Issue 143

July 2016

It’s a decade since Wanderlei Silva embarked on his own heavyweight challenge

Jon Jones isn’t MMA’s only dominant 205lb champion to set his sights on the division above. When heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko pulled out of Pride’s Open Weight Grand Prix 10 years ago, the Japanese promotion needed someone to step up. Enter Wanderlei Silva. His task in the tournament quarter-final was a true test of his KO power – to take out a man they called ‘Ironhead’. He had suffered his first loss in five years the last time he’d stepped up a weight class – to take on Mark Hunt – so how would he handle Kazuyuki Fujita, a 240lb ball of muscle with a granite chin? It took a just 39 seconds short of a full 10-minute first round as well as countless kicks, knees, punches and soccer kicks, but ‘The Axe Murderer’ eventually chopped down the mighty tree. It was a thrilling fight in the classic style of hard-core fans’ most beloved organization.

Date: July 2006

Location: Saitama, Japan