mmaGuide: Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei Silva Vital Stats
- Name: Wanderlei Silva
- Nickname: The Axe Murderer
- Birthdate: July 3, 1976
- Location: Curitiba, Brazil
- Height: 5'11"
- Weight: 210lbs
- Style: Muay Thai
- Fight Camp: Formerly - Chute Boxe, Presently - Team Wand, Xtreme Couture
Wanderlei Silva Career Stats
- Current Weight Class: Light Heavyweight (205lbs)
- Currently Contracted To: UFC
- Organizations Competed For: IVC (Vale Tudo), PRIDE FC, UFC
- Record: 32-8-1 (1 NC)
- WAMMA Divisional Ranking: #5
- Major Accomplishments: PRIDE FC Middleweight Champion 2001-2007, 2003 PRIDE FC Middleweight Grand Prix Champion
- Notable Wins: Kazushi Sakuraba (three times), Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson (twice), Dan Henderson, Kazuyuki Fujita, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Ricardo Arona, Keith Jardine
- Notable Losses: Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic, Dan Henderson, Ricardo Arona, Chuck Liddell, Mark Hunt
- Strengths: Ultra-aggresive violent style, Muay Thai clinch w/ knees, Striking, Conditioning, BJJ Black Belt, Quick Recovery
- Weaknesses: Aggresive wide-open style leaves him open for precise striking, Wrestling, Small for Light Heavyweight
- Last Fought At: UFC 84 on May 24, 2008. Silva knocked out Keith Jardine in 36 seconds into the first round.
- Next Fight At: To Be Determined
Wanderlei Silva Biography
Light heavyweight mixed martial artist Wanderlei Silva (also known as "The Axe Murderer") was born July 3, 1976, in Curitiba, Brazil. Silva's signature fighting style employs an aggressive mix of Muay Thai, kickboxing and streetfighting. Until 2007, he trained at the Chute Boxe Academy in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He received a black belt in the latter in 2003.
Silva's pre-professional career consisted of bare-knuckle, "Vale Tudo"-style fighting. He had his first professional fight in November 1996, a Vale Tudo fight which he won by K.O. Six more bouts followed between 1997 and 1999. He won five and lost one by T.K.O. due to a cut.
Silva joined the UFC on October 16, 1998, with a loss to Vitor Belfort. He won his next UFC bout, however, in May 1999. UFC fans may recall his April 2000 bid for the UFC Middleweight Championship against Tito Ortiz. Silva lost by decision.
During this time, Silva also fought in Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championship and dominated his opponents. From 1999 to 2004, he won 18 straight wins or more technically a 20-fight, unbeaten streak: A bout between Silva and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic ended with a draw and his fight against Gilbert Yvel was ruled a no contest. Notable opponents Silva defeated during his PRIDE years include Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba and Quinton Jackson.
Silva lost his PRIDE Middleweight (205lbs) title to Dan Henderson in a February 2007 fight, and he also lost to Chuck Liddell during their much-anticipated UFC bout on December 29, 2007. Currently, Silva's professional record stands at 32 wins, eight losses, one draw and one no contest.
Wanderlei Silva Video Highlights
Why Should You Watch Wanderlei Silva
MMAConvert's Take
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Steve Barry - MMAConvert
The first time I ever saw Wanderlei Silva fight, I thought he was evil—a man possessed. He had an edge I've never seen another fighter have. You don't need to look any further than his stare-down to know he is unlike any other. A fair share of his opponents aren't even able to look into his eyes as he violently bounces side to side with his eyes locked on them. Quite honestly, it looks like he wants to literally rip their head off.
Wand isn't the type of fighter that sits back and plays it safe. He only knows one way to fight and that's in your face without fear or regard for his or his opponent's safety. His punching style is wild but ferocious. If Wand doesn't get you with his fists, he'll get you with his devastating knee strikes from his lethal Muay Thai clinch—look no further than his fights with Rampage Jackson for evidence. When he does get rocked, his recovery time is astounding. If you are able to get him to the ground, well, you'll probably have a tough time there too—he holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I'm not a fan of nicknames, but there couldn't be one more fitting for any fighter. Wanderlei Silva is "The Axe Murderer."
Silva fell on hard times in 2006 and 2007 losing three consecutive fights for the first time in his career against Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic, Dan Henderson and Chuck Liddell. This raised questions of whether Wanderlei had lost the edge that made him "The Axe Murderer." However, Wanderlei answered those questions at UFC 84 with a 36 second destruction of Keith Jardine, giving him the opportunity to recapture the aura in the UFC that surrounded him as the middlweight champion in PRIDE. Even if he lost though, it wouldn't matter; I would be just as excited to see him fight if he lost ten in a row.
Why should you watch him? Simple. Wanderlei Silva defines "fighter".
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