Antonio "Bigtoot" Silva recovering after shoulder surgery.
Antonio “Bigtoot” Silva recovering after shoulder surgery.

It’s been a crazy year for UFC heavyweight Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, who recently underwent shoulder surgery following his epic battle with veteran Aussie fighter Mark Hunt.

Lets rewind to February 2013 at UFC 156, where Silva knocked out Alistair Overeem, who is widely considered to be one of the top strikers in the heavyweight division, in the third round of their matchup. Antonio sent a message to both the UFC and the rest of the heavyweight division, letting them know he can come out on top against some of the division’s best, and that he is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

With a big win over Alistair the Brazilian earned himself a second shot at the heavyweight title, taking on Cain Velasquez at UFC 160 in May 2013. However, things didn’t quite go to plan, Velasquez was able to finish Silva via TKO in the very first round of their bout, forcing Antonio to return to the drawing board once more.

Next it was announced that “Bigfoot” would take on Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 33, a perfect chance for the 34-year-old to get his name back into the mix with a good performance. The fight between these two men went on to become one of the most entertaining fights of 2013 with Silva and the “Super Samoan” engaging in a five round stand-up war that resulted in a draw.

The epic bout earned “Fight of the Night” honors meaning that both men received a bonus of $50,000, the UFC also decided to pay them their win bonuses regardless of the fight resulting in a draw. However, it was later revealed that Silva failed a post-fight test for elevated testosterone, even though he had been undergoing UFC-approved testosterone replacement therapy. “Bigfoot” was subsequently suspended for nine months and the fight result was changed to a no contest, Silva was also forced to forfeit his “Fight of the Night” bonus.

A disgruntled “Bigfoot” blamed the doctor who administered the TRT for the elevated levels, claiming that he followed all instructions that were given to him. Regardless, Silva still had to face the suspension, so opted to undergo shoulder surgery during his time out.

The “Team Nogueira” product, who now trains with American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, published a picture on his Instagram account accompanied by a post that said:

“After hours of surgery in my shoulder I’m very well and I will be back 100% thank you everyone.”

Silva seems to have begun the road to recovery, it will be interesting to see how he performs upon his return, which will probably be towards the end of 2014.

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