Wanderlei Silva
From FightWiki
 |
Name | Wanderlei Silva |
| Nickname | The Axe Murderer | |
| Association | Wand Fight Team | |
| Weight Class | Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.) / Middleweight (185 lbs.) | |
| Height | 5' 11" (180 cm) | |
| Style | Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | |
| Birth Date | July 3, 1976 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Country | Brazil | |
| Wanderlei Silva Pictures | http://www.wanderleisilva.com.br/ |
Wanderlei Cesar da Silva (pronounced vahn-der-LAY) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who has competed in Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championships and the American based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
He previously trained under Rudimar Fedrigo at the Chute Boxe Academy in Curitiba, Brazil. He specializes in Muay Thai and has received a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Carlos Gracie, Jr. He is the former IVC light heavyweight champion, former Pride middleweight (205 lb) champion, and the Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix champion.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 33 - 10 - 1 (Win – Loss – Draw) (1 NC) |
| Wins | 23 (T)KOs 3 Submissions 7 Decisions |
| Losses | 5 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 5 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Michael Bisping | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez | 2/21/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Middleweight debut |
| Loss | Rich Franklin | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 99: The Comeback | 6/13/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Catchweight of 195 lbs. |
| Loss | Quinton Jackson | KO (Punch) | UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 | 12/27/2008 | 1 | 3:21 | |
| Win | Keith Jardine | KO (Punches) | UFC 84: Ill Will | 5/24/2008 | 1 | 0:36 | Won Knock Out of the Night Honors |
| Loss | Chuck Liddell | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 79: Nemesis | 12/29/2007 | 3 | 5:00 | UFC debut; Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Loss | Dan Henderson | KO (Punches) | PRIDE 33: Second Coming | 2/24/2007 | 3 | 2:08 | Lost Pride Middleweight Championship |
| Loss | Mirko Filipovic | KO (Head Kick) | PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute | 9/10/2006 | 1 | 5:26 | 2006 Pride Grand-Prix Semi-Final |
| Win | Kazuyuki Fujita | TKO (Punches and Soccer Kicks) | PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute | 7/01/2006 | 1 | 9:21 | |
| Win | Ricardo Arona | Decision (Split) | PRIDE Shockwave 2005 | 12/31/2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Defends Pride Middleweight Championship |
| Loss | Ricardo Arona | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE: Final Conflict 2005 | 8/28/2005 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Kazuhiro Nakamura | TKO (Punches) | PRIDE: Critical Countdown 2005 | 6/26/2005 | 1 | 5:24 | |
| Win | Hidehiko Yoshida | Decision (Split) | PRIDE: Total Elimination 2005 | 4/23/2005 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Mark Hunt | Decision (Split) | PRIDE: Shockwave 2004 | 12/31/2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Silva took this fight on two days notice |
| Win | Quinton Jackson | KO (Knees) | PRIDE 28: High Octane | 10/31/2004 | 2 | 3:26 | Defends Pride Middleweight Championship |
| Win | Yuki Kondo | KO (Stomps) | PRIDE: Final Conflict 2004 | 8/15/2004 | 1 | 2:46 | |
| Win | Ikuhisa Minowa | KO (Punches) | PRIDE Bushido 2 | 2/15/2004 | 1 | 1:09 | |
| Win | Quinton Jackson | TKO (Knees) | PRIDE: Final Conflict 2003 | 11/09/2003 | 1 | 6:28 | Won 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix |
| Win | Hidehiko Yoshida | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE: Final Conflict 2003 | 11/09/2003 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Kazushi Sakuraba | KO (Punch) | PRIDE: Total Elimination 2003 | 8/10/2003 | 1 | 5:01 | |
| Win | Hiromitsu Kanehara | TKO (Towel) | PRIDE 23: Championship Chaos 2 | 11/24/2002 | 1 | 3:40 | Defends Pride Middleweight Championship |
| Win | Tatsuya Iwasaki | TKO (Strikes) | PRIDE Shockwave | 8/28/2002 | 1 | 1:16 | |
| Draw | Mirko Filipovic | Draw | PRIDE 20: Armed and Ready | 4/28/2002 | 5 | 3:00 | |
| Win | Kiyoshi Tamura | KO (Punch) | PRIDE 19: Bad Blood | 2/24/2002 | 2 | 2:28 | Defends Pride Middleweight Championship |
| Win | Alexander Otsuka | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | PRIDE 18: Cold Fury 2 | 12/23/2001 | 3 | 2:22 | |
| Win | Kazushi Sakuraba | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | PRIDE 17: Championship Chaos | 11/03/2001 | 1 | 10:00 | Won Pride Middleweight Championship |
| Win | Shungo Oyama | TKO (Punches) | PRIDE 14: Clash of the Titans | 5/27/2001 | 1 | 0:30 | |
| Win | Kazushi Sakuraba | TKO (Strikes) | PRIDE 13: Collision Course | 3/25/2001 | 1 | 1:38 | |
| Win | Dan Henderson | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 12: Cold Fury | 12/09/2000 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| NC | Gilbert Yvel | No Contest | PRIDE 11: Battle of the Rising Sun | 10/31/2000 | 1 | 0:21 | Yvel was kicked in the groin |
| Win | Guy Mezger | KO (Punches) | PRIDE 10: Return of the Warriors | 8/27/2000 | 1 | 3:45 | |
| Win | Todd Medina | KO (Knees) | Meca 2: Meca World Vale Tudo 2 | 8/12/2000 | 1 | 0:39 | |
| Loss | Tito Ortiz | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 25: Ultimate Japan 3 | 4/14/2000 | 5 | 5:00 | For UFC Light Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Bob Schrijber | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | PRIDE Grand Prix 200: Opening Round | 1/30/2000 | 1 | 2:42 | |
| Win | Daijiro Matsui | Decision | PRIDE 8 | 11/21/1999 | 2 | 10:00 | |
| Win | Carl Greco | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 7 | 9/12/1999 | 2 | 10:00 | |
| Win | Tony Petarra | KO (Knee to the Head) | UFC 20: Battle for the Gold | 5/07/1999 | 1 | 2:53 | |
| Win | Eugene Jackson | Submission (Punches) | IVC 10: World Class Champions | 4/27/1999 | 1 | 0:32 | Won IVC Light Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Adrian Serrano | KO (Punches and Kick) | IVC 9: The Revenge | 1/20/1999 | 1 | 0:22 | |
| Loss | Vitor Belfort | TKO (Punches) | UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil | 10/16/1998 | 1 | 0:44 | |
| Win | Mike Van Arsdale | KO (Punch and Kick) | IVC 6: The Challenge | 8/23/1998 | 1 | 4:00 | |
| Loss | Artur Mariano | TKO (Cut) | IVC 2: A Question of Pride | 9/15/1997 | 1 | 13:10 | |
| Win | Egidio da Costa | Submission (Punches) | IVC 2: A Question of Pride | 9/15/1997 | 1 | 2:27 | |
| Win | Sean Bormet | KO (Kick) | IVC 2: A Question of Pride | 9/15/1997 | 1 | 1:19 | |
| Win | Marcelo Barbosa | TKO (Shoulder Injury) | BVF 10: Brazilian Vale Tudo Fighting 10 | 7/01/1997 | 1 | 0:20 | |
| Win | Dilson Filho | KO (Punch) | BVF 6: Campeonato Brasileiro de Vale Tudo 1 | 11/01/1996 | 1 | 3:35 | |
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Early Career
Silva's aggressive style is rooted in street brawling, refined with elements of Muay Thai and kickboxing. As a late teen he joined the military and was quickly recognized for his fighting talents and rose up in the ranks. Silva enlisted after already winning fight tournaments in his age group in Brazil.
Silva's first professional match was on November 1, 1996, in the Brazilian Vale Tudo Fighting organization (BVF), where he knocked out Dilson Filho with punches at BVF 6. He fought in one other match in BVF, BVF 10 on July 1, 1997, against Marcelao, who submitted due to a shoulder injury.
Silva fought six matches in four different IVC events, IVC 2, IVC 6, IVC 9 and IVC 10, from 1997 to 1999. He won five of these matches by KO/TKO, with his lone loss being the result of a cut stoppage against Artur Mariano in the IVC 2 show on September 15, 1997. The cut was above his right eyelid and opened back up several times, partially because Silva continued to use the cut side of his head to inflict many head butts on Mariano over the course of the match. The doctor observed the cut several times before the fight was ended.
Silva culminated his IVC career by winning the promotion's Light Heavyweight belt with a submission win over Eugene Jackson in the IVC 10 show on April 27th, 1999. It was after this fight that Silva earned the nickname "The Axe Murderer".
Silva participated in one Meca World Vale Tudo event, Meca 2 on August 12, 2000, where he knocked out Todd Medina with knees.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Silva entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on October 16, 1998, at UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil, in a match against Vitor Belfort. The match has arguably been Silva's worst defeat in his career, lasting only 44 seconds and ending with Silva being knocked down by Belfort's punches then being stopped by the referee.
Silva won his next UFC match on May 7, 1999, at UFC 20 where he knocked out Tony Petarra with knees. On April 14, 2000, Silva was given a chance to fight for the UFC middleweight championship, but lost via decision to Tito Ortiz at UFC 25: Ultimate Japan 3.
Pride Fighting Championships
Silva debuted in PRIDE at the Pride 7 event on September 12, 1999, winning against Carl Malenko by decision. From 1999 to 2004, Silva won eighteen-straight fights in Pride, excluding a draw against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (under slightly modified rules) and a no contest against Gilbert Yvel (Silva accidentally kicked Yvel in the groin), giving him a twenty-fight unbeaten streak. Silva's reputation as a formidable MMA fighter grew as he developed a successful 5 year win record in the middleweight division (205 lbs) of Pride.
Silva fought Japanese superstar Kazushi Sakuraba for the first time at Pride 13: Collision Course on March 25, 2001. Silva won via TKO (strikes) at 1:38 into the first round. At Pride 17: Championship Chaos on November 3, 2001, Silva won the Pride middleweight (205 lb) championship when he defeated Sakuraba for the second time. Sakuraba suffered a broken clavicle and withdrew after the first round, giving Silva a TKO win via doctor's stoppage. The two fought for a third time on August 10, 2003 at Pride Total Elimination 2003, part of Pride's middleweight tournament. Silva knocked out Sakuraba with a two punch combination at 5:01 into the first round.
Silva faced Quinton Jackson at Pride Final Conflict 2003 on November 9, 2003. Silva won by TKO due to referee's stoppage after delivering seventeen consecutive knees to Jackson. Silva became Pride's 2003 tournament champion with the win. When the two fought again on October 31, 2004 at Pride 28: High Octane, Silva knocked out Jackson in the second round with knees in a clinch after nearly being knocked out himself near the end of the first round. In Japan, Silva additionally gained his reputation as a fighter who has never been defeated by any Japanese opponent, resulting in a trend of various Japanese fighters being arranged by Pride to face him.
Silva's undefeated 5-year streak (18 wins, 14 knockouts) in Pride was broken by heavy weight Mark Hunt, a K-1 champion on December 31, 2004 at the Pride Shockwave 2004 event. Hunt won the non-title match by split decision. The decision was controversial because some who felt that Hunt's weight of 280 lb (125 kg), over 80 lb more than Silva, as well as Silva's performance in rounds two and three, had not been sufficiently considered by the judges in their decision; Randy Couture and Bas Rutten, both being commentators at the event, expressed disagreement with the judges decision. Silva also took this fight on two days notice.
Silva's former status as Pride's middleweight champion first came under debate and criticism with his loss to Ricardo Arona (who subsequently lost the tournament to Silva's team-mate, Mauricio Rua) on August 28, 2005 at Pride Final Conflict 2005. The loss, by unanimous decision in the tournament's semi-finals, was Silva's first defeat in a middleweight match in Pride; however, since it was not a title fight and held under special rules due to the grand prix format (2 rounds instead of 3), Silva was still recognized as the middleweight champion. A rematch between Arona and Silva took place at the Pride Shockwave 2005 event on December 31, 2005, with Silva winning by split decision.
On May 18, 2006, Pride's parent company, Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE), announced that Silva would replace Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko in the Open-Weight Grand Prix. Emelianenko's doctors stated that his hand, which had recently undergone surgery, would not be in good enough shape to fight because the metal implant would still be present. Because Silva was also a champion, he received a first round bye and fought in the second round at Pride Critical Countdown Absolute, which took place on July 1, 2006. Silva moved to the semi-finals of the Open Weight Grand Prix after defeating Kazuyuki Fujita by TKO (strikes) at 9:21 of round one.
On July 8, 2006 at UFC 61: Bitter Rivals, UFC president Dana White announced Silva would face Chuck Liddell in a UFC event held in November, provided Liddell beat Renato Sobral at UFC 62. Liddell did end up winning that fight. However, talks dwindled and the fight as advertised did not happen.
On September 10, 2006 at Pride Final Conflict Absolute, Wanderlei Silva was knocked out by Mirko Filipovic in the Open-Weight Grand Prix semi-finals. After a brief stoppage to tend to a swollen eye on Silva, "Cro Cop" struck Silva in the head with a left kick, knocking him out. On October 21, 2006 at Pride 32: The Real Deal, Wanderlei issued his challenge to Chuck Liddell to a fight inside a Pride ring in February, when the promotion returned to Las Vegas, Nevada, however Dana White stated that the fight would not be happening, citing Silva's recent KO loss to Mirko Filipovic which would have not allowed the NSAC to clear him medically for the fight that soon after being knocked out.
Silva put his Pride middleweight title on the line against Dan Henderson, Pride's welterweight (183 lb) champion at Pride 33: The Second Coming, held on February 24, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a night of upsets, Henderson knocked out Silva in the third round with a left hook to the head to become the new middleweight champion. This fight was held under unified rules which prevent knees and kicks to the head of a downed opponent as well as having five 5 minute rounds. Many saw this as hindering Silva's ability to fully utilize his offensive arsenal. Silva was denied the ability to participate in Pride 34 due to medical suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) which made this his last Pride appearance. Silva never lost under pure Pride rules at 205 pounds.
At the post-UFC 71 press conference Dana White was asked about Liddell's future in the UFC to which he answered, "That's what we will probably do, Chuck versus Wanderlei". According to the Boston Herald on June 8, 2007, Liddell confirmed Silva as his next opponent.
On July 11, 2007 Dana White confirmed in an interview with Yahoo! Sports that the bout between Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddell has been canceled indefinitely. Silva and Liddell were supposed to be the main bout for UFC 76 in Anaheim, California.
Silva responded with a video posted on his website to the allegations that he turned down a fight with Chuck Liddell for UFC 76 in September.
In the video Silva stated, "I never said that I wouldn't fight Chuck. I've wanted this fight for a long time. "The former Pride champion continued, "I received a contract with two options, I could fight in September or November. I have chose to make this fight in November. I was the first to want this fight, but they kept avoiding this fight. Now theres a lot of people saying that I have ducked Chuck. This is not true. "and then he said "I am Brazilian."
According to Silva, the timing for the fight to take place in September did not work for him. He explained, "I am in a moment of transition in my life. I'm going to move to the U.S. in a few weeks. I'm going to live in the U.S. and theres a lot of things happening, and I'm not focused on training the way I want to be. I always fought at the time the promoters wanted. Sometimes I did things I should not have done, but this time I won't do that anymore."
Denying he ever turned down a fight with Chuck Liddell, Silva said, "I want to fight Chuck in November and make a huge show, and make it the biggest show ever...I have no doubts it's the most important fight of my life. I know Chuck is a great name in the U.S., we'll do a great fight. I think I must be in my best shape, so I want this time to train better to be in my best shape ever."
Silva asserted, "This fight is on, if Chuck doesn't hide behind this mess."
Return to the UFC
On August 17, 2007, the UFC announced that they had signed Wanderlei Silva to compete in the organization and that he would return to the Octagon on December 29, 2007 at UFC 79: Nemesis. After months of speculation about Silva's opponent, UFC President Dana White announced Chuck Liddell would be Silva's opponent for his return match. The long-awaited match happened on December 29, with Wanderlei Silva losing to Chuck Liddell by unanimous decision. After the fight Silva said "win or lose I like to give the emotion for my fans" He also added that he gave his best and promises that next time he will deliver a win.
Keeping to his promise, on May 24, 2008 at UFC 84, he earned a decisive knockout win against Keith Jardine in the first round at the 36 second mark by referee stoppage, earning him Knockout of the Night Honors.
At UFC 92, Wanderlei fought Quinton Jackson, who he beat twice previously. Jackson avenged his previous defeats by knocking Silva out with a left hook in the first round.
Following the fight, Silva has stated that he would like to fight Jackson again, for the 4th, and possibly in the future, even the 5th time, and that he would also like to appear at UFC 100, which he assumes will take place in July 2009. Many people thought Silva would drop to middleweight but Silva has other plans as he has expressed interest in another fight with Chuck Liddell for the second time.
As it would end up, Silva was scheduled to fight former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin at a Catchweight of 195 lbs. at UFC 99: The Comeback. Silva was defeated via unanimous decision. He won the Fight of the Night Honors in the process, but the loss was his fifth fight in his past six fights.
Move Middleweight
Silva was next rumored to be facing off against Yoshihiro Akiyama, but it was later announced that he would face off against British striker Michael Bisping, who was coming off a big win over Denis Kang. The bout would take place at UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez in Australia, where it would be Silva's Middleweight debut. The bout saw a change in styles for the known-brawler, who instead of throwing wild lefts and rights, took his time, methodically boxing and using powerful leg kicks. The bout appeared to be up in the air up until the final seconds, but Silva dug deep and earned the Decision (Unanimous) win with the final attack, claiming the fight 29-28 on all three judges' cards.
- "This is for everybody in life who has had bad moments," Silva said. "Everybody in life has bad moments, but you have to believe in God."
In the post-fight press conference Dana White gave away that Yoshihiro Akiyama had shared interest in fighting Silva.
- "Akiyama wants to fight Wanderlei very bad," White said. "It's a big fight that he wants. We offered him another fight, and he said he wants Wanderlei."
When asked who he wanted to fight next, Silva, after hearing what White had said, had a simple answer to the question: "Akiyama."
Personal Life
Wanderlei is married and has a 12-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son named Thor. His daughter lives with her mother in Curitiba, Brazil.
Championships and Accomplishments
Mixed Martial Arts
- Pride FC World Middleweight Championship (2001-2007)
- Pride FC World Grand Prix 2003 Tournament Champion
- IVC Light Heavyweight Championship
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- 2001 Feud of the Year (vs. Kazushi Sakuraba)
- 2001 Shootfighter of the Year
- 2003 Shootmatch of the Year (vs. Hidehiko Yoshida)
- 2004 Shootfighter of the Year
- 2004 Shootmatch of the Year (vs. [[Quinton Jacks
