OAKLAND PARK, Fla. – Thiago Silva has made a career out of fighting to be the only one able to walk out of a cage in his ultimate fighting championship matches but on Friday, he had to let his lawyer do his fighting to try and get out of jail.
The 32-year-old mixed martial arts expert is charged with several felony counts after police say he pointed a gun at his estranged wife and threatened to kill her and his Jiu-Jitsu trainer at a martial arts academy on Oakland Park Boulevard Thursday.
According to investigators, around 7:45 p.m., the Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran went to the Pablo Popovich MMA Academy where he trains and threatened the people inside.
Deputies said he then left and locked himself inside his home in Oakland Park.
Police say it all began as a domestic incident. Silva reportedly pulled a gun on his wife, an accusation he denied Friday morning when a Local 10 photographer asked him the question.
"She wanted my house. She wants my money," he said.
In addition, Silva is accused of sending his wife a text message that said: ""I am going to hire someone to kill you and I am gonna move my girlfriend in."
He was booked into the Broward County Jail on four felony counts, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Bond was denied because of the threats he allegedly made against his wife, and he is considered a flight risk.
No one at the school or inside the home was hurt.
Watch Local 10 and refresh Local10.com for updates on this story.