Former UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia to come out of retirement for slap fighting
Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia will be coming out of retirement to compete in professional slap fighting.
The 49-year-old “Maine-iac” has not competed in a contact combat sport since 2013 when he lost a unanimous decision to Ruslan Magomedov at Figt Nights Global 20.
Sylvia, officially retired from the sport in 2015 citing that he had “received enough damage over 16 years.”
First reported by veteran MMA journalist John Morgan, Sylvia will now compete for SlapFight Championship, a slap fighting promotion that preceeded UFC President Dana White’s Power Slap League.
Sylvia’s slap fighting debut will come on April 22 when he meets “Bulldozer” at SlapFight 25.
Former #UFC champ Tim Sylvia (@timsylviamma) is making the move to Slap Fighting.
“The Maine-iac” will compete on April 22 for SlapFIGHT Championship (@SlapFIGHTUSA), the organization that preceded @powerslapleague.
Details: https://t.co/y3qBiAAfu4 pic.twitter.com/UwN9Cx8XBD
— John Morgan (@JohnMorgan_MMA) March 30, 2023
“We are extremely excited for the debut of Tim Sylvia at SlapFIGHT,” J.T. Tilley, CEO of the promotion told Morgan. “Tim has joined us as a guest cornerman during our past two underground events and the excitement of the sport has captured his focus.”
Sylvia captured the UFC heavyweight title following a first-round knockout of Ricco Rodriguez at UFC 41 in 2003. After a successful title defense against Gan McGee, Sylvia tested positive for the banned substance Stanozolol. He was suspended and the title was vacated.
Sylvia recaptured the UFC heavyweight title in 2006, in his second of four bouts against fellow former champion Andrei Arlovski.
“The Maine-iac” left the UFC in 2008 and fought for various promotions to include Affliction, Titan FC, ONE, and others.
