‘I’d never defend a murderer’ - Anderson Silva responds to video from lawyer of Leandro Lo’s killer
Former UFC champion Anderson Silva addresses recent controversy regarding Leandro Lo’s death.
Following the shooting death of Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Leandro Lo, former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has spoken to Brazilian media to clear up the confusion over why his name was brought up in ongoing legal proceedings.
Back in August 2022, Lo was gunned down in a night club in Brazil after an argument with military police officer Henrique Velozo, who is being accused of shooting Leandro in the head.
Last Tuesday, a court granted the officer the right to receive his salary once again after the alleged crime. The news was received with heavy backlash in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu community, who demanded justice for Lo while Velozo awaits trial.
In a now deleted post on Instagram, Velozo’s lawyer, Claudio Dalledone, shared a video where Silva seemingly showed his support for the lawyer, emphasizing his loyalty and how he would always stand by the attorney. Though the video has been deleted since its publication, we have a transcription of Anderson’s words.
“If you need anything, you know I’m always here. Friendship is above all. I’m loyal to you. After all these years, you know this is eternal. Not just me, but Vidal too. You know we like you very much. We’ll always support you so you can keep on delivering justice with in a serious way. There are two sides to a coin. Both of them must be analyzed and you’re not the one to decide. Most of the time it’s the jury who decides and the evidence is there so that the jury can and the judges can make the right decisions. I’m a big admirer. You’re a great professional. A great friend. I like your whole family very much. I wish you luck in everything you do and you can always count on me.”
In an interview with Tatame (transcribed by BJJ Doc), Silva admitted to being friends with Dalledone, but called the video misleading and claimed it must have been edited to make it seem like he was defending Lo’s killer and being loyal to the lawyer. However, the ‘Spider’ wanted to make it clear he does not support a “murderer” and “coward.”
“I am good friends with Dr. Claudio (Dalledone), we trained together and I even used to call him ‘master Claudio Dalledone’. He became a great lawyer, I have a great affection for him, but I don’t know in what context he ended up using this video. On several occasions, he asked me for something (video), but in this situation with Leandro (Lo) there’s nothing to talk about. I would never defend the guy who murdered Leandro Lo,” Silva explained.
“Leandro was cowardly murdered by a coward. I have a very good relationship with a lot of people, people keep asking me for a video and, sometimes, I end up not doing it, because the person takes the video and edits it, using it for their own benefit. From what I’ve seen, this video (posted by Dr. Dalledone) has been edited. I would never defend a guy who killed someone in the (fighting) community”