Wanderlei Silva facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wanderlei Silva |
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Silva in 2015
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| Born | Wanderlei César da Silva 3 July 1976 Curitiba, Brazil |
| Other names | The Axe Murderer |
| Residence | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Division | Middleweight Light Heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Reach | 74 in (188 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Team | Chute Boxe Academy (1996–2007) Wand Fight Team (2007–present) Kings MMA (2011–2018) Evolução Thai Brasil (2018–present) |
| Trainer | Rudimar Fedrigo Cristiano Marcello André Amado |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black prajiad in Muay Thai |
| Years active | 1996–2018 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 51 |
| Wins | 35 |
| By knockout | 27 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Losses | 14 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 1 |
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last updated on: 14 September 2011
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Wanderlei César da Silva (/ˈvændərleɪ/ van-DƏR-lay; born 3 July 1976) is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist. He competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Wanderlei holds records for most wins and knockouts in PRIDE history. He was the PRIDE Middleweight Champion. He also won the 2003 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament. He last competed for Bellator MMA. In February 2024, Silva was added to the "pioneer wing" of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Contents
Wanderlei Silva's Fighting Journey
Starting Out in MMA
Wanderlei Silva's fighting style is very aggressive. He learned Muay Thai and kickboxing from age 13. He trained at Chute Boxe Academy in his hometown of Curitiba. Later, he joined the Brazilian army. His fighting skills were quickly noticed. He was asked to join a Vale Tudo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu school.
Silva's first professional fight was on 1 November 1996. He won by knockout in the Brazilian Vale Tudo Fighting (BVF) event. He won another BVF match in 1997.
He fought in six matches across four International Vale Tudo Championship events. These took place from 1997 to 1999. He won five of these fights by knockout. His only loss was due to a cut above his eye. Silva won the IVC Cruiserweight belt in 1999. He earned the nickname "The Axe Murderer" after this win. In 2000, he also won a Meca World Vale Tudo event.
Fighting in the UFC
Silva joined the UFC on 16 October 1998. His first UFC fight was against Vitor Belfort. He lost this match in just 44 seconds. Silva won his next UFC fight on 7 May 1999. He knocked out Tony Petarra with knee strikes. On 14 April 2000, Silva fought for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. He lost this fight to Tito Ortiz by decision.
Becoming a PRIDE FC Legend
Silva made his debut in PRIDE on 12 September 1999. He fought Carl Ognibene. Silva showed strong grappling skills and landed many knee strikes. He won the fight by decision. This win set the stage for his amazing career in PRIDE.
From 1999 to 2004, Silva had an eighteen-fight winning streak in PRIDE. This included a draw and a no-contest. He became known as a very tough MMA fighter. He had a successful 5-year winning record in the middleweight division.
Silva fought Japanese star Kazushi Sakuraba three times. He won their first fight on 25 March 2001. He won by TKO with knees and a soccer kick. On 3 November 2001, Silva won the first-ever Pride middleweight championship. He defeated Sakuraba again when the doctor stopped the fight. Their third fight was on 10 August 2003. Silva knocked out Sakuraba with punches.
Silva faced Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on 9 November 2003. Silva won by TKO after many knee strikes. This win made Silva the 2003 PRIDE tournament champion. They fought again on 31 October 2004. Silva knocked Jackson out with knees. He successfully defended his Pride middleweight championship. In Japan, Silva was known for never losing to a Japanese opponent.
Silva's 5-year undefeated streak in PRIDE ended on 31 December 2004. He lost to Mark Hunt by a split decision. Hunt weighed much more than Silva. Many people thought the decision was unfair. Silva took this fight on very short notice. Despite the loss, Silva was named "Fighter of the Year" by Sherdog and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Silva lost to Ricardo Arona on 28 August 2005. This was his first middleweight loss in PRIDE. However, it was not a title fight. So, Silva remained the middleweight champion. They had a rematch on 31 December 2005. Silva won this fight by split decision.
On 1 July 2006, Silva won his quarterfinal match in the Open Weight Grand Prix. He defeated Kazuyuki Fujita by TKO. On 10 September 2006, Silva lost to Mirko Cro Cop in the Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinals. Cro Cop knocked him out with a head kick.
Silva defended his Pride middleweight title against Dan Henderson on 24 February 2007. Henderson knocked out Silva in the third round. Henderson became the new middleweight champion. This was Silva's last PRIDE fight.
Back in the UFC Octagon
On 17 August 2007, the UFC announced Silva had signed with them. He returned to the Octagon on 29 December 2007. He faced Chuck Liddell in a highly anticipated match. Silva lost by decision. After the fight, he promised to deliver a win next time. This fight won the Fight of the Night award.
On 24 May 2008, Silva earned a quick knockout win. He defeated Keith Jardine in just 36 seconds. This earned him a "Knockout of the Night" bonus.
At UFC 92, Wanderlei fought Quinton Jackson again. Jackson had lost to Silva twice before. This time, Jackson knocked Silva out in the first round.
Silva faced Rich Franklin at UFC 99. Silva lost by decision. This fight also earned a "Fight of the Night" award. Silva then took time off for facial surgery. This surgery helped him breathe better.
Silva made his middleweight debut on 21 February 2010 at UFC 110. He fought Michael Bisping. Silva won by decision. This was his first win in almost two years. He said that hard work helps you get through tough times.
Silva was scheduled to fight Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116. But he had to pull out due to broken ribs. He also had knee surgery in 2010.
On 2 July 2011, Silva fought Chris Leben at UFC 132. Leben won by knockout in just 27 seconds.
Silva fought Cung Le at UFC 139. Le landed some confusing kicks. But Silva landed big punches and knees in the second round. He broke Le's nose, and the referee stopped the fight. This fight earned them a "Fight of the Night" award.
Silva and Vitor Belfort coached The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. A rematch with Belfort was planned but Belfort got injured. Silva then faced Rich Franklin again at UFC 147. Franklin won by decision. This fight also earned a "Fight of the Night" award.
Silva returned to the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on 3 March 2013. He fought Brian Stann. Silva won by knockout in the second round. This fight was exciting and earned "Fight of the Night" and "Knockout of the Night" awards.
In 2013, Silva coached The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 against Chael Sonnen. A fight between them was planned. However, Silva was removed from the fight. This was because he did not take a random drug test. In 2015, a judge overturned a lifetime ban against Silva. In 2016, he was released from his UFC contract.
Later Career Fights
After his UFC contract ended, Silva competed in a tag team grappling match in Japan. This was for the Rizin Fighting Federation. He teamed with Kiyoshi Tamura against Kazushi Sakuraba and Hideo Tokoro. The match was a draw.
In July 2016, Silva announced he would return to MMA in Japan. He was part of Rizin's openweight tournament. He was set to fight Mirko Cro Cop again. But Silva withdrew due to an injury.
In March 2016, Bellator MMA announced they signed Silva. His ban from fighting in Nevada was reduced. He could fight again starting May 2017.
Silva made his Bellator debut on 24 June 2017. He fought Chael Sonnen at Bellator NYC. Silva lost by decision.
On 29 September 2018, Silva faced Rampage Jackson for a fourth time. He lost the fight by technical knockout. In September 2019, Silva's contract with Bellator ended.
On September 1, 2022, Silva officially announced his retirement from MMA. He said he was interested in boxing.
Wanderlei's Fighting Style
Silva was known for his tough and aggressive Muay Thai style. People described his fighting as "feral" and "terrifying." He was great at offensive striking. He used hooks, soccer kicks, and stomps. Silva was also dangerous when fighting close up. He used many short hooks and knee strikes. He also used headbutts when the rules allowed. Even though he preferred striking, he also had good Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills.
Life Outside the Ring
Wanderlei Silva and his wife have a son named Thor. He also has a daughter from a previous relationship.
In August 2012, Silva's father passed away in a car accident.
In April 2016, Silva became an American citizen. After living in the United States for years, he moved back to his hometown in Brazil.
In 2018, Silva shared that he has symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This is a brain condition. He wants to donate his brain for research after he passes away.
Wanderlei Silva ran for a political position in Brazil in 2018 and 2022. He was not elected.
In October 2020, a book about Silva was published. It is called Sem Coleira and is in Portuguese.
Wand Fight Team
Wand Fight Team is a training organization for mixed martial arts. Wanderlei Silva leads it. It started in 2009 in Las Vegas. It used to have a location in Florida.
The Las Vegas gym has famous MMA instructors. They teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, wrestling, and fitness.
Awards and Achievements
Mixed Martial Arts Honors
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Hall of Fame (Pioneer Wing, Class of 2024)
- Fight of the Night (Five times)
- Knockout of the Night (Two times)
- Most knockouts in Zuffa, LLC history (19)
- Most knockdowns in Zuffa, LLC history (27)
- Tied for second most finishes in Zuffa, LLC history (20)
- Tied for second most wins in Zuffa, LLC history (27)
- Pride Fighting Championships
- Pride Middleweight Championship (One time, first)
- Four successful title defenses (a record for PRIDE)
- Longest title reign in PRIDE FC history (1939 days)
- 2003 Pride Middleweight World Grand Prix Championship
- Most wins in PRIDE FC history (22)
- Longest undefeated streak in PRIDE FC history (20)
- Most knockouts in PRIDE FC history (15)
- Most knockdowns landed in PRIDE FC history (18)
- Tied for most finishes in PRIDE FC history (16)
- Most significant strikes in PRIDE FC history (720)
- Pride Middleweight Championship (One time, first)
- International Vale Tudo Championship
- IVC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- 2001 Most Outstanding Fighter
- 2003 Fight of the Year
- 2004 Fight of the Year
- 2004 Most Outstanding Fighter
- Sports Illustrated
- 2004 Knockout of the Decade
- MMAFighting.com
- 2004 Light Heavyweight of the Year
- Sherdog
- 2004 Fighter of the Year
- Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame
- World MMA Awards
- 2008 Fight of the Year
- 2008 Knockout of the Year
- 2018 Lifetime Achievement
Wanderlei Silva's Fight Record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 51 matches | 35 wins | 14 losses |
| By knockout | 27 | 7 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 7 | 7 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
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| Loss | 35–14–1 (1) | Quinton Jackson | TKO (punches) | Bellator 206 | 29 September 2018 | 2 | 4:32 | San Jose, California, United States | Heavyweight bout. |
| Loss | 35–13–1 (1) | Chael Sonnen | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator NYC | 24 June 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Win | 35–12–1 (1) | Brian Stann | KO (punches) | UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann | 3 March 2013 | 2 | 4:08 | Saitama, Japan | Return to Light Heavyweight. Fight of the Night. Knockout of the Night. |
| Loss | 34–12–1 (1) | Rich Franklin | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 147 | 23 June 2012 | 5 | 5:00 | Belo Horizonte, Brazil | Catchweight (190 lb) bout. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 34–11–1 (1) | Cung Le | TKO (knees and punches) | UFC 139 | 20 November 2011 | 2 | 4:49 | San Jose, California, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 33–11–1 (1) | Chris Leben | KO (punches) | UFC 132 | 2 July 2011 | 1 | 0:27 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 33–10–1 (1) | Michael Bisping | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 110 | 21 February 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Sydney, Australia | Middleweight debut. |
| Loss | 32–10–1 (1) | Rich Franklin | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 99 | 13 June 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Cologne, Germany | Catchweight (195 lb) bout. Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 32–9–1 (1) | Quinton Jackson | KO (punch) | UFC 92 | 27 December 2008 | 1 | 3:21 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 32–8–1 (1) | Keith Jardine | KO (punches) | UFC 84 | 24 May 2008 | 1 | 0:36 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Knockout of the Night. Knockout of the Year (2008). |
| Loss | 31–8–1 (1) | Chuck Liddell | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 79 | 29 December 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. Fight of the Year (2008). |
| Loss | 31–7–1 (1) | Dan Henderson | KO (punches) | Pride 33 | 24 February 2007 | 3 | 2:08 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Lost the Pride Middleweight Championship. |
| Loss | 31–6–1 (1) | Mirko Cro Cop | KO (head kick) | Pride Final Conflict | 10 September 2006 | 1 | 5:26 | Saitama, Japan | 2006 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinal. |
| Win | 31–5–1 (1) | Kazuyuki Fujita | TKO (punches and soccer kicks) | Pride Critical Countdown | 1 July 2006 | 1 | 9:21 | Saitama, Japan | 2006 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal. |
| Win | 30–5–1 (1) | Ricardo Arona | Decision (split) | Pride Shockwave 2005 | 31 December 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | Defended the Pride Middleweight Championship. |
| Loss | 29–5–1 (1) | Ricardo Arona | Decision (unanimous) | Pride Final Conflict 2005 | 28 August 2005 | 2 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Semifinal. |
| Win | 29–4–1 (1) | Kazuhiro Nakamura | TKO (punches) | Pride Critical Countdown 2005 | 26 June 2005 | 1 | 5:24 | Saitama, Japan | 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal. |
| Win | 28–4–1 (1) | Hidehiko Yoshida | Decision (split) | Pride Total Elimination 2005 | 23 April 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Osaka, Japan | 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Opening Round. |
| Loss | 27–4–1 (1) | Mark Hunt | Decision (split) | Pride Shockwave 2004 | 31 December 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | Openweight bout. |
| Win | 27–3–1 (1) | Quinton Jackson | KO (knees) | Pride 28 | 31 October 2004 | 2 | 3:26 | Saitama, Japan | Defended the Pride Middleweight Championship. Fight of the Year (2004). |
| Win | 26–3–1 (1) | Yuki Kondo | KO (stomps) | Pride Final Conflict 2004 | 15 August 2004 | 1 | 2:46 | Saitama, Japan | Non-title bout. |
| Win | 25–3–1 (1) | Ikuhisa Minowa | KO (punches) | Pride Bushido 2 | 15 February 2004 | 1 | 1:09 | Yokohama, Japan | Non-title bout. |
| Win | 24–3–1 (1) | Quinton Jackson | TKO (knees) | Pride Final Conflict 2003 | 9 November 2003 | 1 | 6:28 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix. |
| Win | 23–3–1 (1) | Hidehiko Yoshida | Decision (unanimous) | 2 | 5:00 | 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Semifinal. Fight of the Year (2003). | |||
| Win | 22–3–1 (1) | Kazushi Sakuraba | KO (punch) | Pride Total Elimination 2003 | 10 August 2003 | 1 | 5:01 | Saitama, Japan | 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Opening Round. |
| Win | 21–3–1 (1) | Hiromitsu Kanehara | TKO (corner stoppage) | Pride 23 | 24 November 2002 | 1 | 3:40 | Tokyo, Japan | Defended the Pride Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 20–3–1 (1) | Tatsuya Iwasaki | TKO (head kick and punches) | Pride Shockwave | 28 August 2002 | 1 | 1:16 | Tokyo, Japan | Non-title bout. |
| Draw | 19–3–1 (1) | Mirko Cro Cop | Draw (time limit) | Pride 20 | 28 April 2002 | 5 | 3:00 | Yokohama, Japan | Heavyweight bout. Match fought under special rules. |
| Win | 19–3 (1) | Kiyoshi Tamura | KO (punch) | Pride 19 | 24 February 2002 | 2 | 2:28 | Saitama, Japan | Defended the Pride Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 18–3 (1) | Alexander Otsuka | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Pride 18 | 23 December 2001 | 3 | 2:02 | Fukuoka, Japan | Non-title bout. |
| Win | 17–3 (1) | Kazushi Sakuraba | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Pride 17 | 3 November 2001 | 1 | 10:00 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the inaugural Pride Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 16–3 (1) | Shungo Oyama | TKO (punches) | Pride 14 - Clash of the Titans | 27 May 2001 | 1 | 0:30 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Win | 15–3 (1) | Kazushi Sakuraba | TKO (knees and soccer kicks) | Pride 13 - Collision Course | 25 March 2001 | 1 | 1:38 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 14–3 (1) | Dan Henderson | Decision (unanimous) | Pride 12 - Cold Fury | 23 December 2000 | 2 | 10:00 | Saitama, Japan | Return to Light Heavyweight. |
| NC | 13–3 (1) | Gilbert Yvel | NC (Yvel kicked in groin) | Pride 11 - Battle of the Rising Sun | 31 October 2000 | 1 | 0:21 | Osaka, Japan | Heavyweight debut. An inadvertent groin kick from Silva rendered Yvel unable to continue. |
| Win | 13–3 | Guy Mezger | KO (punches) | Pride 10 - Return of the Warriors | 27 August 2000 | 1 | 3:45 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 12–3 | Todd Medina | KO (knees) | Meca Vale Tudo 2 | 12 August 2000 | 1 | 0:39 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Loss | 11–3 | Tito Ortiz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 25 | 14 April 2000 | 5 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | For the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 11–2 | Bob Schrijber | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Pride Grand Prix 1st Round | 30 January 2000 | 1 | 2:42 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 10–2 | Daijiro Matsui | Decision (unanimous) | Pride 8 | 21 November 1999 | 2 | 10:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 9–2 | Carl Malenko | Decision (unanimous) | Pride 7 | 12 September 1999 | 2 | 10:00 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Win | 8–2 | Tony Petarra | KO (knee) | UFC 20 | 7 May 1999 | 1 | 2:53 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Eugene Jackson | TKO (submission to punches) | IVC 10: World Class Champions | 27 April 1999 | 1 | 0:32 | Brazil | Won the IVC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–2 | Adrian Serrano | KO (punches and soccer kick) | IVC 9: The Revenge | 20 January 1999 | 1 | 0:22 | Aracaju, Brazil | |
| Loss | 5–2 | Vitor Belfort | TKO (punches) | UFC Brazil | 16 October 1998 | 1 | 0:44 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 5–1 | Mike van Arsdale | KO (punch and soccer kick) | IVC 6: The Challenge | 23 August 1998 | 1 | 4:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Loss | 4–1 | Artur Mariano | TKO (doctor stoppage) | IVC 2: A Question of Pride | 15 September 1997 | 1 | 13:10 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–0 | Egidio da Costa | TKO (submission to punches) | 1 | 2:27 | ||||
| Win | 3–0 | Sean Bormet | KO (kick) | 1 | 1:19 | ||||
| Win | 2–0 | Marcelao Barbosa | TKO (shoulder injury) | Brazilian Vale Tudo 10 | 1 July 1997 | 1 | 0:20 | Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Dilson Filho | KO (punch) | Brazilian Vale Tudo 6 | 1 November 1996 | 1 | 3:35 | Brazil |
Images for kids
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Wanderlei Silva in 2007.
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See also
In Spanish: Wanderlei Silva para niños
