When Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva steps into the Octagon at UFC 132 against Chris Leben on July 2, it will be the 45th professional fight of his MMA career.Recently, the former PRIDE middleweight champion took to Twitter to inform his fans that h…
When Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva steps into the Octagon at UFC 132 against Chris Leben on July 2, it will be the 45th professional fight of his MMA career.
Recently, the former PRIDE middleweight champion took to Twitter to inform his fans that he would like another 10 fights before he retires:
“I want to make more ten fights in my career. It’s amazing, when I think about it my eyes are filled with tears,” Silva tweeted.
Since joining the UFC in 2007, Silva has fought six times and granted, he had some time off due to surgeries.
Ten more fights would see the 34-year-old Silva most likely entering his 40s before he retires.
Silva also took time to thank his fans, “Thank God because for some years now I don’t need to fight for money, I do it because I’m crazy for you. My fans are my reason [for fighting].”
Silva, who has the WandFC team and his Las Vegas training facility to fall back on, seems less than eager to head into retirement:
“You have no idea how I do feel when I am inside that [the cage]. It’s unique and intense. I’ve competed my whole life, I don’t know how it’ll be afterwards,” Silva tweeted.
Silva’s career began with a victory over Dilson Filho on Nov. 1, 1996.
UFC 132 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 2. The fight card will be headlined by a UFC bantamweight bout between the champion Dominick Cruz and challenger, former WEC featherweight champion, Urijah Faber.The two fighters have met be…
UFC 132 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 2. The fight card will be headlined by a UFC bantamweight bout between the champion Dominick Cruz and challenger, former WEC featherweight champion, Urijah Faber.
The two fighters have met before, with Faber (25-4) defeating Cruz by first round submission. That loss, in 2007, remains the only blemish on Cruz’s record (17-1).
Since that time, the two have developed a mutual dislike for each other.
“Me and Urijah don’t really get along very much, needless to say,” Cruz told Heavy.com’s Fight Day. “It goes all the way back to the first time we fought about four years ago I’d say. I fought him at 145 pounds for the world title. I did some stuff that made him angry. He did some stuff after the fight that made me angry.”
“It just stuck in my head and just gave me a bad taste in my mouth. I never really just had a good feeling towards him since then. It just makes it that much easier to get in there and punch him in the face.”
Faber had the following to say about the animosity between the two.
“I don’t really like Cruz very much. You keep hearing about it, because everybody keeps asking about it,” Faber said in a recent UFC media call. “The bottom line is I think the guy kind of chose me as an enemy, and I accept. We fought once, and we’re going to do it again.”
The main card will also see the return of Wanderlei Silva to the Octagon. Silva, who has been rehabbing from knee surgery, has not fought since defeating Michael Bisping by unanimous decision in February of last year.
Silva will face Chris Leben on the Las Vegas card. Leben is coming off a TKO loss to Brian Stann at UFC 125.
Tito Ortiz will be facing Ryan Bader and his possible release from the UFC when he steps into the cage on July 2. UFC president Dana White has made it clear that Ortiz has run out of chances with the UFC and if he does not deliver a win in this bout he will be released from his contract. Ortiz has not won a fight since defeating Ken Shamrock in 2006.
Standing in Ortiz’s way, Bader will look to get back in the win column after suffering the first loss of his 13 fight MMA career to Jon Jones at UFC 125.
Rounding out the main card which will be shown on pay-per-view at 9:00 pm ET:
Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman
Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Preliminary fights that have been made official:
Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller
Brian Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Aaron Simpson
Tickets for UFC 132 will go on sale on Saturday, May 7 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced from $75-$800.
The Chicagoland area hosts Strikeforce on Showtime July 30 as Fedor Emelianenko attempts to put the first back-to-back losses of his career behind him with a win over Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson in a heavyweight main event attr…
The Chicagoland area hosts Strikeforce on Showtime July 30 as Fedor Emelianenko attempts to put the first back-to-back losses of his career behind him with a win over Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson in a heavyweight main event attraction. No gold will be up for grabs, but few, if any, mixed martial arts bouts have ever occurred with such legacy on the line. Here are five reasons this summer showdown stands to be fight of the year.
1) All-Time Greats
Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson are Sports Illustrated No. 1 and No. 4 pound-for-pound fighters of the last decade respectively.
Henderson is currently wearing a belt. Emelianenko, who achieved his status in the sport by going virtually undefeated for the decade, has dropped back-to-back fights for the first time in his career. The defeats have diminished the invincible aura surrounding the stoic Russian yet the 34-year-old has room to bounce back—a courtesy typically extended to fighters that Emelianenko hasn’t received because his controversial career reached such mythic proportions running its course entirely outside the Octagon. “The Last Emperor” is still capable of doing what kept him strictly the win column for a decade and Henderson is a perfect opponent to demonstrate that—win or lose.
Only a handful of fighters can rival the names, accolades and abilities possessed by Emelianenko and Henderson. Outside of UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva meeting Emelianenko, this is the greatest pound-for-pound contest available in MMA today.
2) Open-Weight Nostalgia
Fedor Emelianenko reigned over PRIDE as the heavyweight champion until its end, while Dan Henderson held the 183-pound title before closing out his PRIDE career by dethroning 205-pound titleholder Wanderlei Silva in the Japanese organization’s penultimate event. Open-weight grand prix tournaments were a staple of PRIDE, and had the organization continued business as usual, it’s not out of the question the Russian and American champions would have stood across from one another in the ring.
The sport’s changing landscape has placed limitations on the ways to subvert weight classes. A fighter like Henderson though will always find a way to implement his anytime, anywhere mindset. In accepting a bout with the most decorated heavyweight in MMA history, the Team Quest founder can as a natural middleweight, pull off a colossal feat. The fact that “Dangerous” Dan Henderson has been successful at heavyweight before or that his power is enough to stop a massive Rafael Cavalcante cold won’t be considered for Emelianenko if he drops his third consecutive contest.
Open-weight means high stakes.
3) Strikeforce’s Best Fight of All-Time
Strikeforce has featured excellent fights of over the years, but none as significant or compelling as Fedor Emelianenko versus Dan Henderson.
Emelianenko’s defeats to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva were anti-climatic considering the depth of his accomplishments. That was largely due to undersold opponents, something Dan Henderson can never be. Both combatants came to Strikeforce as high-profile free agent signings, only to be met with an immediate issue of worthy competition. Against each other, they have a stern test and a paramount fight in their revered careers.
4) Excellent Style Match Up
Dan Henderson’s Olympic-level wrestling can be stifling, but it’s usually employed to set up the “H-Bomb” right hand. The in-and-out, looping punches of a heavyweight opponent six-years younger may cause trouble for the former Arizona State Sun Devil’s straight-forward, one-punch style, but Henderson’s ring generalship and resilience will push him to be the first man to knock out Emelianenko.
A sambo master, Emelianenko has a strong base that applies his explosive hip movement into all facets of MMA: striking, clinching and grappling. Seeking out stand-up coaching in Holland, he appears refocused on training and winning after back-to-back losses diminished the negotiating powers his team loves to exercise. Being an undersized heavyweight—what plagued his last performance—won’t be an issue as Henderson moves up for the challenge.
5) Free Agency
This is the last fight on Dan Henderson’s current contract. With potential big money fights against UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and a rematch with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva in the back of his mind, the 40-year-old knows when to step it up (see his knockout of Michael Bisping for his last contract fight). Defeating Emelianenko would raise Henderson’s stock to the heights it reached as a two-division belt holder in 2007 after blasting Wanderlei Silva, if not surpass it.
Emelianenko needs to be impressive and competitive for his longevity, for his negotiating leverage and for his legacy. Like he said after submitting to Werdum, it’s how a champion stands back up after falling. This is his (second) chance.
There are no Strikeforce-like alternative organizations for Henderson or Emelianeko in MMA anymore, so undeniable performances are integral if they want to arrive in the UFC in style and/or ride out of Strikeforce on a high note.
Danny Acosta is the lead writer at FIGHT! Magazine. Follow him on twitter.com/acostaislegend
With the retirement of Randy Couture following his loss to Lyoto Machida this past Saturday at UFC 129 coupled with fellow UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell hanging up his gloves recently, is there anyone on the UFC roster who could be viewed as the elde…
With the retirement of Randy Couture following his loss to Lyoto Machida this past Saturday at UFC 129 coupled with fellow UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell hanging up his gloves recently, is there anyone on the UFC roster who could be viewed as the elder statesman. Is there a fighter who the UFC can bank on to help them out of a desperate situation whether or not it benefits them personally the way Liddell and Couture did on so many occasions?
It’s very rare that an organization has a fighter who is willing to put the needs of their employer before their very own the way Couture has. When they needed a main event for UFC 105 they called on Couture to take on the much younger Brandon Vera. When Tito Ortiz bailed out of his bout with Mark Coleman, Couture stepped in despite having nothing to gain personally. When James Toney ran his mouth and belittled the sport who came through to shut the boxers mouth and prove just how different the two sports truly are?
There aren’t many fighters around today who could ever dream of becoming the icon Couture is. What is most important though is whether or not there is somebody who can be a true ambassador for the sport and follow the example “The Natural” has set during his illustrious career.
Many throughout the MMA world were a buzz with the prospect of Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva II going down this summer, but as we’ve documented here with as little effort as possible, Wandy is now fighting Chris Leben. So, where does that leave Vitor? One would think that the UFC is looking to get […]
Many throughout the MMA world were a buzz with the prospect of Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva II going down this summer, but as we’ve documented here with as little effort as possible, Wandy is now fighting Chris Leben. So, where does that leave Vitor? One would think that the UFC is looking to get the machine-gun like striker a bout lined up for its upcoming, August 27th card in Brazil, as Belfort is kind of a big deal there in case you didn’t know. (See Belfort vs. Silva 1 regarding striking metaphor…) Speaking to Tatame Magazine, Belfort updated the publication with the following, regarding where the UFC big wigs apparently are in terms of his schedule / opponent.
“Lorenzo (Fertitta) called me and said he’s trying to find me an opponent, but it’s hard to do it. Wanderlei (Silva) challenged me and then started talking thing on the internet, so I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I’m ready, my dream is to fight at UFC Rio. I believe the fighters found out that I’m hungrier than ever to fight”.
Yes, you would think Belfort’s gotta be ‘starving’ in terms of throwing down again, as despite all the fanfare that surrounded his UFC return in 2009, he’s only fought once since blasting through Rich Franklin at UFC 103. Of course, his last bout in February against Anderson Silva, didn’t exactly go as planned. It will be interesting to see, though, who the UFC tries to line him up against. Will it go with a striker that will stand and trade with Belfort? Or will they go the wrestler route and run the risk of a smother fest?
Whether it was because Silva had still not healed up from knee surgery or didn’t want to fight Stann because, as he tweeted, “I respect so much … army guys,” remains unclear. What we do know is Stann (10-3) is now fighting Jorge Santiago (23-8) at UFC 130, while Silva got his original wish of fighting Leben at UFC 132.
“I buy his reason because I don’t see Wanderlei ever having to lie to anybody about anything,” Stann said when asked on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour if he believed Silva didn’t want to fight simply because he didn’t want to get booed. “He’s got nothing to prove for the rest of his life, as far as I’m concerned, especially in this sport.
When Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva steps into the Octagon at UFC 132 against Chris Leben on July 2, it will be the 45th professional fight of his MMA career.
Brian Stann