When it comes to being in ring wars, 'The Axe Murderer' is a veteran. But they've all taken their toll on his body over the years.

AXE STATS

Name: Wanderlei Silva

Weight: 185lb / 84kg / 13st 3lb

Height: Five-foot-eleven

Reach: 74in (188cm)

Stance: Orthodox

Years active: 19 

Record: 35-14-1 (1NC)

BMI: 25.8

INJURIES

1: Nose Surgery

After Silva’s bout with Rich Franklin at UFC 99, Wanderlei took time out to get facial surgery on his nose, which was broken by Mirko 'Cro Cop' in their second bout, in the semi-finals of the Pride 2006 grand prix. To rectify the damage caused, Silva had surgery, which reportedly increased his oxygen intake by 30%.

2: Knee Surgery

Silva tore his ACL in 2010, but he tried to continue training, unwilling to pull out of his scheduled fight with Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116, by taking medication for the pain. However, broken ribs eventually sidelined him. After the operation on his knee, Wanderlei needed seven months of recovery time.

3: Rib Injury

Prior to his planned bout with Yoshihiro Akiyama in Las Vegas, Wanderlei hurt his ribs during a sparring session and found out after an X-ray he had broken three ribs in addition to his aforementioned ACL injury. While he could soldier on through his knee injury and continue to train, the broken ribs forced him to pull out of a fight for the first time in his illustrious career. 

4: Scar Tissue

When Wanderlei went under the knife in 2009 to repair his nose he also had the scar tissue above his eyes removed, due to the tissue's inclination to easily reopen from strikes. Fans were shocked to see Silva's visage look noticeably different when he returned from surgery, his brow appearing significantly raised.

5: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

in 2018 Silva disclosed admitted that he has been bearing symptoms consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, in layman's terms punch druunk syndrome. Silva was famed for his relentless muay thai attacking style wherein he overwhelmed opponents and was willing to endure many a counterattack to continue scoring his hits.

AXE ATTACK

• Silva became the first-ever Pride 205lb champion in 2001 with his second victory over Kazushi Sakuraba.
• Holds the longest undefeated winning streak in Pride fights.
• Five-time 'Fight of the Night' winner in the UFC.
• At the 2018 World MMA Awards presented by Fighters Only, Wanderlei Silva received the Lifetime Achievement award.