Antonio Silva
Active 2012–present · rated in 2 editions · peak overall 80.0
Scouting report
Physical size and heavy ground-and-pound made Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva a heavyweight contender across Strikeforce and the UFC. Born in Campina Grande, Brazil, Silva defeated Fedor Emelianenko before scoring comeback knockouts of Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne in the Octagon, his power captured by a 90 Strength rating and 80 Overall score.
Peak ratings
By edition
Bigfoot authored upsets from 2012 to 2013, knocking out Travis Browne in Minneapolis and flattening Alistair Overeem with third-round combinations at UFC 156 in Las Vegas to earn a title bout against Cain Velasquez, followed by a five-round draw against Mark Hunt in Brisbane. His punching power, ground-and-pound, and top control are reflected in an 82 Boxing and 80 Wrestling.
In 2014 and 2015, Silva dropped stoppage defeats to Andrei Arlovski in Brasilia and Frank Mir in Porto Alegre, before scoring a second-round TKO victory over Soa Palelei at UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro. His physical size, clinch strikes, and durable frame anchor his 78 Boxing and 76 Wrestling.
Antonio Silva, Bigfoot from Brasilia
Antonio Silva grew up in Brasilia, began karate at four and earned a black belt at twelve. He switched to Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo at seventeen. He trained at Wolfslair in the UK, then American Top Team in Florida. He won Cage Rage and Cage Warriors heavyweight titles and the EliteXC belt in 2008. In 2011 he beat Fedor Emelianenko in the Strikeforce grand prix.
Silva's eight ratings
Boxing. Good. He lost the first two rounds to Alistair Overeem in 2013 and knocked him out in the third.
Kickboxing. His lowest number. Rico Verhoeven knocked him down with a head kick in a 2017 kickboxing match.
Wrestling. Solid. He took Jim York down in 2009 before finishing him.
BJJ. Very good. He choked Jonathan Wiezorek in 2007 and York in 2009.
Strength. His top rating. He is an enormous heavyweight.
Durability. Good. He survived a knockdown from Mike Kyle to win in 2010.
Cardio. A question. He fractured his hand against Fabricio Werdum in 2009 and lost the decision.
Fight IQ. Fine. He was a big underdog against Overeem and won.
Strength at 90 defines his best wins
He stopped Travis Browne with a big right in 2012 and knocked out Overeem in February 2013. Fedor Emelianenko was finished by doctor stoppage in the 2011 Strikeforce grand prix. His size alone is a problem for most heavyweights.
Kickboxing at 72 shows in his losses
Overeem won the first two rounds before Silva knocked him out, Verhoeven put him down with a head kick in 2017, and Stefan Struve knocked him out in 2016. Technical strikers who stay at range are his worst matchup.
Keep exploring
Closest heavyweight profiles to Antonio Silva, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Ben Rothwellbest strength 89 · weakest kickboxing 76
- Roy Nelsonbest durability 94 · weakest kickboxing 68
- Gabriel Gonzagabest bjj 88 · weakest cardio 76
- Alexandr Romanovbest strength 92 · weakest kickboxing 66
- Heavyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Antonio Silva's strongest attribute, Strength.
Draft Antonio Silva into your build
Antonio Silva enters the pool on any spin landing on heavyweight between 2010 and 2015. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Antonio Silva is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Antonio Silva's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.