Two-time UFC heavyweight champion, American Tim Sylvia ended his career last weekend away from the spotlight and in a very delicate situation. After weighing 168 kg before a fight in Uncasville (USA) and showing possible brain damage in an MRI exam, Sylvia was prevented from fighting by the local Athletic Commission and, shortly afterwards, announced the end of her career.
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At 38 years old, Tim Sylvia retired with a professional record of 31 wins, ten losses and one unsuccessful fight. The “Maine-iac”, as he is known, would face Brazilian Juliano “Banana” Coutinho at the Reality Fighting 53 event in his last professional fight, but due to health problems he ended up retiring early.
In an interview, Sylvia revealed that she was already thinking about making the fight against Coutinho her farewell and was disappointed that her career would be cut short, even if only in a few days. “Of course it is a disappointment. I was kind of considering this as my retirement fight. It would be on the East Coast (of the USA) and I have several friends and family there… I had told them that this would be my last fight”, he said, in an interview with the “MMA Fighting” website.
Tim Sylvia won the UFC belt for the first time in February 2003, beating Ricco Rodriguez. Tim even successfully defended his title against Gan McGee before being submitted by Frank mir at UFC 48, in June 2004. Two years later, in 2006, Sylvia won the title again by beating Andrei Arlovski. This time, he defended the belt twice, against the same Arlovski and Jeff Monson, before losing it to Randy Couture.
In her last fight in the octagon, Sylvia was defeated by the Brazilian Rodrigo Minotauro in the dispute for the interim heavyweight belt, in February 2008. On that occasion, Minotauro, who had recently arrived from the now-defunct PRIDE, submitted Sylvia with a guillotine choke in the first round.
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