About Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei César da Silva, also known by the monikers “The Axe Murderer” and “Cachorro Louco” was born on July 3, 1976. His estimated net worth is $20 million. Wanderlei Silva picked up some of his fighting skills on the streets, the old-fashioned manner. Having said that, he started formal Muay Thai training at the age of 13. He enlisted in the military later in his adolescence, where his fighting prowess immediately became apparent as he advanced through the ranks. By the time Silva enlisted, he had already won a few fighting competitions in his age group.
More recently, Silva achieved a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Carlos Gracie, Jr.
- Date of Birth: The biography of Wanderlei Silva starts on July 3, 1976 in Curitiba, Brazil.
- Training Camp and Fighting Organization: Silva trains out of Wand Fight Team in Las Vegas, Nevada. That said, he is most well-known for the years he formerly put in with Chute Box Academy in Brazil. He fights for the UFC.
- Nicknames: In an interview with MMA Sports Magazine, Silva claimed that a former UFC matchmaker gave him the moniker “The Axe Murderer.” In Brazil, Silva is also known as Cachorro Louco, which means “Mad Dog.” Both of his nick names allude to his brutally violent fighting manner.
Initial MMA Career
At a Brazilian Vale Tudo Fighting (BVD) organization event on November 1, 1996, Silva made his professional mixed martial arts debut by knocking out Dilson Filho via a brutal elbow. He then proceeded to defeat Artur Mariano through TKO after winning his subsequent three fights (in BVD and IVC events) by way of stoppage (cut).
After that, Silva defeated Mike Van Arsdale by way of KO before the UFC intervened.
But in his first UFC fight, Silva was defeated by TKO by Vitor Belfort. Before a significant match, he would go on to win six straight fights, some in the PRIDE organization and one in the UFC.
Tito Ortiz versus Wanderlei Silva
It was a highly anticipated event when Silva returned to the UFC to face Tito Ortiz at UFC 25: Ultimate Japan 3. Unfortunately for him, Ortiz battered his way to a unanimous decision victory by achieving takedowns at will.
Some would argue that Silva fueled his passion for the PRIDE organization by using the defeat as fuel.
As the PRIDE Champion, Wanderlei Silva:
After the fight with Ortiz, Silva competed in 18 straight matches, largely for the PRIDE league, without losing. On November 3, 2001, he defeated Kazushi Sakuraba a second time to win the title of PRIDE Middleweight Champion. On New Year’s Eve 2005, Silva’s winning streak came to an end when he was defeated by Mark Hunt in a split decision. After fighting Ricardo Arona twice and winning the second to retain his title, Silva was finally brutally knocked out by both Dan Henderson and heavyweight Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. In his final PRIDE match against Henderson, he dropped the belt.
In the UFC, Wanderlei Silva faces Chuck Liddell.
On February 29, 2007, at UFC 79, Silva made his long-awaited UFC debut against Chuck Liddell in a highly anticipated contest. It didn’t matter that Liddell (who had lost his UFC title to Quinton Jackson) and Silva (who had dropped two in a row via KO) were no longer champions. The most dominant PRIDE champion of recent years versus the most dominant UFC champion had been eagerly anticipated for a very long time.
The brawl didn’t let me down. Liddell ultimately won a challenging decision. Soon after, Silva was defeated by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson via KO in their third bout.
Combative Style
Wanderlei Silva is renowned for his aggression and striking. He attacks like a cat after hurting a competitor, giving that person very little chance of surviving. He has an excellent clinch and is a standout Muay Thai striker.
Silva is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt. But in MMA, he has never actually been a threat to submit opponents. Instead, he’s shown that he can live in his guard and has a strong defense against surrender.
Personal Life
Silva is married and has a kid named Thor who is 4 years old and a daughter who is 12 years old. His daughter resides in Curitiba, Brazil, with her mother.
Some of Wanderlei Silva’s Most Impressive Wins:
Keith Jardine is KO’d by Wanderlei Silva at UFC 84: Poor Will Prior to his matchup with Jardine at UFC 84, Silva had dropped three straight fights and was in risk of being rendered obsolete in the competitive light heavyweight category. However, very early in the first round, a right-left-right combination knocked Jardine to the ground. Silva continued by pinning Jardine’s head down and striking with his other hand until the bout was appropriately stopped.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is defeated by Wanderlei Silva via KO at PRIDE 28 on October 31st, 2004: Up until Silva caught Jackson in the clinch in the second round, this battle was fantastic. After receiving many brutal knees, his opponent’s body was knocked through the ropes.
On August 10, 2003, Wanderlei Silva knocks out Kazushi Sakuraba during PRIDE Total Elimination 2003: Sakuraba was and is a legendary figure in Japan. However, after one powerful punch from Silva here, everyone realized that his finest days were undoubtedly behind him.
The most victories, knockouts, championship defenses, and winning streaks in PRIDE history all belong to Silva. Wanderlei Silva’s net worth is projected to reach $20 million as of 2023. Silva most recently competed in the heavyweight and light heavyweight classes for Bellator MMA.
