One of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s all-time greats is now a United States citizen.
Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva took part in a naturalization ceremony held by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Tuesday, as approximately 8,000 people became U.S. citizens. Silva’s son, Kalyl, and his daughter, Kaory, also took part in the ceremony.
“I feel very happy, you know,” Silva told the Associated Press. “It’s a great moment for me and my family.”
“The Spider” was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and grew up in Curitiba.