It didn't take long for the tension between Anthony Taylor and Gabriel Silva to get heated Thursday during the X Series 017 press conference in the buildup to their co-main event Saturday night in Dublin, Ireland.
From the moment Taylor got on the microphone, he was ready to detonate.
"Put the camera on me. Anderson Silva — you did this," Taylor started directing at the MMA legend and father of Gabriel Silva. "I'm going to f—ing murder your son. And I'm going to do something that Chael Sonnen couldn't do — beat the s—t out of a god damn Silva.
He added, then directly speaking to Gabriel Silva: "Listen boy, I'm gonna beat your motherf—ing ass. And if you think you can take me in MMA, I'll beat your ass in MMA. And after I beat your ass, I'm a beat your little brother's ass, then I'm gonna beat your daddy's ass."
The tirade caught Silva off guard at first before he started aiming insults right back.
"Are you serious right now? All of a sudden you're tough?" Silva first questioned.
He added moments later: "You ain't that, brother. Sit your ass down. That's a facade you're putting on."
If anything, that trash talk served as the gasoline that sent their subsequent faceoff in flames.
As the faceoff began, the men immediately needed to be separated as Taylor vowed "I'm a break you" and Silva repeatedly referred to his opponent as a "b—h."
It hit a fever pitch when Silva wrapped his left hand around security's back, slapping Taylor across the face, sending the faceoff into a frenzy which needed several more security personnel to quell before both fighters were removed from the stage.
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