UFC
Dana White on re-signing Thiago Silva: "He went through the legal process and came out of it untainted"
Sep 6, 2014 - 11:15:58 AM Dana White on re-signing Thiago Silva: "He went through the legal process and came out of it untainted"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC opted to re-sign Thiago Silva this week after charges were dropped stemming from an arrest in Florida this February. Unfortunately, it seems there's been a lack of knowledge of the totality of the situation on the UFC's part, as Dana White believes that, regardless of why the charges were dropped, the fact that they were gives Silva a clean slate.

"When this thing went down, I said he'd never fight in the UFC again. When I watched it unfold on TV and heard of the charges, it didn't look good for Thiago Silva," White said. "But he was acquitted of all charges. How do you not let the guy fight again?"

"He went through the legal process and came out of it untainted. He deserves to be able to make a living again. He's back under contract."

Penick's Analysis: This is the same Dana White who has banned Paul Daley for life for an ineffectual after-the-fight punch despite him paying his dues and deserving a second chance. The same Dana White who kicked out Jason High for lightly pushing a ref. These are supposedly unacceptable and egregious situations undeserving of forgiveness. Thiago Silva put a gun into his estranged wife's mouth, and sent a series of threatening text messages over a longer period of time before that. Now she's fled the country. That's why the charges were dropped, because she left the country rather than stay and pursue justice against him. Without a witness to cooperate, the prosecution had no choice but to drop the case. Is it more believable that it was all made up, or that she feared for her safety and got the hell away from him? In domestic situations like this, a victim's refusal to cooperate with authorities is not an exoneration for the accused. Charges being dropped doesn't mean he was "acquitted," and he doesn't come out of this "untainted." Instead, the UFC absorbs some of the taint by having him on the roster again, and if and when he does something like this again in the future, they'll be the ones who facilitated him continuing on in this sport.

[Thiago Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]