Tag: Wanderlei Silva

UFC 132 Fight Card: Will UFC 132 Be the End of Wanderlei Silva’s Career?

Wanderlei Silva’s Storied MMA Career Appears To Be Drawing To A Close Heading Into UFC 132When Wanderlei Silva was competing in PRIDE, he was one of the most dangerous fighters in the world. He compiled a 19-fight unbeaten streak in the defunct mixe…

Wanderlei Silva‘s Storied MMA Career Appears To Be Drawing To A Close Heading Into UFC 132

When Wanderlei Silva was competing in PRIDE, he was one of the most dangerous fighters in the world. He compiled a 19-fight unbeaten streak in the defunct mixed martial arts organization. But that was from 1999-2004.

Silva has looked like a shell of his once great self over his last seven fights. He has compiled a record of 2-5 since September 2006. The losses have been to some of the best fighters in the history of the sport (Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell, Mirko Cro Cop and Quinton Jackson) with the fifth loss coming against Rich Franklin.

He hasn’t fought since February 2010 when he defeated Michael Bisping at UFC 110 because of a knee injury that required surgery. That was his first fight at 185 pounds and the weight cut seemed to serve him well. 

Silva’s heart doesn’t really seem to be in the sport anymore. He is 34 years old and seems to only want to take fights that he knows he will win. He doesn’t want to challenge himself as a fighter anymore for whatever reason.

In fact, he talked his way out of fighting Brian Stann at UFC 130 because his ego is so fragile that he assumed Stann, a former U.S. Marine, would be the fan favorite on Memorial Day weekend.

Chris Leben is an interesting challenge for Silva at UFC 132, but it’s a fight that Silva knows he at least has a shot to win because of Leben’s inconsistencies in the octagon. Both guys have knockout power, but neither is in the prime of their respective career.

When you look at what Silva has become since the end of PRIDE, it’s sad. He stays away from fights against guys who will be cheered more than he is, which seriously limits his opponent pool.

He isn’t the knockout artist that he once was, and the writing seems to be on the wall.

I know that he was a big part of what made PRIDE so great back in its day, but this is 2011, and you can’t run a business based on what happened in the past.

The end is coming for Silva very, very soon. With a loss at UFC 132, it will arrive sooner than he may want it to.

But if you are going to pick and choose who you fight based on how much people like them and want to cheer them, you are doing a disservice to the product.

Couple that with the fact that he isn’t winning much anymore and we are witnessing the last precious moments for “The Axe Murderer” in mixed martial arts.

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After 15 Years, Wanderlei Silva Still Trying to Give Fans What They Want

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LAS VEGAS — Wanderlei Silva made his way into the MGM Grand ballroom and went straight to working the ropeline like an experienced politician during Wednesday afternoon’s UFC 132 open workouts. The Brazilian slugger has been around long enough by now that he knows what the fans want, and it isn’t to see him hit some pads.

Workouts? Sure, it’s a nice photo op. But really they want to shake his hand, maybe get an autograph, but mostly they want to see him. They want to feel like they have something of him that they can take home, because no one knows how much longer this ride is going to last.

If you ask Silva, he’ll tell you he wants another five years in the sport, maybe ten more fights total.

“That’s my plan,” he said. “I don’t know what’s God’s plan.”

Silva will turn 35 years old the day after his fight with Chris Leben at UFC 132. Almost 15 of those years have been spent in the fight game, from bare-knuckle Vale Tudo bouts in Brazilian nightclubs to the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo to his current home in the UFC. It’s been a long ride for Silva, and with the way he fights, it’s also been a rough one.

Despite one recent surgery to repair his injured knee and another to remove some of the copious scar tissue from his face, Silva said he’s still feeling healthy a decade and a half into his fight career. He has “regular pains,” but nothing serious.

Still, he’s suffered progressively frightening knockout losses in three of his last seven bouts, and he’s won only two fights in that same span. He might not have come to the end of the road, but he ought to be able to see it from where he’s standing now.

But Wanderlei is Wanderlei, and there are expectations that come with that. Fans expect him to brawl. They expect him to fight like there is no greater shame in life than taking a backward step. They expect him to give them a knockout — his own or someone else’s, it doesn’t particularly matter.

This comes with a price, but it’s one he’s used to paying by now. It would be smart to fight a little safer, for the sake of his health and longevity, if nothing else, but as he put it: “We are not machines. We have a lot of things inside.”

In other words, there’s what would be smart for you to do, and then there’s what it is in you to do.

And it’s not as if his coaches haven’t tried to get him to take it easy in there, Silva said. It’s just that, well, he’s been doing it this way for a little while now. Even he doesn’t seem to know whether he’s capable of changing.

“After the fight, I don’t know what’s happened to me,” he said. “I feel crazy. I want to kill the guy. A lot of times my coach says, ‘Calm, calm!’ That’s his instruction for me: ‘Calm! Calm! Calm!'”

At the same time, Wanderlei didn’t get to be Wanderlei by staying calm. Just like the UFC didn’t match him up with fellow slugger Chris Leben because it wanted to see him fight smart and safe.

The fans want what they want, and Silva has always known just how to give it to him. But in giving it to him, he may also be giving up those last few years he hopes to squeeze into an already overflowing body of work.

The question is, can he keep being the same old Wanderlei, and still stick around as the years and the beatings pile up?

“That’s a good question,” Silva said with a wry smile. “I’ll try.”

 

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LAS VEGAS — Wanderlei Silva made his way into the MGM Grand ballroom and went straight to working the ropeline like an experienced politician during Wednesday afternoon’s UFC 132 open workouts. The Brazilian slugger has been around long enough by now that he knows what the fans want, and it isn’t to see him hit some pads.

Workouts? Sure, it’s a nice photo op. But really they want to shake his hand, maybe get an autograph, but mostly they want to see him. They want to feel like they have something of him that they can take home, because no one knows how much longer this ride is going to last.

If you ask Silva, he’ll tell you he wants another five years in the sport, maybe ten more fights total.

“That’s my plan,” he said. “I don’t know what’s God’s plan.”

Silva will turn 35 years old the day after his fight with Chris Leben at UFC 132. Almost 15 of those years have been spent in the fight game, from bare-knuckle Vale Tudo bouts in Brazilian nightclubs to the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo to his current home in the UFC. It’s been a long ride for Silva, and with the way he fights, it’s also been a rough one.

Despite one recent surgery to repair his injured knee and another to remove some of the copious scar tissue from his face, Silva said he’s still feeling healthy a decade and a half into his fight career. He has “regular pains,” but nothing serious.

Still, he’s suffered progressively frightening knockout losses in three of his last seven bouts, and he’s won only two fights in that same span. He might not have come to the end of the road, but he ought to be able to see it from where he’s standing now.

But Wanderlei is Wanderlei, and there are expectations that come with that. Fans expect him to brawl. They expect him to fight like there is no greater shame in life than taking a backward step. They expect him to give them a knockout — his own or someone else’s, it doesn’t particularly matter.

This comes with a price, but it’s one he’s used to paying by now. It would be smart to fight a little safer, for the sake of his health and longevity, if nothing else, but as he put it: “We are not machines. We have a lot of things inside.”

In other words, there’s what would be smart for you to do, and then there’s what it is in you to do.

And it’s not as if his coaches haven’t tried to get him to take it easy in there, Silva said. It’s just that, well, he’s been doing it this way for a little while now. Even he doesn’t seem to know whether he’s capable of changing.

“After the fight, I don’t know what’s happened to me,” he said. “I feel crazy. I want to kill the guy. A lot of times my coach says, ‘Calm, calm!’ That’s his instruction for me: ‘Calm! Calm! Calm!'”

At the same time, Wanderlei didn’t get to be Wanderlei by staying calm. Just like the UFC didn’t match him up with fellow slugger Chris Leben because it wanted to see him fight smart and safe.

The fans want what they want, and Silva has always known just how to give it to him. But in giving it to him, he may also be giving up those last few years he hopes to squeeze into an already overflowing body of work.

The question is, can he keep being the same old Wanderlei, and still stick around as the years and the beatings pile up?

“That’s a good question,” Silva said with a wry smile. “I’ll try.”

 

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Blood-Red Chris Leben Ready for Long-Awaited Wanderlei Silva Showdown at UFC 132

Few fighters have a more fan-friendly style than Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva. The kill-or-be-killed strikers will go toe-to-toe in the center of the Octagon at UFC 132 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. this Saturday night.For Leben, …

Few fighters have a more fan-friendly style than Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva.

The kill-or-be-killed strikers will go toe-to-toe in the center of the Octagon at UFC 132 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. this Saturday night.

For Leben, reverence for the former PRIDE 205-pound titleholder who reigned over Japan for five years as champion results in a Fight of the Night, Fight of the Year, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I always wanted to fight Wanderlei Silva. I’ve been kind of jokingly talking about it with friends for years. It’d be great if he came down. I know he fought Rich Franklin at ’95 and da, da, da, maybe I can go up to fight him—whatever,” The Ultimate Fighter alumni told Bleacher Report. “When I stepped in and fought [Yoshihiro] Akiyama for him, I felt that that earned me the shot.”

The dramatic third-round submission win against Akiyama was Leben’s second victory in two weeks—the rarest of accomplishments in the UFC. Silva has been without a belt since 2007, but his legendary stature in the sport causes even the most grizzled veteran like Leben to speak of earning a shot simply to face him as if he still held a belt.

With a fight anyone, anywhere, anytime attitude, Leben admitted, “It’s one of the few fights I’ve really, really wanted. I’m excited about it.”

The flu bit Leben before a New Year’s Day 2011 defeat where Brian Stann became the first fighter to (T)KO him since Anderson Silva five years earlier. Despite the stunning first-round loss, the Hawaii-based fighter is optimistic the setback hasn’t hurt his stride going into a fight with “The Axe Murderer.”

“I think the timing and the way everything is working out is absolutely perfect for me,” he said. “This is the best Chris Leben 100 percent. This is the best I’ve ever been. I can’t wait to show that come Saturday night.” 

Leben credits his family, friends and training partners with helping him stick to his diet more so than any other bout in his career. Never missing a chance to pay respect to his opponent for this contest, Leben extended his gratitude toward the Brazilian for a stellar training camp.

“Also, I got to thank Wanderlei for that because there’s nothing more motivating than the fear of a coma.,” said the nine-year veteran. “The thought of me fighting Wanderlei is really giving me the power to do everything I do for my diet, everything I need to do in the training room.”

“The Crippler” battling “The Axe Murderer” sets lofty expectations for violence. Leben color-coordinated his favorite pre-fight ritual—painting his hair—accordingly.

“I went with the classic blood red, the whole deal because I need as much power as I can get. For me, it changes things,” he said of dyeing his hair. “I look in the mirror, I see my hair is on.  I know that’s my game face. I know its time to go to work.”

Nineteen fights into his UFC career, Leben longs for the defining moments a slugfest brings forth. Win or lose, he can count on Silva to contribute memorable exchanges to a career built on starching opponent’s brain cells.

A title is nice and sure it’s the goal, but fans remember two fighter’s fearlessly throwing down like they do belts. What Leben lacks in gold he guarantees he makes up for in entertainment value.

“I just want to have epic fights where people can go back and say, ‘Your career is like a highlight reel,’” concluded Leben.

Follow Danny Acosta on twitter.com/acostaislegend.

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UFC 132 Fight Card: Predictions You Can Take to the Bank

The UFC always makes their Fourth of July weekend card one of the best of the year, and this year might be the best they’ve ever had. The first-ever UFC bantamweight title fight is going down this weekend, and we can’t ask for a better matc…

The UFC always makes their Fourth of July weekend card one of the best of the year, and this year might be the best they’ve ever had.

The first-ever UFC bantamweight title fight is going down this weekend, and we can’t ask for a better matchup than bitter rivals Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

Throw in a guaranteed slugfest between Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva, plus what may be the final fight for Tito Ortiz inside the Octagon, and this may be the best card of 2011.

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Wanderlei Silva: Axe Murderer Sees Victim Potential in Chael Sonnen

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. …

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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UFC 132: Predictions for Fight, Submission and Knockout of the Night

UFC 132 goes down Saturday, and it features a highly anticipated title fight between UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz (17-1) and former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber (25-4).Also on the card, middleweight brawlers Chris Leben and Wander…

UFC 132 goes down Saturday, and it features a highly anticipated title fight between UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz (17-1) and former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber (25-4).

Also on the card, middleweight brawlers Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva prepare to slug it out while former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz meets Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader.

Other main-card fights include Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim and Matt Wiman vs. Dennis Siver.

These are my predictions for fight, knockout and submission of the night.

 

Fight of the Night: Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber

This is such a hard fight to predict, and it’s one that is bound to go the distance. Is there any way it could be anything other than one of the best bantamweight fights in the history of MMA? I don’t think so.

Cruz comes into the fight as the champion with only one loss on his record that came at the hands of Faber from over four years ago. “The California Kid” hasn’t had the greatest record as of late, going 4-3 in his last seven bouts.

Nobody is going to be more determined than Cruz on fight night, especially with his only loss being to Faber, and it should make for a memorable back-and-forth battle between the two of the UFC’s biggest and lightest stars. Faber has the durability to go all five rounds if he finds himself having more trouble than he might anticipate.

 

Knockout of the Night: Wanderlei Silva

I’d actually predict this fight to be fight of the night if it didn’t have the word “knockout” written all over it.

Chris Leben (25-7) comes into this fight with a loss to Brian Stann in his last fight. He was knocked out by the heavy-handed opponent in the first round. Silva (33-10-1) hasn’t fought since defeating Michael Bisping at UFC 110 in February 2010. “The Axe Murderer” will definitely be looking to land some heavy blows on the iron-chin of Leben.

This may come down to who lands first, but it may also be a question of who has the better chin at this point in their careers.

I predict the first round to be an all-out slugfest with both fighters being hurt at some point. I’m not predicting a one-punch knockout, but I think Silva can get to Leben in the second round with a flurry of strikes. Dana White will compensate the winner for his effort with a knockout of the night bonus, whomever it is.

 

Submission of the Night: Shane Roller

If Melvin Guillard (27-8-2) loses to Shane Roller (10-3), it’s going to probably be by submission. Out of all the fighters on the card, Roller has the most likely chance of submitting his opponent. Roller also has two past submission of the night bonuses when he defeated Jamie Varner and Danny Castillo in the WEC.

Guillard is currently on a four-fight win streak and is coming off his impressive knockout win over Evan Dunham while Roller is 10-2 in his last 12 bouts with his only losses coming from former WEC Lightweight Champions Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis. The momentum is definitely on Guillard’s side going into this bout so I’m not as confident in this pick as much as the others.

Seven of Guillard’s eight losses are by submission so I’m predicting the NCAA Division I wrestler gets it to the ground at some point if he doesn’t get caught early and catches him in a choke.

UFC 132: News, Predictions, Results and More

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