Anderson 'Braddock' Silva is one of the longest-tenured fighters on the GLORY roster, having made his debut in 2013 at GLORY 2 BRUSSELS. A very experienced veteran, Silva's record in GLORY doesn't reflect his abilities. He has been very unlucky with judges' decisions more than once.
In his last outing he dropped a decision to Ismael Londt in the semi-finals of the GLORY 29 COPENHAGEN Heavyweight Contender Tournament. It was a close fight and Silva says he was thrown off by Londt's decision to counter-fight rather than come forward as he normally does. Heading to Virginia for GLORY 32, he was determined to make a statement and score a decisive win.
Opposite him was Gordon Haupt of Germany. He was making his debut here, having earned a GLORY call-up via a seven-fight, seven-KO streak on the European circuit. Silva represented by far the biggest-name opponent of his career and a big opportunity for him to make a name for himself.
Both fighters therefore entered the ring very hungry for success. As it turned out, Silva's appetite was the larger. Haupt pressed forwards initially but Silva's heavy firepower soon checked his progess. The tide then turned as Silva hammered Haupt with brutal shots to the legs and midsection, throwing with possibly the most venom we've ever seen from him in the GLORY ring.
Haupt soon found himself moving backwards on the defensive. Silva dogged him relentlessly, hammering him from all angles and backing him into a corner. Once Haupt was in place, Silva took his attention high with a punch to the head then threw a savage left kick to the body. It landed in Haupt's liver area and sat him down immediately. Silva walked off without waiting for the referee; he knew Haupt would not be getting up from that.
The win reminded people what Silva is capable of. His combination work and placement of shots were outstanding. Afterwards he gave credit to his coach Pedro Rizzo, the MMA and Vale Tudo legend, and said that Rizzo had been doing a lot of work to sharpen his game and take him to the next level.
Interesting news was broken after the fight. Heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven wants to be kept busy and wanted a slot on the upcoming GLORY 33 NEW JERSEY event on September 9. There aren't many heavyweight threats in GLORY that he hasn't yet fought, but Silva is one of them. His impressive stoppage of Haupt prompted the offer of the spot opposite Verhoeven and he accepted, setting up the biggest fight of his career and a fresh challenge for the champion.
