There is no disputing that Wanderlei Silva is a legend of mixed martial arts.
As one of Pride’s poster boys, the middleweight champion captivated fans for years with his violent fighting style, vicious knockouts and macho persona.
The excitement began even before the fight – the signature trance walkout music, his pre-fight wrist-rolling and the intense stare-down reminiscent of a rabid dog waiting to pounce.
The ferocious knees and soccer kicks that followed the bell left many an opponent in a crumpled heap. Who could forget his multiple KO’s of Rampage Jackson and Kazushi Sakuraba?
Though he was past his prime by the time he entered the UFC, he still proved to be an exciting fan-favourite with five Fight of the Night and two Knockout of the Night bonuses to his name.
Now, he’s officially retired and has been handed down a lifetime ban by the Nevada State Athletic Commission – plus a US$70,000 fine – for skipping out on a drug test.
Where did it all go wrong?
If you ask me, the first signs came last year when the Chael Sonnen rivalry began to gather some steam. First there was the cringe-worthy video on YouTube where he called out Sonnen.
Then the conveniently-filmed ‘confrontation’ at a public expo in Las Vegas.
And need I mention the entire TUF season in Brazil with Sonnen and the infamous brawl?
Silva is considered a badass in a profession full of tough guys. He has always been of the chest-thumping, my-thingamajig-is-bigger-than-yours ilk. When Rampage called him out for a title shot in Pride, the quick leap into the ring, shove and chest-thumping was genuine Brazilian machismo.
Yet the whole Sonnen drama reeked of a bad WWE script – forced and over the top. You know you’re doing something wrong when Sonnen is the calm and collected one.
The final straw came when he fled from the commission drug testers that showed up at his gym earlier this year. In his retirement video, he cited discontent and disrespect from the UFC as his reasons for hanging up the gloves.
The next day the commission dropped the hammer. Coincidence? You be the judge.
It remains to be seen how his appeal with the commission will go. Dana White himself has been uncharacteristically sombre in his responses to the whole ordeal.
It’s hard to say what drove Silva to act in the immature manner he did during the Sonnen fiasco. While Sonnen’s verbal jabs often do get under people’s skin, it’s nothing that Silva hadn’t solved before with his fists.
One could argue promotion but his fists solved that issue in the past as well – and he was never much of a hype-man in the first place.
His legacy won’t be affected too much by my estimation, provided that things don’t get worse from here. History tends to favour the highlight reel plays over the relatively small controversies.
So where to from here for the ‘Axe Murderer’? Despite being 38-years-old and his body more battered than most, it’s likely that Silva will fight again.
Knee-jerk retirements rarely last in this world. If he smoothes things over with the NSAC and the UFC then he can come back for one or two more fights. If not, it’s doubtful any other U.S. state commission would licence him.
That option isn’t looking likely as he has already declared war against the NSAC, stating on Twitter (translated) “Those who are trying to take me down, come get it. War is just beginning, sons of bitches. They will see that we’re the ones who run this shit, bunch of playboys.”
Otherwise, the Bellator’s and One FC’s of the world would be more than happy to sign a living legend.
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