MMA Spotlight 5.08.08: Wanderlei Silva is the Greatest of All Time?

Posted by Reuel Mante on 05.08.2008

The Axe Murderer may return to form at UFC 84: Ill Will



When I started watching MMA several years ago, I was told to watch three fighters:

Chuck Liddell
Matt Hughes
Wanderlei Silva

While it took me a while to figure out how to not only SPELL Wanderlei, it took me a while to realize that his fame comes from an extensive career in Pride Fighting Championship. Believe me, watching his 44 second loss to Vitor Belfort at UFC: Ultimate Brazil was not promising at all. Then I saw him tear through the Pride Middleweight ranks and I was an immediate fan. With brutal Muay Thai knees, beheading soccer kicks, and crushing stomps, how could I not like the guy? He was every reason for me to buy a Pride DVD. I am truly excited to see him back in the UFC and now he is getting his second chance against Keith Jardine in three weeks. Before I go to my analysis of the fight, let's recap some history of one of the greatest fighters in all of MMA.

The first real exposure to Wanderlei Silva that I had was when I purchased Shockwave 2004. In a previous article, I wrote that this fight is one of my favorites. Silva was originally scheduled to have a fourth fight with Kazushi Sakuraba. Saku pulled out of the fight due to an injury and Pride officials replaced him with K-1 kickboxer Mark Hunt. Hunt had around an 80 pound advantage over the Pride Middleweight Champion but Wanderlei traded shots with him like he was any other fighter. Back and forth, the momentum kept swinging, but Silva was out-grappling the bigger man. Despite a couple of brutal knockdowns, the champ kept on fighting. In the end Hunt barely won with a split decision but the moral victory was Silva's. Even though his 18 fight undefeated streak was shattered, Wanderlei had proved that he will accept any challenge that came his way.

Speaking of proving himself, Silva had been criticized up to the Mark Hunt fight for fighting opponents who were not of the best caliber. 2004 ended as the banner year for his career. The champ would stop Ikuhisa Minowa and Yuki Kondo earlier in the year. Both men are highly respected in Japan and have incredible resumes behind them. Then on Halloween night, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson would have his rematch against Silva in what would also be on my favorite fight list. Wanderlei proceeded to knockout the challenger in the second round via a knee strike.

This history would be incomplete if I were not to mention Silva's trilogy of fights against Kazushi Sakuraba. Sakuraba would make his name defeating several men who happened to bear the last name of Gracie. He was the first Japanese fighter to defeat any Gracie since Helio Gracie lost to Masahiko Kimura. Earning the name "The Gracie Hunter", fight fans were wondering how many other Brazilians Sakuraba could defeat. Silva answered the call by crushing Kazushi 3 times. Each fight ended in a KO or a TKO and a trip to the hospital for the Japanese superstar. It is believed that Wanderlei's beatings forever changed Sakuraba, akin to Julio Cesar Chavez beating the prime out of Meldrick Taylor in their 1990 championship fight.

2005 through 2007 would prove to be tough years for the Axe Murderer. He lost his first middleweight fight in five years to Ricardo Arona at the 2005 Grand Prix semifinals. Despite avenging that loss at Shockwave in December, it was a sign of things to come. Silva would enter himself in the 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix, earning a buy in the first round. His first fight resulted in a TKO of heavyweight wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita. The semifinal round brought him face to face with Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop and Wanderlei had fought once before in a fight that ended in a draw in 2002. This time, Mirko knocked out Silva with a head kick in 5 minutes and 26 seconds into the first round.

Pride FC held its second Pay per View in Las Vegas on February 24, 2007. Headlining the card was Wanderlei Silva defending his Middleweight Title against Welterweight champion Dan "Hollywood" Henderson. In a highlight knockout, Henderson blasted Silva in the third round and became the first fighter to hold belts in two weight classes at the same time. Not long after that night, Pride was bought out by UFC. Six months followed with the question as to where the Axe Murderer would fight next. Finally, Dana White and the UFC had signed a deal to have Wanderlei come back to the Octagon. UFC 79 showcased the long-awaited match between Silva and Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell. The mighty Brazilian showed great poise and defied Liddell's desire to knock him out. Even though he lost, Silva was definitely back.

Wanderlei will be fighting at UFC 84 against the man who defeated Chuck back in September, Keith Jardine. This fight won't be any more than a slugfest, which is one of the main reasons why I am excited. The only way I see this fight ending is by TKO. I have all the confidence in the world that Silva will come out the winner and start climbing the Light Heavyweight ranks. With Shogun and Liddell injured and Tito Ortiz possibly leaving, the door is wide open for the former Pride champ to hit the top contender list.

Silva is a great fighter. Period. A Muay Thai specialist with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he's a winning combination. Do I think he could dominate UFC like he dominated Pride? Not likely. Only the top fighters fight at this level and none of them have to worry about getting their heads stomped in. However, Wanderlei's fight at UFC 79 showed that he still has it and still wants to destroy anyone who gets in his way.

Is Wanderlei Silva the greatest MMA fighter of all time? I think so. Long live the king!