Wanderlei Silva
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| Wanderlei Silva | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Nickname | The Axe Murderer |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Born | July 3, 1976 |
| Fighting out of | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Town of birth | Parana, Brazil |
| Fighting style | Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Wins | 31 |
| By knockout | 21 |
| By submission | 4 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 1 |
Wanderlei Silva (July 3, 1976) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter, currently competing in Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championships. He trains under Rudimar Fedrigo at the Chute Boxe Academy in Curitiba, Brazil.
Silva earned the nickname "the Axe Murderer" for his extremely aggressive style; the majority of his fights have either ended in a knockout or referee stoppage due to his strikes. In the ring, he is known for engaging opponents with punches and utilizing knees in the Muay Thai clinch. He is also known for kicking and stomping downed opponents.
Silva's nickname in Brazil is "Cachorro Louco", which translates to "Mad Dog", again due to his aggressive fighting style, but also because of the vicious way he stares at his opponents just before the beginning of his fights.
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[edit] Biography
Wanderlei Silva was born in Curitiba, Brazil, on July 3, 1976. He trains at the Chute Boxe Academy in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, receiving a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2003 [1].
Silva's aggressive style is rooted in old-fashioned street brawling, refined with elements of Muay Thai and kickboxing. As a late teen he joined the military and was quickly recognized for his fighting talents and rose up in the ranks. Silva enlisted after already winning fight tournaments in his age group in Brazil.
Silva's pre-professional bouts can be found on the internet, featuring raw, bare-knuckle 'Vale Tudo' style fighting.
Silva's first professional MMA match was on November 1, 1996, at the Brazilian Vale Tudo Fighting organization, where he knocked out Dilson Filho by punches. He fought in one other match in BVF, BVF 10 on July 1, 1997, against Marcelao Marcelao, who submitted defeat due to a shoulder injury.
Silva fought six matches in four different International Vale Tudo Championship events from 1997 to 1999. He won five of these matches and lost to Artur Mariano by TKO due to a cut in IVC 2: A Question of Pride on September 15, 1997.
Silva participated in one Meca World Vale Tudo event, Meca 2 on August 12, 2000, where he knocked out Todd Medina by knees.
[edit] Ultimate Fighting Championship
Silva entered the UFC on October 16, 1998, at UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil, in a match against Vitor Belfort. The match has arguably been Silva's worst defeat in his career, before his loss at the hands of Mirko "Cro Cop" in September 2006, lasting only 44 seconds and ended with Silva being knocked out by Belfort's punches. Silva won his next UFC match on May 7, 1999, at UFC 20 where he knocked out Tony Petarra by knees. On April 14, 2000, Silva was given a chance to fight for the UFC Middleweight Championship, but lost via decision to Tito Ortiz at UFC 25: Ultimate Japan 3.
[edit] PRIDE Fighting Championships
Silva debuted in PRIDE at the PRIDE 7 event on September 12, 1999, winning against Carl Malenko by decision. From 1999 to 2004, Silva won 20 straight fights in PRIDE, excluding a draw against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović (under slightly modified rules), and a no contest against Gilbert Yvel (Yvel was accidentally kicked in the groin). Silva's reputation as a formidable MMA fighter grew as he developed a successful record in PRIDE.
Silva fought Kazushi Sakuraba for the first time at PRIDE 13: Collision Course on March 25, 2001. Silva won by TKO via strikes at 1:38 into the first round. At PRIDE 17: Championship Chaos on November 3, 2001, Silva won the title of PRIDE Middleweight Champion by defeating Sakuraba for the second time. Sakuraba suffered a broken clavicle and withdrew after the first round, giving Silva a TKO win via doctor's stoppage. The two fought for the third time on August 10, 2003 at PRIDE Total Elimination 2003, a Middleweight tournament. Silva knocked out Sakuraba with one punch at 5:01 into the first round.
Silva faced Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 on November 9, 2003. Silva won by TKO due to referee's stoppage after delivering 17 consecutive knees to Jackson; Silva became PRIDE's 2003 tournament champion with the win. When the two fought again on October 31, 2004 at PRIDE 28: High Octane, Silva knocked out Jackson by knees in a clinch.
Silva's other notable wins in PRIDE include Guy Mezger (2001, KO), Dan Henderson (2001, decision), Hidehiko Yoshida (twice, 2003 and 2005, via decisions), and Yuki Kondo (2004, KO) among others. In Japan, Silva additionally gained his reputation as a fighter who has never been defeated by any Japanese opponent, resulting in a trend of various Japanese fighters being arranged by PRIDE to face him.
Silva's undefeated streak in PRIDE was broken by Mark Hunt, a K-1 Grand Prix champion, on December 31, 2004 at the PRIDE Shockwave 2004 event. Hunt won the non-title match by split decision over Silva. The decision was controversial because some[name a specific person/group] felt that Hunt's weight at 250 lb (113 kg), nearly 50 pounds over Silva, as well as Silva's dominance in rounds 2 and 3, had not been sufficiently considered by the judges in their decision; Randy Couture and Bas Rutten, both being commentators at the event, expressed disagreement over the decision.
Silva's current, continuing status as PRIDE's Middleweight champion has recently come under debate and criticism, due to his loss to Ricardo Arona (who subsequently lost the tournament to Silva's teammate and protégé, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua) on August 28, 2005 at PRIDE Final Conflict 2005. The loss, by unanimous decision in the tournament semi-finals, was Silva's first defeat in a Middleweight match in PRIDE; however, since it was not a title fight, Silva was still recognized as the Middleweight Champion. A rematch between Arona and Silva took place at the PRIDE Shockwave 2005 event December 31, 2005, with Silva winning by split decision.
On May 18, 2006, DSE announced that Silva would replace PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko in the Open Weight Grand Prix. Emelianenko's doctors stated that his hand, which had recently undergone surgery, would not be in good enough shape to fight because the metal implant would still be present. Because Silva is also a champion (Middleweight division), he received a first round bye and automatically fought in the second round, PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute, which took place on July 1st, 2006. Silva moved to the semi-finals of the Open Weight Grand Prix after defeating Kazuyuki Fujita by TKO via strikes at 9:21 of Round 1.
On July 8 at UFC 61: Bitter Rivals, UFC President Dana White announced Silva would face Chuck Liddell in a UFC event held in November granted Liddell beat Renato Sobral at UFC 62. Since then, talks have dwindled and the fight is in question.
On September 10 at PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute 2006, Wanderlei Silva was knocked out by Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović in the Open Weight Grand Prix semifinals. After a brief stoppage to tend to a swollen eye on Silva, Cro Cop struck Silva in the head with a left kick, knocking him out, and causing the referee to end the fight.
On October 21st at PRIDE 32: The Real Deal, Wanderlei issued his challenge to Chuck Liddell to a fight inside a PRIDE ring in February, when the promotion returns to Las Vegas, however UFC President Dana White has recently stated that this fight would not be happening citing Silva's recent loss to Mirko Filipovic.
Silva was announced as a participant for PRIDE Shockwave 2006 scheduled for December 31, 2006. Silva will also be defending his PRIDE Middleweight Title at PRIDE 33, to be held on February 24, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. [2]
[edit] MMA Results
| 31 Wins (3 (T)KO's, 7 submissions, 2 decisions), 6 Losses (3 (T)KO's, 4 decisions), 1 Draw , 1 No Contest . | |||||||
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | |
| Loss | Mirko Filipovic | KO (Head Kick) | PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute | 9/10/2006 | 1 | 5:26 | |
| Win | Kazuyuki Fujita | TKO (Strikes) | PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute | 7/1/2006 | 1 | 9:21 | |
| Win | Ricardo Arona | Decision (Split) | PRIDE Shockwave 2005 | 12/31/2005 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Ricardo Arona | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 | 8/28/2005 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Kazuhiro Nakamura | TKO (Strikes) | PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005 | 6/24/2005 | 1 | 5:24 | |
| Win | Hidehiko Yoshida | Decision (Split) | PRIDE Total Elimination 2005 | 4/23/2005 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Mark Hunt | Decision (Split) | PRIDE Shockwave 2004 | 12/31/2004 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Quinton Jackson | KO (Knees) | PRIDE 28 - High Octane | 10/31/2004 | 2 | 3:26 | |
| Win | Yuki Kondo | KO (Stomps) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2004 | 8/15/2004 | 1 | 2:46 | |
| Win | Ikuhisa Minowa | KO (Punches) | PRIDE Bushido 2 | 2/15/2004 | 1 | 1:09 | |
| Win | Quinton Jackson | TKO (Strikes) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 | 11/9/2003 | 1 | 6:28 | |
| Win | Hidehiko Yoshida | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 | 11/9/2003 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Kazushi Sakuraba | KO(Punch) | PRIDE Total Elimination 2003 | 8/10/2003 | 1 | 5:01 | |
| Win | Hiromitsu Kanehara | TKO (Towel) | PRIDE 23 - Championship Chaos 2 | 11/24/2002 | 1 | 3:40 | |
| Win | Tatsuya Iwasaki | TKO (Strike) | PRIDE Shockwave | 8/28/2002 | 1 | 1:16 | |
| Draw | Mirko Filipovic | Draw | PRIDE 20 - Armed and Ready | 4/28/2002 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Kiyoshi Tamura | TKO (Punch) | PRIDE 19 - Bad Blood | 4/24/2002 | 2 | 2:28 | |
| Win | Alexander Otsuka | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | PRIDE 18 - Cold Fury 2 | 12/23/2001 | 3 | 2:2 | |
| Win | Kazushi Sakuraba | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | PRIDE 17 - Championship Chaos | 11/3/2001 | 1 | 10:00 | |
| Win | Shungo Oyama | TKO (Strikes) | PRIDE 14 - Clash of the Titans | 5/27/2001 | 1 | 0:30 | |
| Win | Kazushi Sakuraba | TKO (Strikes) | PRIDE 13 - Collision Course | 3/25/2001 | 1 | 1:38 | |
| Win | Dan Henderson | Decision | PRIDE 12 - Cold Fury | 12/9/2000 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| NC | Gilbert Yvel | No Contest (Yvel kicked in the groin) | PRIDE 11 - Battle of the Rising Sun | 10/31/2000 | 1 | 0:21 | |
| Win | Guy Mezger | KO (Strikes) | PRIDE 10 - Return of the Warriors | 8/27/2000 | 1 | 3:45 | |
| Win | Todd Medina | KO (Knees) | Meca 2 - Meca World Vale Tudo 2 | 8/12/2000 | 1 | 0:39 | |
| Loss | Tito Ortiz | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 25 - Ultimate Japan 3 | 4/14/2000 | 5 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Bob Schrijber | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Opening Round | 1/30/2000 | 1 | 2:42 | |
| Win | Daijiru Matsui | Decision | PRIDE 8 | 11/21/1999 | 2 | 10:00 | |
| Win | Carl Malenko | Decision | PRIDE 7 | 9/12/1999 | 2 | 10:00 | |
| Win | Tony Petarra | KO (Knee to the Head) | UFC 20 Battle for the Gold | 5/7/1999 | 1 | 2:53 | |
| Win | Eugene Jackson | Submission (Strikes) | IVC 10 World Class Champions | 4/27/1999 | 1 | 0:32 | |
| Win | Adriano Serrano | KO (Punches and Kick) | IVC 9 The Revenge | 1/20/1999 | 1 | 0:22 | |
| Loss | Vitor Belfort | TKO (Strikes) | UFC Brazil Ultimate Brazil | 10/16/1998 | 1 | 0:44 | |
| Win | Mike Van Arsdale | KO (Punch and Kick) | IVC 6 The Challenge | 8/23/1998 | 1 | 4:00 | |
| Loss | Artur Mariano | TKO (Cut) | IVC 2 A Question of Pride | 9/15/1997 | 2 | 13:10 | |
| Win | Egidio da Costa | Submission (Punches) | IVC 2 A Question of Pride | 9/15/1997 | 1 | 2:27 | |
| Win | Sean Bornett | KO (Kick) | IVC 2 A Question of Pride | 9/15/1997 | 1 | 1:19 | |
| Win | Marcelao Marcelao | Submission (Shoulder Injury) | BVF 10 Brazilian Vale Tudo 10 | 7/1/1997 | 1 | 0:20 | |
| Win | Dilson Filho | KO (Punch) | BVF 6 Brazilian Vale Tudo 6 | 11/1/1996 | 1 | 3:35 | |
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
- PRIDE World Middleweight Champion (2001-present)
- PRIDE World Grand Prix 2003 tournament winner
[edit] Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- 2001 Feud of the Year (vs Kazushi Sakuraba)
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Professional MMA record
- PRIDE profile
- Interview with Gleidson Venga about the Total Elimination Absolute event.
