Antonio Silva has made a surprising comeback to combat sports, just eight days after announcing his retirement from the sport. The former UFC heavyweight title contender originally retired in December 2022, citing his belief that “everybody has a limit.” However, after a brief hiatus, Silva returned to the MMA scene only to suffer another loss in France to Salim El Ouassaidi at Kingdom Fighting 1 in June.

The defeat marked a record-breaking 11-fight losing streak for Silva across various sports, including boxing, kickboxing and bare-knuckle boxing. Despite the disappointing result, Silva has now taken to social media to express his desire to fight Ouassaidi again by challenging him to a rematch.

The determined fighter declared, “I’m ready and I’m coming out of retirement because I know I didn’t lose.” Silva had earlier stated that he was satisfied with his decision to retire, saying, “We never want to stop, no professional athlete wants to stop, even in volleyball or football, but everything has a time, and I did this for 19 years.”

Silva, known by his nickname “Bigfoot,” has struggled significantly in recent years, suffering nine knockouts out of his past 11 bouts since 2015. His last victory came in Aug. 2015, when he won by second-round knockout over Soa Palelei, marking his only triumph in 16 matches since 2013.