UFC veteran Wanderlei Silva (35-12) is in the twilight of a remarkable 17-year mixed martial arts career.
“The Axe Murderer” has fought the best in the world, including incredible battles with the likes of Brian Stann, Rich Franklin, Cung Le, Quinton Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Mirko Filipovic, Mark Hunt, Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort.
Considering these MMA wars, and the barrage of devastating knockouts he’s suffered, many have speculated that the Brazilian should retire.
According to the UFC, Silva is not a current top-10 ranked combatant. However, the Brazilian’s popularity in the world of MMA is profound, with his fame stemming from his time as world champion in Japan. Regarding retirement, Silva’s recent destruction of a highly-respected Brian Stann at UFC on Fuel TV 8 all but postponed these talks.
At 37 years old, Silva still possesses tremendous knockout power and is a force with which to be reckoned. It is more than feasible for Silva to regain his standing among the middleweight’s elite fighters.
A victory over key combatants within the 185-pound division could have the former Pride middleweight champion fight for a world title one last time.