The UFC decided on Friday to allow Thiago Silva to fight for the promotion again shortly after he was acquitted of charges connected to a domestic dispute.
The incident, which involved the light heavyweight's wife, took place on Feb. 6, but the charges against him were dropped after his wife was "uncooperative" and possibly wasn't living in the United States anymore, according to MMAjunkie.
Police said that Silva drove up to the Pablo Popovitch Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Oakland Park, Fla., and threatened his wife and Popovitch with a gun. They added that he then went to his home and got into a four-hour standoff with a S.W.A.T. team, which ended with Silva coming out of his home and getting tasered and taken into custody
While UFC President Dana White said after the incident that Silva would never fight for the promotion ever again, Friday's announcement shows that the company has decided to change its mind, MMAjunkie reported.
"When this thing went down, I said he'd never fight in the UFC again," White said. "When I watched it and heard of the charges, it didn't look good for Thiago Silva. But he was acquitted of all charges. How do you not let the guy fight again?"
Silva currently holds a 16-3 record in MMA, having won his last two fights, one of which was over Matt Hamill in October 2013 via decision, UFC.com reported.
"He went through the legal process and came out of it untainted," White said. "He deserves to be able to make a living again. He's back under contract."
Silva said through a tweet from his Blackzilians fight camp that he is looking to have his next fight in January 2015.
