Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva returns to action against undefeated Vitaly Minakov on June 2 from Russia

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title challenger Antonio Silva will return to action opposite former Bellator MMA heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov at Fight Nights Global in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 2, according to an announcement by the promotion earlier this week. It will mark Silva’s promotional debut after competing under Titov Boxing Promotion rule this past November.

Silva, 37, is far removed from his prime as a title contender in UFC and Strikeforce. The hulking Brazilian heavyweight hasn’t won a fight since knocking Soa Palelei out at UFC 190 in 2015. Still, the experienced veteran possesses one-punch knockout power and is always a threat to out-muscle his opposition.

Minakov, 32, is fairly unknown among casual fight fans, yet remains the best the heavyweight division has to offer outside of UFC. At 19-0, the Russian destroyer has finished 17 fights by knockout or submission, proving that he can put an end to his opponent in a variety of ways.

This is one of the more intriguing heavyweight matchups to make outside of UFC and Bellator, and possibly a final opportunity for “Bigfoot” to shine this late into his career.