Wanderlei Silva knew he had some pressure on him to deliver a great fight by competing in his native country of Brazil. The pressure grew even more when his new opponent became Rich Franklin, a fighter Silva believes he previously beat at UFC 99.
Fans were concerned, as they always seem to be, that Silva would end up floored on the canvas after receiving yet another ugly KO loss. Instead, Silva put on a performance that was very reminiscent of his “Axe Murderer” days.
For 25 minutes, Franklin and Silva traded shots that would’ve dropped anyone. Eventually, Franklin was dropped first and Silva nearly finished the contest in the second round. Franklin would return the favor near the end of the fifth round, as he dropped Silva with a punch.
Although Silva didn’t win, the Brazilian shouldn’t hold his head down, as he put on a great performance and proved he can still take a punch. I’ve seen a few posts about Silva retiring, and while nobody would question that decision, I don’t believe we’ve seen the last of Silva inside the Octagon.
The fighting spirit that made him a MMA legend in Japan still burns inside Silva, and we may see a few matches where “The Axe Murderer” comes out to play again.
The UFC may be the place where Silva ends his MMA career, but it is Pride where the Brazilian became an international sensation.
It was his rivalry with Kazushi Sakuraba where Silva became a star with the Japanase crowd. It was also their second meeting in which Silva defeated Sakuraba to win the Pride Middleweight championship. Silva would hold onto the belt until Pride 33 when Dan Henderson defeated him.
In that “reign of terror,” Silva utilized his Muay Thai to simply run through many of the opponents he faced at 205 pounds. The calling card of Silva became knees to the head followed by vicious soccer kicks or stomps.
His battles with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson also became a highlit of Silva’s career in Pride, as the two men battled in some of the most violent fights ever seen in MMA.
Silva’s UFC run hasn’t been stellar as the Brazilian has lost more fights than he’s won. But he remains one of the most popular fighters of all-time.This is due to his aggressive fighting style and reckless abandon to please the fans.
It is that mindset that has made the fans support Silva during his incredible highs and the lowest lows that any fighter can go through. His career accomplishments have earned the respect of fans, while his personality and style have endeared him to fans across multiple continents.
His fans admire Silva as both a MMA legend and hero to many. His fighting style made him into one of the most feared men in MMA history. Through all the knockouts and wins, perhaps the line that will endear Silva to people for the rest of his life is the line on his Twitter page.
“I don’t have fans, I have friends.”
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