Issue 073
March 2011
‘The Axe Murderer’ reveals how budding MMA stars can dress to kill
O: You have a pretty relaxed style and you’re an advocate of T-shirts. Do you ever rack-up in a suit?
Wanderlei: “For the Fighters Only Awards I wore the suit I got married in. It didn’t fit me very well because I hadn’t been training for a few months and had put on a bit of weight [laughs]. It’s a fine Italian one. I used to throw it on every now and again and wear it casually. It’s amazing how differently people treat you in a great suit. As soon as someone sees you in a decent suit they automatically think dollar signs.”
Have you received any cool gifts?
“A guy once gave me 46 shirts. I looked on the Internet and they were like $50 each! I haven’t worn all of them yet. How do you get through 46 shirts? I end up having to give stuff away because before I’ve had time to wear something I’m given something else!”
Hard times then... So do you have a large TV in your house?
“No, just a normal one like everyone else. I like comfortable things in my home. Probably my favorite thing I’ve bought for my house is an $8,000 Tempur-Pedic mattress. I don’t understand why guys will go out and buy an expensive car and have a cheap bed. We only spend about two hours in our cars each day but we spend most of our life sleeping. You just gotta have a good bed.”
Mattresses aside, is there anything else you like to splash out on?
“Well, I come from a poor family so we had to budget on food. Now I love going to the supermarket and just loading up on whatever I want. Now I can buy the four-dollar-per-liter milk, the luxury bread, the finest salmon, the juiciest fruits and the beef – you gotta have the beef!”
We hear you’ve just purchased a new automobile...
“Yeah, I have an Audi A3 and I only recently bought an Aston Martin Vantage. A lot of guys who have a lot of money go straight out and buy a nice car but they’re crazy – this should be the last thing you buy. First you need a good home and to save money.”
What watch do you wear?
“I used to have just fakes before. I bought 12 fake watches in China but now none of them work. I’d like to have a watch like Luke Burrett of [T-shirt label] Silver Star. He always has beautiful watches. Maybe somebody wants to give me one as a present?”
How about jeans?
“You need to buy a good pair of jeans to last you years and years. I prefer to wear Silver Star jeans but True Religion and Affliction are great quality.”
Are you a sneakers kind of guy, or boots?
“The guys from Truckers Deluxe gave me four Supra trainers and they’re amazing. I’m not really into boots. Definitely no belt buckles; that’s not my style.”
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