Tag: UFC 139

A future Hall of Famer faces off against a man who, despite massive universal appeal, has fought to establish his legitimacy in the sport.

The Axe Murderer, Wanderlei Silva, earned his nickname by cutting a swathe of destruction through PRIDE fighting championships. His opponents looked like victims in a horror movie, and he had established an aura of both invincibility and terror.

Following the fall of PRIDE, Wanderlei found himself returning to the UFC under much fanfare. Finally, the Brazilian berserker was coming to the US to give us his own brand of violence.

Unfortunately for him, his success in the UFC has been limited.

He fights against the Sanshou Champion, Hollywood Actor and former Strikeforce Middleweight champion Cung Le.

Power:

Both men possess legitimate knockout power in any punch, kick or knee they throw. What sets them apart is how they use their power. Wanderlei drops his chin and swings for the fences while Cung sets his up via feints before uncorking a highlight reel kick that opponents rarely see coming.

While I’d normally give a draw, I try to avoid this in these articles. So I’ll couple Cung’s range on his kicks with his power and give him a slight edge.

Edge: Le (slight).

Speed:

Again, a tough one. Cung Le’s kicks are precisely measured and he incorporates them with punches, elbows and spinning strikes to seamlessly move from one strike to another. Often times, he may seem to be slow or picking up single shots here and there, but these are to soften his opponent up while looking for holes to exploit.

And for single shot speed, his legs fly at such velocity that opponents are often reeling from the shot before they realized it was coming.

Wanderlei throws the ‘ole cliche, “punches in bunches.” They may be wide, looping hooks, but they come in batches of three or four and they keep coming. After the drop to middleweight, he seems to have picked up some speed, as well, though it was more apparent in the Rich Franklin fight than the more recent Chris Leben debacle.

That said, Cung’s straightforward strikes will prove to find their mark much faster than the Axe Murderer’s weaving cleavers.

Edge: Le

Cardio:

Both men have been seen sucking wind in previous encounters, however, their last showings did not exhibit the weakness.

Wanderlei is famous for his ‘snorkel training,’ a method that inhibits oxygen intake and simulates high altitude training. He is a workhorse in the gym and spars at full speed at all times. If he’s healthy, he comes in highly prepared.

Conversely, Cung is coming off a long layoff in which he was spending more time at catering services and lighting than he was sparring. Whether ring rust is a legitimate factor or not is anyone’s guess, but evidence seems to suggest that more than a year off is detrimental to a fighter’s in-ring abilities.

Edge: Silva

Striking:

Looping hooks and rapid fire punches coupled with a staunch clinch game are the hallmarks of Wanderlei’s career. His highlight reel is populated by victims of this go-for-broke style that comes on like an avalanche and is almost as hard to escape.

The Chute Box legend is a master muay thai fighter and it shows, as he fires off lightning fast kicks and puts together damaging combinations every time he engages in the clinch.

Le offers a measured, calculated approach with long range kicks used to establish distance while doing damage. Especially of note is his fondness for a standing sidekick, in which he can damage the midsection while opening a gap to throw more damaging kicks.

His hands are nothing to bat an eye at either, as he throws technically brilliant punches from distance and in the clinch.

Edge: Le (very slight)

Clinch:

It would be an insult to the reader’s intelligence to go further into depth than this:

Wanderlei Silva.

Edge: Silva

Ground:

Has anyone seen Wanderlei’s black belt in BJJ? One would assume it’s a myth. Something we simply have to take a word on, as it will never be seen by the naked eye. Like quarks. Or relevancy behind Jersey Shore.

That said, he does own a black belt and his ground game is good, if used primarily to defend submissions and escape back to his feet. He’s not known to go for submissions, as he is drawn to the beautiful violence of the stand up game.

It doesn’t mean, however, that he wouldn’t use his BJJ to get a good sweep and establish strong position from which to rain down punches on his opponent.

Cung Le has a very underrated wrestling game, that he too uses mainly to stand and trade. It does not prevent him from taking his opponent down, should the opportunity arise, but it is a rarity to have ever seen him use it to start ground and pound. His submission attempts are much like his UFC 139 opponent’s: Nearly non-existent.

Edge: Silva… though if this is a ground game, I’d die of shock.

 

Intangibles:

The hour glass on Wanderlei’s chin seems to have officially run to the bottom. He’s suffered two devastating knockouts in his last four outings and his style lends itself to taking major damage en route to victory. He may simply have hit the end of his time, the Le match will show if he has anything left.

Shooting Tekken is not the same as training regularly for mixed martial arts. It doesn’t require the same level of dedication and skill to perform the craft which made him famous, and Cung Le may find himself out of his element in his first trip to the Octagon. 

This humble writer’s prediction:

Cung Le will weather an early storm of Wanderlei’s attacks and pick apart the Axe Murderer from the outside before firing off a kick with turns out the lights of everyone’s favorite legend. Cung Le by KO.

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