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Posted 05/28/2008 at 12:01 AM
Ask any Brazilian athlete who his sporting heros were growing up, and you could usually bet the house that they would mention any number of soccer players. But not Wanderlei 'The Axe Murderer' Silva.
The light heavyweight striker in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lists former Formula One racecar driver Ayrton Senna, who tragically died in a 1994 race. Senna was incredibly popular in Brazil, and his last race was broadcast throughout the country. His popularity was similar to Michael Jordan's here in the United States during the same time period.
"Senna was a kamikaze, he tried to win everytime," stated Silva. "His spirit was always searching for a way to win."
'The Axe Murderer' was given his nickname due to his ultra aggressive fighting style, emulating his childhood hero with four-ounce fighting gloves instead of being strapped to a high-performance racecar. That style helped produce an incredible 36 second victory over 'The Dean of Mean' Keith Jardine at UFC 84: Ill Will.
Silva (32-8-1) had dropped three fights in a row before beating Jardine, albeit against Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic, Dan Henderson and Chuck 'The Iceman' Liddell. That Liddell matchup was my 2007 Fight of the Year, with both fighters swinging for the fences the entire time.
"It was a very good match with Chuck Liddell," said Silva. "I love to fight standing up."
Even though Silva is a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, he doesn't like taking fights to the ground. Fans like to see fighters go toe-to-toe, and nobody is more willing to trade shots than the 31-year-old Brazilian. Only four of his 32 victories have occurred by submission, and none since early 2000 when he beat Bob Schrijber with a rear-naked choke.
Silva earned a legion of fans with his 18-fight unbeaten streak in Japan, making him the Pride middleweight champion (205 pounds) and the 2003 Pride middleweight Grand Prix champ. 'The Axe Murderer' also has two knockout victories over current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson.
So even in a stacked UFC light heavyweight division, where does Silva rank in the UFC standings for a shot at the title? First, 'Rampage' must defend his title against Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 in early July. Silva is just 1-1 inside the octagon since returning from Pride, but Jackson got a shot at Liddell and the title in just his second UFC appearance.
"I'll fight whoever they want me to fight," said Silva in a postfight press conference. "All I do is go out and fight, that's all I worry about."
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