Wanderlei Silva Unsuccessful In Securing A Seat In Brazil’s Congress

UFC veteran Wanderlei Silva has tasted defeat in Sunday’s general election, which means that he is once again unable to secure a seat in Brazil’s Congress.

Silva, who was part of the Progressive Party (PP) affiliated with Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, got 13,907 votes during the elections. However, this total was not enough as he wanted 61,500 for representing his home state in Congress.

This is the second time that the 46-year-old has gone for Congress in Brazil after failing to win a seat in the 2018 elections. Silva is now inclined with the Social Democratic Party.

Silva is the latest fighter to participate in politics after Tito Ortiz. The former UFC champion Ortiz served as Mayor Pro-Tem of Huntington Beach, California before resigning from his post six months later.

Despite the defeat, Silva has thanked his followers and voters on Instagram. The Brazilian-American fighter said that he has learned a lot in this new phase of his career and also has an idea of how much more he needs to learn.

The 46-year-old continues to advocate for Bolsonaro, who is participating in a run-off election with bitter rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Voters will now have an external four weeks to decide the fate of Brazil’s new president.