Wanderlei Silva

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Wanderlei Silva

Born July 3, 1976 (1976-07-03) (age 33)
Curitiba, Brazil
Other names The Axe Murderer, Cachorro Louco (Mad Dog)
Nationality Brazilian
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Division 205 & 185
Reach 74.0 in (188 cm)[1]
Style Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Fighting out of Las Vegas, United States
Team Wand Fight Team
Rank      black belt in BJJ
MMA record
Total 44
Wins 32
By knockout 22
By submission 4
Losses 10
Draws 1
No contests 1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Wanderlei Cesar da Silva (pronounced /ˈvændərleɪ/, VAN-dər-lay; born July 3, 1976 in Curitiba, Brazil) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, who has competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the American based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

He 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.[2] He is the former IVC light heavyweight champion, former Pride middleweight (205 lb) champion, and the Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix champion.

Silva earned the nickname "The Axe Murderer" for his extremely aggressive fighting style; the majority of his fights have either ended in a knockout or referee stoppage due to his strikes. In the ring, he was previously known for engaging opponents with punches and utilizing knees in the Muay Thai clinch. Silva was given the nickname "Cachorro Louco" ("Mad Dog") in Brazil, which refers to his aggressive fighting style and to the way he stares down opponents before his fights.

Throughout his career Wanderlei has trained with Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil, and since moving to the United States in 2007, he has trained at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. He currently trains in Brazil, with former Chute Boxe teammate Mauricio Rua, and in Las Vegas, at his newly opened Wand Fight Team Academy.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] 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.[3]

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 left 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.[4] The doctor observed the cut several times before the fight was ended.[4]

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 27, 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.

Silva entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 light heavyweight championship, but lost via decision to Tito Ortiz at UFC 25: Ultimate Japan 3.

[edit] 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 middle weight 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.

See also: Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson

Silva faced Quinton "Rampage" 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 being knocked down 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.

An unconscious Jackson falls into the ropes after Silva knocks him out with a combination of knees at Pride 28.

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 "Shogun" 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 OpenWeight 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 "Babalu" 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 "Cro Cop" 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 in a spectacular fashion. This marked the first time Silva was completely destroyed in a fight. 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.[5] 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 believe this hindered 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.[6] Silva never lost under pure Pride rules at 205 pounds.

[edit] Transition after Pride

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".[7] 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.[8]

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 asserted that his desire to fight Liddell had not dwindled, and that he elected to fight the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in November instead of September. Silva also addressed the critics that said he turned down the fight at UFC 76 because he was afraid of Liddell. He stated that he is not afraid, and he was the one who has insisted on the fight first.[9] He also cited his Brazilian heritage as a reason why he was not afraid.[10]

According to Silva, the timing for the fight to take place in September did not work for him. He cited his permanent move to the United States as causing a lot of distractions, and he felt that he would not be able to properly train for the fight. He added that he has always fought when the promoters wanted in the past, which he now felt was ill-advised, so this time he wanted to fight when he was truly ready.[11] Silva also reitered his desire to fight with Liddell in November, and stressed its importance, calling it the "most important fight of [Silva's] life". He added that he planned to be in his best shape for the fight, and promised to make it "the biggest show ever."[12]

[edit] Return to the UFC

"I fight for my fans and they know I give my best. Every time I need to give a good show for them because tickets are so expensive and pay-per-view is so expensive. The fans know which fighters want to give a show. I love my fans and fight for my fans. It's so incredible that I'm from Brazil but when I fight American fighters the crowd is much more for me over the American fighters. They know I'm going to put on a show."
—Wanderlei Silva talking about fighting in America and his motivation for fights.[13]

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.[14][15] After months of speculation about Silva's opponent, UFC President Dana White announced Chuck Liddell would be Silva's opponent for his return match.[16] 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"[17] 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 in Las Vegas, 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 honours.[18]. When Jardine threw a kick, Silva countered with a right-left-right combo that dropped him. Silva then finished the fight with ground strikes to earn the knockout.

At UFC 92, Wanderlei fought Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who he beat twice previously.[19] Jackson avenged his previous defeats by knocking Silva out with a left hook in the first round.[20] 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.

Wanderlei met Rich Franklin at UFC 99 in Germany at a catch weight bout of 195 lbs.[21] After a hard fought match on both sides, Silva lost via unanimous decision to Franklin. After the fight a lot of the fans in the arena booed the judges decision, believing that Wanderlei had won. Silva then announced he would be out of action until 2010, as he underwent facial surgery to repair his nose and remove some scar tissue from above his eyes to avoid bleeding and getting cut fast in his future fights.

Silva is expected to face British striker Michael Bisping on February 21, 2010 at UFC 110.[22]

[edit] Personal life

Wanderlei has been married for 10 years and has a 12-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son named Thor.[23] His daughter lives with her mother in Curitiba, Brazil.[24]

[edit] Championships and awards

International Vale Tudo Championships

IVC Light Heavyweight Championship

Pride FC

Pride Middleweight Championship (2001-2007)
2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Winner

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2x Fight of the Night Honors
Knockout of the Night Honors

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

[edit] Mixed martial arts record

Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
United Kingdom Michael Bisping UFC 110 2010-02-21 Australia Sydney, Australia Middleweight Debut. (185 lbs)
Loss 32–10–1 (1) United States Rich Franklin Decision (Unanimous) UFC 99: The Comeback 2009-06-13 3 5:00 Germany Cologne, Germany Fought at a catchweight of 195 lb. Won Fight of the Night Honors.
Loss 32–9–1 (1) United States Quinton Jackson KO (Punch) UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 2008-12-27 1 3:21 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Win 32–8–1 (1) United States Keith Jardine KO (Punches) UFC 84: Ill Will 2008-05-24 1 0:36 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US Won Knock Out of the Night Honors
Loss 31–8–1 (1) United States Chuck Liddell Decision (Unanimous) UFC 79: Nemesis 2007-12-29 3 5:00 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US Won Fight of the Night Honors
Loss 31–7–1 (1) United States Dan Henderson KO (Punch) Pride 33: The Second Coming 2007-02-24 3 2:08 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, US Lost Pride Middleweight (205 lbs) Championship
Loss 31–6–1 (1) Croatia Mirko Filipović KO (Head Kick) Pride Final Conflict Absolute 2006-09-10 1 5:26 Japan Saitama, Japan Pride 2006 Openweight GP Semifinal. Fought At Heavyweight (265).
Win 31–5–1 (1) Japan Kazuyuki Fujita TKO (Punches) Pride Critical Countdown Absolute 2006-07-01 1 9:21 Japan Saitama, Japan Pride 2006 Openweight GP Quarterfinal, was a replacement for Fedor Emelianenko
Win 30–5–1 (1) Brazil Ricardo Arona Decision (Split) Pride Shockwave 2005 2005-12-31 3 5:00 Japan Saitama, Japan Defends Pride Middleweight (205 lbs) Championship
Loss 29–5–1 (1) Brazil Ricardo Arona Decision (Unanimous) Pride Final Conflict 2005 2005-08-28 2 5:00 Japan Saitama, Japan Pride 2005 Middleweight (205 lbs) GP Semifinal
Win 29–4–1 (1) Japan Kazuhiro Nakamura TKO (Punches) Pride Critical Countdown 2005 2005-06-24 1 5:24 Japan Saitama, Japan Pride 2005 Middleweight (205 lbs) GP Quarterfinal
Win 28–4–1 (1) Japan Hidehiko Yoshida Decision (Split) Pride Total Elimination 2005 2005-04-23 3 5:00 Japan Osaka, Japan Pride 2005 Middleweight (205 lbs) GP Opening Round
Loss 27–4–1 (1) New Zealand Mark Hunt Decision (Split) Pride Shockwave 2004 2004-12-31 3 5:00 Japan Saitama, Japan Originally scheduled to face Kazushi Sakuraba. Withdrew due to injury.
Win 27–3–1 (1) United States Quinton Jackson KO (Knees) Pride 28: High Octane 2004-10-31 2 3:26 Japan Saitama, Japan Defends Pride Middleweight (205 lbs) Championship
Win 26–3–1 (1) Japan Yuki Kondo KO (Stomps) Pride Final Conflict 2004 2004-08-15 1 2:46 Japan Saitama, Japan
Win 25–3–1 (1) Japan Ikuhisa Minowa KO (Punches) Pride Bushido 2 2004-02-15 1 1:09 Japan Yokohama, Japan
Win 24–3–1 (1) United States Quinton Jackson TKO (Knees) Pride Final Conflict 2003 2003-11-09 1 6:28 Japan Tokyo, Japan Won Pride 2003 Middleweight (205 lbs) GP
Win 23–3–1 (1) Japan Hidehiko Yoshida Decision (Unanimous) Pride Final Conflict 2003 2003-11-09 2 5:00 Japan Tokyo, Japan Pride 2003 Middleweight (205 lbs) GP Semifinal
Win 22–3–1 (1) Japan Kazushi Sakuraba KO (Punch) Pride Total Elimination 2003 2003-08-10 1 5:01 Japan Saitama, Japan Pride 2003 Middleweight (205 lbs) GP Opening Round
Win 21–3–1 (1) Japan Hiromitsu Kanehara TKO (corner stoppage) Pride 23: Championship Chaos 2 2002-11-24 1 3:40 Japan Tokyo, Japan Defends Pride Middleweight (205 lbs) Championship
Win 20–3–1 (1) Japan Tatsuya Iwasaki TKO (Punches) Pride Shockwave 2002-08-28 1 1:16 Japan Tokyo, Japan
Draw 19–3–1 (1) Croatia Mirko Filipovic Draw Pride 20: Armed and Ready 2002-04-28 5 3:00 Japan Yokohama, Japan
Win 19–3 (1) Japan Kiyoshi Tamura KO (Punch) Pride 19: Bad Blood 2002-02-24 2 2:28 Japan Saitama, Japan Defends Pride Middleweight (205 lbs) Championship
Win 18–3 (1) Japan Alexander Otsuka TKO (Doctor Stoppage) Pride 18: Cold Fury 2 2001-12-23 3 2:02 Japan Fukuoka, Japan
Win 17–3 (1) Japan Kazushi Sakuraba TKO (Doctor Stoppage) Pride 17: Championship Chaos 2001-11-03 1 10:00 Japan Tokyo, Japan Won First Pride Middleweight (205 lbs) Championship
Win 16–3 (1) Japan Shungo Oyama TKO (Punches) Pride 14: Clash of the Titans 2001-05-27 1 0:30 Japan Yokohama, Japan
Win 15–3 (1) Japan Kazushi Sakuraba TKO (Punches) Pride 13: Collision Course 2001-03-25 1 1:38 Japan Saitama, Japan
Win 14–3 (1) United States Dan Henderson Decision (Unanimous) Pride 12: Cold Fury 2000-12-09 3 5:00 Japan Saitama, Japan
No Contest 13–3 (1) Netherlands Gilbert Yvel No Contest Pride 11: Battle of the Rising Sun 2000-10-31 1 0:21 Japan Osaka, Japan Yvel was kicked in the groin
Win 13–3 United States Guy Mezger KO (Punches) Pride 10: Return of the Warriors 2000-08-27 1 3:45 Japan Saitama, Japan
Win 12–3 United States Todd Medina KO (Knees) Meca World Vale Tudo 2 2000-08-12 1 0:39 Brazil Curitiba, Brazil
Loss 11–3 United States Tito Ortiz Decision (Unanimous) UFC 25: Ultimate Japan 3 2000-04-14 5 5:00 Japan Tokyo, Japan For UFC Light Heavyweight Title
Win 11–2 Netherlands Bob Schrijber Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Pride Grand Prix 2000 Opening Round 2000-01-30 1 2:42 Japan Tokyo, Japan
Win 10–2 Japan Daijiro Matsui Decision Pride 8 1999-11-21 2 10:00 Japan Tokyo, Japan
Win 9–2 United States Carl Malenko Decision Pride 7 1999-09-12 2 10:00 Japan Yokohama, Japan
Win 8–2 United States Tony Petarra KO (Knee) UFC 20: Battle for the Gold 1999-05-07 1 2:53 United States Birmingham, Alabama, US
Win 7–2 United States Eugene Jackson Submission (Strikes) IVC 10: World Class Champions 1999-04-27 1 0:32 Brazil Brazil Won IVC Light-Heavyweight Championship
Win 6–2 United States Adriano Serrano KO (Punches and Kicks) IVC 9: The Revenge 1999-01-20 1 0:22 Brazil, Brazil
Loss 5–2 Brazil Vitor Belfort TKO (Punches) UFC: Ultimate Brazil 1998-10-16 1 0:44 Brazil Sao Paulo, Brazil
Win 5–1 United States Mike Van Arsdale KO (Punches and Kicks) IVC 6: The Challenge 1998-08-23 1 4:00 Brazil São Paulo, Brazil
Loss 4–1 Brazil Artur Mariano TKO (cut) IVC 2: A Question of Pride 1997-09-15 2 13:10 Brazil Brazil
Win 4–0 Brazil Egidio da Costa Submission (Punches) IVC 2: A Question of Pride 1997-09-15 1 2:27 Brazil Brazil
Win 3–0 United States Sean Bormet KO (Head Kick) IVC 2: A Question of Pride 1997-09-15 1 1:19 Brazil Brazil
Win 2–0 Brazil Marcelao Marcelao Submission (Shoulder Injury) Brazilian Vale Tudo 10 1997-07-01 1 0:20 Brazil Brazil
Win 1–0 Brazil Dilson Filho KO (Elbow) Brazilian Vale Tudo 6 1996-11-01 1 3:35 Brazil Brazil

[edit] References

  1. ^ UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008. [Television Production]. Las Vegas, Nevada: Zuffa, LLC. December 27, 2008. 
  2. ^ "UFC : Wanderlei Silva". Ufc.com. http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=fighter.detail&pid=116. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  3. ^ http://www.wanderleisilva.azplayers.com/wanderlei-silva-biography.html
  4. ^ a b West, David. "The Axe Murderer". Fightingspiritmagazine.co.uk. http://www.fightingspiritmagazine.co.uk/article.asp?IntID=78. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  5. ^ "PrideFC Official Website". Pridefc.com. http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/us_event.htm. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  6. ^ Yu, Al (March 14, 2007). "Fighters Announced for Pride 34". Mmaweekly.com. http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=3594&zoneid=1. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  7. ^ Buckheit, Mary (June 1, 2007). "UFC 71 gives us yet another surprise". Sports.espn.go.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=buckheit/070529. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  8. ^ Iole, Kevin (July 11, 2007). "Silva-Liddell fight". Sports.yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ki-liddell071107&prov=yhoo&type=lgns. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  9. ^ Kerestes, Riley. "Chuck Liddell vs Wanderlei Silva: What happens now?". Mmawriters.com. http://MMAWriters.com/Article/Chuck-Liddell-vs-Wanderlei-Silva--What-happens-now-/10. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  10. ^ Stupp, Dann (July 13, 2007). "Wanderlei Silva: I Never Ducked Chuck Liddell". Mmajunkie.com. http://mmajunkie.com/news/2565/wanderlei-silva-i-never-ducked-chuck-liddell.mma. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  11. ^ "Silva responds to reports, says he isn’t ducking Liddell (updated)". Fiveouncesofpain.wordpress.com. July 13, 2007. http://fiveouncesofpain.wordpress.com/2007/07/13/silva-responds-to-reports-says-he-isnt-ducking-liddell/. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  12. ^ "Wanderlei Silva Bio: Mixed Martial Arts Career: Pride Fighting Championships". Ronin5.com. http://ronin5.com/fighters/bio/Wanderlei_Silva. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  13. ^ Martin, Todd (December 22, 2008). "Silva, Jackson renew classic rivalry for Round 3". CBSSports.com. http://www.cbssports.com/mma/story/11187202. Retrieved 2009-03-01. 
  14. ^ Marvez, Alex (August 18, 2007). "UFC locks up Pride superstar Silva". Fox Sports. http://msn.foxsports.com/boxing/story/7133246. Retrieved July 18, 2007. 
  15. ^ Iole, Kevin (August 18, 2007). "Which Silva will show up in UFC?". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ki-081807silva. Retrieved July 18, 2007. 
  16. ^ "Finally, Two Legends Meet". ufc.com. October 24, 2007. http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=8385. Retrieved October 24, 2007. 
  17. ^ Gerbasi, Thomas (October 16, 2007). "Wanderlei Silva - The Return of The Axe Murderer - Part I". Mmaplayground.com. http://www.mmaplayground.com/discussion/topic/wanderlei-interview-11038p1.html. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  18. ^ Martin, Damon (May 25, 2008). "UFC 84 awards net fighters $75,000 bonuses". Mmaweekly.com. http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=6345&zoneid=13. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  19. ^ http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/081227/sports/mma_ufc92_4
  20. ^ UFC 92: Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson Knocks Out Wanderlei Silva
  21. ^ "Franklin-Silva Eye UFC 99 Date at 195". Sherdog.com. http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/franklin-silva-eye-ufc-99-date-at-195-16412. Retrieved 2009-03-03. 
  22. ^ "Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping set for Australia in February". 2009-11-24. http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2009/11/24/wanderlei-silva-vs-michael-bisping-set-for-australia-in-february/. 
  23. ^ Jeffrey, Doug. "Beyond Fighting: Wanderlei Silva". Ultimategrapplingmag.com. http://www.ultimategrapplingmag.com/content/view/179/37/. Retrieved December 2, 2008. 
  24. ^ "Wanderlei Silva: I am a fighter". msnbc.com video. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/28370810#28370810. 

[edit] External links

New championship 1st Pride Middleweight Champion
November 3, 2001 – February 24, 2007		 Succeeded by
Dan Henderson
New championship Pride FC Middleweight Tournament winner
November 9, 2003		 Succeeded by
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderlei_Silva"