Wanderlei Silva facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wanderlei Silva
Silva in 2015
Born	Wanderlei César da Silva (1976-07-03) 3 July 1976 (age 48) Curitiba, Brazil
Other names	The Axe Murderer
Residence	Curitiba, Brazil
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Division	Heavyweight Light Heavyweight Middleweight
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
last updated on: 14 September 2011 (2011-09-14)

Wanderlei César da Silva (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). He holds many records in PRIDE history, including the most wins and knockouts.

Silva was the former PRIDE Middleweight Champion. He also won the 2003 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament. Later, he competed for Bellator MMA. In February 2024, Silva was chosen for the "pioneer wing" of the UFC Hall of Fame.

Mixed Martial Arts Journey

Starting Out

Wanderlei Silva's fighting style came from street fighting. He learned Muay Thai and kickboxing from age 13. This was at the Chute Boxe Academy in his hometown of Curitiba, Brazil.

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 joined after winning several fighting tournaments for his age group in Brazil.

Silva's first professional fight was on November 1, 1996. It was in a bare-knuckle event called Brazilian Vale Tudo Fighting (BVF). He won this fight by knocking out Dilson Filho. He won another BVF match in 1997.

Silva fought six times in the International Vale Tudo Championship (IVC) from 1997 to 1999. He won five of these fights by knockout. He lost one fight because of a cut above his eye. Silva won the IVC Cruiserweight belt in 1999. After this win, he got the nickname "The Axe Murderer."

In August 2000, Silva fought in a Meca World Vale Tudo event. He knocked out Todd Medina using Muay Thai knee strikes.

Joining the UFC

Silva first fought in the UFC on October 16, 1998, at UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil. He faced Vitor Belfort. Silva lost this match quickly, in just 44 seconds.

He won his next UFC fight on May 7, 1999, at UFC 20. He knocked out Tony Petarra with knee strikes. On April 14, 2000, Silva fought for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. He lost this fight to Tito Ortiz by decision.

Pride Fighting Championships

Silva started fighting in PRIDE on September 12, 1999, at Pride 7. He fought against Carl Ognibene. Silva showed his strong grappling skills and won by decision.

From 1999 to 2004, Silva had an amazing winning streak in PRIDE. He won eighteen fights in a row. This included a draw and a fight that ended with no winner due to an accidental kick. Silva became known as a very tough fighter in the middleweight division.

Silva fought Japanese star Kazushi Sakuraba for the first time on March 25, 2001, at Pride 13 - Collision Course. Silva won by knockout. On November 3, 2001, at Pride 17: Championship Chaos, Silva won the first-ever Pride middleweight championship. He defeated Sakuraba again. They fought a third time on August 10, 2003, at Pride Total Elimination 2003. Silva knocked out Sakuraba with punches.

Silva faced Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on November 9, 2003, at Pride Final Conflict 2003. Silva won by knockout after landing many knee strikes. This win made Silva the 2003 Pride tournament champion. They fought again on October 31, 2004, at Pride 28: High Octane. Silva knocked Jackson out again, defending his Pride middleweight championship.

Silva's long winning streak in PRIDE ended on December 31, 2004. He lost to Mark Hunt, a heavyweight fighter. Hunt won by a close decision. Silva took this fight with very little notice. Even with this loss, Silva was named "Fighter of the Year" by top sports news outlets in 2004.

Silva lost to Ricardo Arona on August 28, 2005, at Pride Final Conflict 2005. This was his first loss in a middleweight fight in Pride. However, he remained the middleweight champion because it was not a title fight.

Silva fought Arona again on December 31, 2005, at Pride Shockwave 2005. Silva won this rematch by a close decision.

On July 1, 2006, Silva competed in the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix. He won his quarterfinal fight against Kazuyuki Fujita. On September 10, 2006, Silva was knocked out by Mirko Cro Cop in the Grand Prix semifinals.

Wanderlei Silva in 2007.

On February 24, 2007, Silva defended his Pride middleweight title against Dan Henderson at Pride 33: The Second Coming. Henderson knocked Silva out in the third round and became the new champion. This was Silva's last fight in Pride.

Back to the UFC

On December 29, 2007, Silva returned to the UFC at UFC 79. He faced Chuck Liddell in a highly anticipated match. Silva lost by decision, but the fight was exciting and earned them the Fight of the Night award.

On May 24, 2008, at UFC 84, Silva earned a quick knockout win against Keith Jardine. He won a bonus award for "Knockout of the Night."

At UFC 92, Wanderlei fought Quinton Jackson for a third time. Jackson had lost to Silva twice before. This time, Jackson knocked Silva out in the first round.

Silva faced Rich Franklin on June 13, 2009, at UFC 99. Silva lost by decision, but it was another exciting fight that earned him a "Fight of the Night" award. After this, Silva took time off for surgery to help with past injuries.

Silva made his middleweight debut on February 21, 2010, at UFC 110. He fought Michael Bisping and won by decision. This was his first win in almost two years.

Silva was scheduled to fight Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116, but he had to pull out due to broken ribs. He later had knee surgery and returned to fighting in 2011.

On July 2, 2011, Silva fought Chris Leben at UFC 132. Leben won by knockout in the first round. Silva fought again on November 20, 2011, at UFC 139, replacing an injured fighter. He won by knockout against Cung Le in a fight that earned "Fight of the Night."

Silva and Vitor Belfort coached The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. They were supposed to fight, but Belfort got injured. Silva then faced Rich Franklin again at UFC 147 on June 23, 2012. Silva lost by decision, but it was another "Fight of the Night" performance.

On March 3, 2013, Silva fought Brian Stann in Japan. Silva won by knockout in the second round. This fight was very exciting and earned both fighters "Fight of the Night" and "Knockout of the Night" awards for Silva.

In 2013, Silva was announced as a coach for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 against his rival Chael Sonnen. They were expected to fight, but the match was moved several times. Silva was later removed from the fight due to issues with following testing rules. He received a ban, which was later overturned in 2015. In 2016, Silva left the UFC.

Later Career

After leaving the UFC, Silva competed in a grappling match in Japan for Rizin Fighting Federation in April 2016. He later signed with Bellator MMA.

Silva made his Bellator debut on June 24, 2017, at Bellator NYC. He lost to Chael Sonnen by decision. On September 29, 2018, Silva faced Rampage Jackson for a fourth time at Bellator 206. He lost this fight by knockout.

In September 2022, Wanderlei Silva officially announced he was retiring from mixed martial arts.

Fighting Style

Wanderlei Silva was known for his aggressive and powerful fighting style. He used a lot of Muay Thai techniques, like strong hooks, soccer kicks, and stomps. He was also dangerous when fighting close up, using many short hooks and knee strikes. Silva was also good at Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Personal Life

Wanderlei Silva and his wife have a son named Thor. Silva also has a daughter from a previous relationship.

In April 2016, Silva became an American citizen. After living in the United States for many years, Silva moved back to his hometown of Curitiba, Brazil.

Wand Fight Team

Wand Fight Team is a training group for mixed martial arts. It is led by Wanderlei Silva. It started in 2009 in Las Vegas. The team has several famous instructors who teach different fighting styles.

Championships and Awards

Mixed Martial Arts

• 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 UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce history (19)
  • Most knockdowns landed in UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce history (27)
• Pride Fighting Championships
  • Pride Middleweight Championship (One time, first ever)
    • Four successful title defenses (a record in PRIDE)
    • Longest title reign in PRIDE FC history (1939 days)
  • 2003 Pride Middleweight World Grand Prix Champion
  • Most wins in PRIDE FC history (22)
  • Longest undefeated streak in PRIDE FC history (20 fights)
  • Most knockouts in PRIDE FC history (15)
• 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
• 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

Filmography

Books

• Wanderlei Silva - Sem Coleira, BB Editora (8 October 2020), ISBN: 978-85-62716-85-0

Images for kids

• 

  Wanderlei Silva in 2007.

See also

In Spanish: Wanderlei Silva para niños