MMA Roots: Anderson Silva and his steadfast love for the police
· Yahoo Sports
A video of former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva being introduced at a Beverly Hills Police Department training course surfaced on March 12 and went viral. Those who follow the Brazilian—who holds citizenship in the United States and has resided in southern California since 2019—know that he has stated his desire to serve the country that has given much to him.
“I need to give something back to the United States,” Silva said, providing some insight as to why he was focused on becoming a police officer at the age of 50.
What many fans may not know is that his interest in law enforcement was born long before MMA. In fact, it originates from his childhood. As shown in the five-episode series “Anderson The Spider Silva,” available on Paramount+, Silva was raised by his aunt and uncle, Edith and Benedito. His uncle was a police officer and served as his greatest role model. Silva always made it clear that the discipline passed onto him from Benedito was a differentiating factor in his martial arts training. In one of the most memorable scenes of the series, Uncle “Bene”—portrayed by Brazilian singer Seu Jorge—makes Silva fix hundreds of bent nails as a form of punishment for engaging in a street fight. However, it was Silva’s talent for hand-to-hand combat and the need to provide for his pregnant girlfriend that led him down the path to professional prizefighting and away from his dream of becoming a police officer.
Another episode featured Silva’s admiration for the police. Right after he became undisputed middleweight champion with his rout of Rich Franklin at UFC 64, “The Spider” spoke to the crowd in Portuguese: “Never will they be! Never will they be! You’ll never be! No way you will ever be!” Neither the translator nor those in attendance understood the message. However, Brazilian fans received it loud and clear. The quote refers to the move “Elite Squad,” which highlighted the day-to-day activities of BOPE—the special operations forces of the Rio de Janeiro police, which specialized in combating drug dealers in the city’s dangerous slums. By that time, the movie was a major success in Brazil. Silva was obsessed with it, especially the quotes from its main character. Captain Nascimento was played by Wagner Moura, who also starred in “Narcos,” “Civil War and “Secret Agent.” Silva’s interest grew to such a degree that he even started calling his children by numbers, as dictated by their ages: Kuana, 06, Khalil, 08, Gabriel, 09, and Kaori, 11.
Silva’s post-fight speech was also celebrated at BOPE’s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. I covered UFC 64 in Las Vegas. Immediately after, I received a call from a friend who was a BOPE officer. He asked me if I could bring in Silva so they could pay their respects. When I asked the champion if he wanted to meet his heroes, he did not think twice. “To visit BOPE HQ?” Silva asked. “Count me in.”
A conquering hero returns
One week later, Silva was welcomed by BOPE with open arms. He seemed like a kid in a candy store during his visit. Taking advantage of Silva’s presence, the major in charge asked for a muay thai lesson for the squad. The champion soon found himself in front of a group of recruits, just like you see in the movies. The request caught Silva by surprise, so he restricted himself to defending kicks and punches from laymen. Afterward, he let the students take pictures with his UFC title and even dressed himself as a BOPE officer. It was a noteworthy break in protocol.
“As military, we are not supposed to applaud,” a corporal said, “but given the masterclass of technique and humility offered by Anderson Silva, we will make an exception with a round of applause to our champion.”
As editor of Tatame Magazine, I knew had unique and exclusive material in my hands. It was a certain as the sun rising in the east that the picture of Silva dressed as a BOPE officer and holding a rifle would be on my next cover. However, the next day, Silva, who had recently moved to Rio de Janeiro, reached out to me and asked that the picture not be featured on the cover. He was concerned about the growing violence involving Rio’s drug leaders and feared that they could target him for wearing the BOPE uniform. When I considered the number of violent crimes that were occurring in the city at that time, I simply could not ignore the request.
Four years later, Silva became a key figure in one of the most significant turning points for MMA in Brazil by unleashing a historic front kick and knocking out Vitor Belfort at UFC 126.
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