FACT FILE 

Fights out of: Las Vegas, Nevada.  

Height: 5’11” 

Category: 205lb / 93.2kg 

Fighting MMA since: 1996

Total record: 32 wins, 8 losses, 1 draw (1 NC)


Perennial fan-favourite Wanderlei Silva is a grizzled veteran at only 31 years of age. A former Pride FC champ, he was king of the Japanese prize-fighting ring until the promotion disbanded, whereupon he signed for the UFC. Now gracing the Octagon, he brings an intensity and passion to the cage that is hard to match.  

Active since 1996 (he started fighting at the tender age of 19 in brutal bare-knuckle Vale Tudo contests in Brazil), Silva has had his ups and downs, with the last year being something of a harsh time for him. Getting KO’d twice in a row did nothing for his once impressive stock, and a decision loss to Liddell had him poised on the edge of the scrap heap in the eyes of many pundits. A resounding 36 second win over Keith Jardine has fans hoping the ‘old’ Wanderlei is back. The light heavyweight division just got itself another potential title challenger.  

Hair

Like a Samson in reverse, there is a theory going around that Wanderlei fights best when he shaves his head. Well known for the tribal tattoo on the back of his skull, when Wanderlei breaks it out he seems to channel the frantic aggression he was known for in his early career. Shorn of his locks, he takes it to his opponents with an added fire though he’s hardly a pussycat when he hasn’t been to the barbers in a while.  

Chin

Though he suffered back to back KO losses (against Cro Cop and Dan Henderson) Wanderlei actually has one of the best chins in the business. Described by some as ‘iron coated in glass’, he is staggered easily and has been down many times, yet has remarkable powers of recovery. Mark Hunt hit him with a solid three-punch combo that would have killed mere mortals, and not many people can claim to go toe to toe with Chuck Liddell for 15 minutes. 

Knees

Though we’ve not seen it in his last few fights, Silva is known for having extremely dangerous knee attacks from the traditional Thai clinch.  He demolished Rampage with them twice: landing 15 unanswered knees in their first fight, and leaving the current light heavyweight champ face down on the canvas the second time they fought.   


Notable fights

  • Win over Keith Jardine via KO, UFC 84: Ill Will, 24 May 2008 
  • Loss to Chuck Liddell via Unanimous Decision, UFC 79: Nemesis, 29 December 2007 
  • Loss to Dan Henderson via KO, Pride 33: Second Coming, 24 February 2007 
  • Loss to Mirko Filipovic via KO (Head Kick), Pide: Final Conflict Absolute, 10 September 2006 
  • Win over Kazuyuki Fujita via TKO (Strikes), Pride: Critical Countdown Absolute, 1 July 2006
  • Win over Ricardo Arona via Split Decision, Pride: Shockwave 2005, 31 December 2005
  • Loss to Ricardo Arona via Unanimous Decision, Pride: Final Conflict 2005, 28 August 2005 
  • Win over Kazuhiro.Nakamura via TKO (Strikes), Pride: Critical Countdown 2005, 26 June 2005 
  • Win over Hidehiko Yoshida via Split Decision, Pride: Total Elimination 2005, 23 April 2005 
  • Loss to Mark Hunt via Split Decision, Pride: Shockwave 2004, 31 December 2004 
  • Win over Quinton Jackson via KO, Pride 28: High Octane, 31 October 2004 
  • Win over Yuki Kondo via KO, Pride: Final Conflict 2004, 15 August 2004 
  • Win over Ikuhisa Minowa via KO, Pride: Bushido 2, 15 February 2004 
  • Win over Quinton Jackson via TKO, Pride: Final Conflict 2003, 9 November 2003
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