For all the Wanderlei Silva fans out there, UFC 139 rekindled a last great hope: all those wars might not have caught up with The Axe Murderer just yet.
With his back against the wall and a daunting task at hand, that of a guaranteed brawl against former Strikeforce standout Cung Le, Silva came out measured but still swinging and won in vintage fashion to keep the wolves from his door for another day.
But it was the way that Wandy beat Le that has to give people that hope. At a time when most people would tell you that he’s chinny and should be retired, Silva ate the best that Le could offer—a barrage of spinning back fists, wheel kicks, and general wackiness—and he came back to win by knockout.
While UFC commentator Joe Rogan didn’t like the stoppage, there’s no doubt it was justified. Silva had Le badly hurt and was dropping hammer fists while Le laid motionless and feebly attempted a single leg. That image, of Le face-down with Silva securing a win, became instantly timeless for fans of the Brazilian.
It’s been a long time since fans got to watch Silva take a guy’s best and come back to win. His last win, over Michael Bisping, was a clinical performance and showed a side of Silva not often seen, but Bisping didn’t threaten him much. Before that, he beat Keith Jardine, but Jardine never really got off in the fight.
At UFC 139 Cung Le threw his best, hit a lot of it and couldn’t stop Wanderlei Silva.
What this means for the lovable warrior is unknown at this point. It doesn’t get him in contention, maybe doesn’t even put him in the top-10, but for a guy that many thought was one punch away from retirement coming into tonight, it’s really two wins in one.
And for his fans, knowing that he might still have some miles on that chin after all the years of going to war, it’s a pretty big win as well.
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