive legal issues and apparently notorious reputation precede him, and not to his credit in any way.

Silva was promptly replaced by UFC vet Clifford Starks. Here’s how the full WSOF 22 card looks now:

MAIN CARD

WSOF World Welterweight Championship Main Event: Rousimar Palhares (Champion) vs. Jake Shields (Challenger)

WSOF World Bantamweight Championship Co-Main Event: Marlon Moraes (Champion) vs. Sheymon Moraes (Challenger)
Light Heavyweight: Clifford Starks vs. Mike Kyle
Welterweight: Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Jorge Moreno
Lightweight: Jimmy Spicuzza vs. Islam Mamedov

PRELIMINARY CARD

Light Heavyweight: Jake Heun vs. Davin Clark
Flyweight: Donavon Frelow vs. Carlos Garcia
Catchweight (140 pounds): Jimmy Jones vs. Marco Simmons
Light Heavyweight: Cory Hendricks vs. Julio Hinojosa