Wanderlei Silva is set to face Chris Leben at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2. The Leben bout will be Silva’s first UFC fight in more than a year.
“The Axe Murderer” last fought in February 2010, defeating Michael Bisping at UFC 110 via unanimous decision. Silva was then set to face Yoshihiro Akiyama, but he was forced out of that fight after suffering broken ribs while training. Shortly after the rib injury, he underwent knee surgery.
Silva spoke to MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani about his bout with Chris Leben. Silva reported that he is feeling 100 percent and he’s ready to put on a solid performance against Leben—a fighter who shares a similar stand-and-bang style with Silva.
While Silva had no ill words for his upcoming opponent, he was not so kind when the subject of Chael Sonnen arose. Helwani told Silva that Sonnen, who had been under suspension, was eligible to apply for his license as of Wednesday, June 29.
Silva had the following to say about Sonnen: “Man, Sonnen, I kill him, I kill him fast.” Silva then went on to say that he felt that Sonnen was a person who hid behind a keyboard. Those feelings most likely stem from the various insults that Sonnen has thrown Silva’s way via twitter.
When asked if he wanted Sonnen as his next opponent, Silva responded, “Of course.”
Win or lose on Saturday, a Silva versus Sonnen bout would be a big draw for the UFC.
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