UFC 170 Fight Card & Updates: Thiago Silva Addicted to Cocaine, Says Wife
Thaysa Silva, the wife of UFC light heavyweight fighter Thiago Silva claims her husband's cocaine addiction influenced his behavior which led to his arrest, TMZ reports.
Thaysa said, "The problem was cocaine. He always thinks he's above the law... He had the cocaine paranoia." However, Thiago's attorney, Scott Saul, told TMZ, "The claims are not justified," since no traces of the drug were found on the scene of the arrest and the fighter's residence.
Thaysa and Thiago were married for 13 years before separating in December 2012. Her current boyfriend is Pablo Popovitch, the owner of the gym the fighter threatened to shoot up.
According to an article on MMAFighting, on January 30, the two got into an argument when Thiago accused Thaysa of extramarital affairs. The incident led to Thiago allegedly putting a revolver inside her mouth and threatening to kill her. He then fled the scene before the cops arrived.
Then, on February 5, following a non-violent altercation between the two, Thiago allegedly told her through a text message, "I am gonna f--- you up and you are going to die. I am going to hire someone to kill you and I am gonna move my girlfriend in."
Thiago was arrested last February 6 after threatening to fire his weapon at the Pablo Popovitch Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Florida. At around 7:44 pm, Thiago is said to have parked his car outside the gym where his wife, Popovitch, and 25 MMA students were inside.
Upon his arrival, Thaysa came out to confront Thiago. He then took out his glock, pointed it at her and demanded, "You have ten seconds to bring Pablo outside and if he does not come out, I will go in the gym and start shooting everyone."
Popovitch then called the cops which caused Thiago to drive off and return to his house. He barricaded himself inside his home to prevent the SWAT team from entering but was eventually subdued using a Taser, according to the Daily Mail.
The light heavyweight fighter was charged with two counts of attempted murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and obstruction without violence.
Saul defended his client and said, "He's upset because he's been humiliated and he's in jail...There are no marks on this woman's body. He's not accused of ever hitting her. When I'm dealing with him, I'm dealing with the perfect gentleman."
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has terminated the athlete's contract following his arrest.