Wanderlei vs. Chuck

It's on - for real this time - for UFC 79 on December 29.

Have You Seen This DirecTV Ad?

I'll say it again: until it's confirmed by the UFC, it's all just speculation to me.

Chuck and Wanderlei Agree on December 29 Fight

The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer is reporting that Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva have verbally agreed to fight at UFC 79 on December 29 in Las Vegas. Until I hear the UFC confirm that this fight is a go, I'm not going to get too excited.

Pit Boss Hackleman Says Chuck vs. Wanderlei Will Happen in December

John Hackleman, The Pit taskmaster and Chuck Liddell’s trainer, suggested in a recent interview that the UFC is going ahead with a December 29th fight between Chuck and Wanderlei Silva. I’ve been burned before with such promises, so I'm not buying it just yet.

Click here for the full interview. Hackleman mentions the fight at the very end.

Ask Wanderlei

Yahoo! Sports is inviting fans to send in questions for Wanderlei Silva, who will answer some of them on October 16. Click here for official information.

Straight Talk

"I don’t like him. I’m a professional, but for me, fighting with him is not business, it’s pleasure."

- Wanderlei Silva talks about UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson

Wanderlei Signs with UFC!

"I want to issue a warning to the other fighters out there: you need to train hard because 'The Axe Murderer' is here."

The long-time former Pride 205-lb. champ is scheduled to make his Octagon debut in December. For more on this story from UFC.com, click here.

Morning Droppings

- Brandon Vera has told FightHype.com that he is close to returning to the UFC heavyweight division. Vera also asked FightHype.com to poll its visitors as to who his next opponent should be.

- Check out this Sherdog.com exclusive interview with Wanderlei Silva, who talks about moving permanently to West Palm Beach, training in Vegas with Randy Couture, and his desire to fight Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, and Rampage Jackson. I love this guy.

- Miletich Fighting Systems’ Drew McFedries joins MFS teammates Spencer Fisher and Tim Sylvia as the latest victim of a nasty staph infection, MMAOnTap.com reports. As a result, McFrederies will be sidelined for six to eight months (he'll need surgery) and has had to pull out of his UFC 77 fight against Marvin Eastman.

- Middleweights Jason MacDonald and Yushin Okami, according to UFCJunkie.com, have verbally agreed to fight at UFC 77 in Cincinnati.

- Yesterday, Tito Ortiz’s press agent issued an official release announcing that the UFC icon will be releasing an autobiography that is tentatively set to be released next May. Bad Boy Makes Good will be published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment, a division of publishing giant Simon & Schuster.

- Caol Uno will rematch "Black Mamba" Kultar Gill (Pictures), and defending tournament champion "JZ" Gesias Calvancanti will fight "Shaolin" Vitor Ribeiro in the 2007 HERO’s 2007 154-lb. tournament.

Bustamante's WildFire Advance

The MO Team League, Brazil’s team MMA league, made its debut on Saturday with Murilo Bustamante's WildFire defeating Wanderlei Silva’s Hurricanes. Team WildFire will now face either Pedro Rizzo's Tsunami or Antonio Rogiero Nogueira's Avalanche in the finals in November.

The official results are as follows:

155 lbs. - Luciano Azevedo (WildFire) sub. Ocimar Costa - Rd. 3

170 lbs. - Flavio Alvaro (Hurricanes) def. Gerson Silva - unanimous decision

185 lbs. - Rafael Natal def. Silmar Rodrigo - unanimous decision

205 lbs. - Alexandre Ferreira sub. Rafael Monteiro

Heavyweight - Joaquim Mamute sub. Andre Mussi - Rd. 2

In preliminary action, Marcos Babuino earned the decision win against Rodrigo Ruiz in a lightweight battle, and Allan Froes earned the judges' favor against Paulo Arruda.

Sherdog reports that Hurricanes coach and MMA icon Wanderlei Silva received a special farewell tribute during intermission. Yesterday, Wanderlei made a permanent move from Brazil to the U.S., so MTL officials and fans made it a point on Saturday to show their appreciation for all that "The Axe Murderer" has done for the sport of mixed martial arts. That's what I like to hear.

Wanderlei Performs at Hip Hop Festival

I was cruising around Wanderlei Silva's site, looking for a birthday gift for my brother, when I came across a picture of what looked like "The Axe Murderer" dancing up on stage. What the...

Well, I clicked the picture and stumbled onto the following short article that has been translated for us by Kodiak MMA reader, Respek:

A true fan participates. Wanderlei Silva got on the stage at the Opera de Arame theatre and exhibited a performance in hip-hop rhythm, bringing the auditorium to its feet. The champion was the personality honored at the event, he received the trophy and rose to the podium at the request of the event’s organizers, as he is a fan and stimulates the hip-hop movement.

The "1 Ultimate Dance Crew" is a competition held for the first time at the international festival and was considered a great success by the number of participating teams. It’s a type of "Everything’s Fair in Dance" competition, and for that Wanderlei was honored. Wanderlei took advantage of his time off from training and enjoyed the festival, before his upcoming trip to the United States in the following days. The 6th International Hip Hop Festival took place last weekend.

So there you have it, folks.

Wanderlei Talks UFC, Fedor, & Farts

The mid-July 2007 issue of Full Contact Fighter features an excellent interview with Wanderlei Silva, so I've gone ahead and put together some highlights of it for the viewing public. For your reference, the interview was conducted before the Silva/Chuck Liddell UFC 76 fight disintegrated.

On Dan Henderson vs. Rampage Jackson:

"Jackson is stronger, has a good build for that weight class, is bigger, and has very good wrestling. I think they are going to exchange some punches, but it's very difficult to knock Henderson down; he's very resistant to strikes. I think Jackson is going to win by decision using ground-and-pound because he is physically stronger."

On UFC taking over Pride:

"It is like people say: A fart in the United States stinks the entire world. So I think that MMA's rise in popularity in America is the beginning of a rise in popularity throughout the rest of the world."

On rule changes and fighting in the cage:

"I was talking with Master Rudimar Fedrigo - now our stomps are going to be our elbows. This is something I love to use and without a doubt, I expect to put it in practice in my next fight."

On Mauricio "Shogun" Rua:

"I think also that when Shogun gets in the (UFC light heavyweight) category, the party is over. I can't see anyone beating him."

On Meeting Randy Couture:

"Couture is a gentleman - a very nice and respectful person. He told me that he is preparing for the fight against Gabriel Gonzaga and invited me to train there in my preparation to fight Chuck Liddell. I was glad."

On Gabriel Gonzaga:

"I think that he has all the attributes to defeat Couture, in the skill and physical part."

On Fedor Emelianenko:

"I think that when Fedor Emelianenko goes to the UFC, the party is over. I don't know how he is now, but if he fights as he fought before, he is going to pull of the head of his opponents and just leave the bodies in the octagon."

Around the UFC

- The Dayton Daily News is reporting that all hope is not yet lost for a Chuck Liddell- Wanderlei Silva fight. The Iceman and The Axe Murderer are rumored to possibly fight on the same December 29 Las Vegas card that will feature the Matt Serra-Matt Hughes welterweight championship fight. If true, this would be huge.

- Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans II at UFC 77 in Cincinnati might not happen after all, the Dayton Daily News also reports. A member of Evans' camp explained, "At this point, a (Cincinnati) fight isn't a lock. With Tito, nothing is ever guaranteed." I couldn't care less if this fight never happens. But that's just me.

- UFC 75 will air on Spike TV (free!) on September 8 on tape delay beginning at 9 PM (New York time). The event will be held at The 02 Arena in London and will be headlined by the Dan Henderson-Rampage Jackson light heavyweight unification title fight.

Wanderlei Ducks No Man

A video posted by Wanderlei Silva on his official site disputes claims that he backed out a September fight with Chuck Liddell, the terms of which had previousle been agreed upon. The following responses have been translated from the video:

- "I never said that I wouldn't fight Chuck. I've wanted this fight for a long time."

- "I received a contract with two options, I could fight in September or November. I have chosen to make this fight in November. I was the first to want this fight, but they kept avoiding this fight. Now there's a lot of people saying that I have ducked Chuck. This is not true."

- "I am in a moment of transition in my life. I'm going to move to the U.S. in a few weeks. I'm going to live in the U.S. and there's a lot of things happening, and I'm not focused on training the way I want to be. I always fought at the time the promoters wanted. Sometimes I did things I should not have done, but this time I won't do that anymore."

- "This fight is on, if he Chuck doesn't hide behind this mess."

Dana: Chuck vs. Wanderlei “Not Happening”

I figured as much.

UFC president Dana White recently told Yahoo! Sports that Wanderlei Silva has backed out of the fight, which was scheduled for September 22’s UFC 76.

Yahoo! Sports reports that Silva no longer wanted to fight Liddell, White had been informed.

“This is the worst news I could have possibly gotten. It’s horrendous. I have been trying to make this fight for six years. I have done everything in my power I could do over the last six years to make this fight and it’s still not happening. I just don’t see it happening now,” White lamented.

While I have a hard time believing that Wanderlei would “duck” any man, especially his cold-war nemesis Chuck Liddell, I can understand why he’d be wary to make his UFC debut against the dangerous Iceman. Wanderlei is coming off of consecutive KO losses, so facing a true knockout artist in Liddell might not be the best course of action.

At this point, Dana White is uncertain whether he wants to keep Liddell on the the UFC 76 card and is unsure what the card’s main event will be – Shogun Rua vs. Lyoto Machida? Jon Fitch vs. Diego Sanchez? Evan Tanner vs. the dreaded TBA? None of the above?

Stay tuned.

Wanderlei Silva Site Confirms Liddell Match

A statement was posted in Portuguese on Wanderlei Silva's web site indicating that a September 22 fight with Chuck Liddell is on. Also on Wanderlei's site was the picture seen at right.

I noticed that neither the picture nor the statement appears on the English-language Wanderlei Silva page.

This is the third time that a Liddell/Silva fight has been "confirmed," so I'll wait for official confirmation from Dana White and the UFC.

Chuck vs. Wanderlei at UFC 76?

A source close to the famed Chute Boxe camp told UFCJunkie that former UFC 205-lb. champion Chuck Liddell and former Pride 205-lb. champion Wanderlei Silva have verbally agreed to a UFC 76 (September 22) fight.

The Chute Boxe source says that the fight will be official once Wanderlei returns to U.S. soil and signs the contract, the "numbers" of which have been reportedly agreed upon. Silva is currently in Brazil, where last week, he and other MTL (a Brazilian team MMA league) coaches selected fighters for the league's inaugural season.

I don't want to get too excited over the Liddell-Silva match-up until I know it's definitely a go, but it's hard not to. Despite consecutive KO losses in Pride to Mirko Filipovic and Dan Henderson, I still regard Wanderlei Silva as one of the finest, most indefatigably ferocious fighters anywhere. I love his glare, his focus, and his furious Chute Box Style. As for Chuck, he can still put you on your ass with one sloppy looking punch.

The Iceman and The Axe Murderer might not be as supremely untouchable as we may have thought a year ago, but if you can think of a more intriguing fight at 205 that involves neither Chuck Liddell nor Wanderlei Silva, I'd love to hear it.

Wanderlei, Rizzo, Busta, Little Nog Lead Team MMA in Brazil

The MMA team concept seems to have found its way over to Brazil, and by the looks of things, it seems to be off to a great start.

The MTL (MO Team League) has found coaches in Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Bustamante, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Pedro Rizzo. Last week at a restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, the coaches picked their fighters and were reportedly satisfied with even their last picks.

MTL teams consist of Wanderlei Silva’s Hurricane, Bustamante’s Wild Fire, Rizzo’s Tsunami, and Nogueira’s Avalanche. Brazilian team MMA action is set to kick off on August 11, 2007, as the Avalanche battle the Tsunami. I dig the natural disaster theme.

I also dig the team MMA concept, as manifested here in the States via the IFL. Ultimately, it's one guy against another guy, but the team stuff doesn't seem to get in the way at all. What got me into the IFL initially were not only the regularly televised fights (for free), but the quality of the coaches - Bas Rutten, Don Frye, the Shamrock's, Renzo Gracie, etc. In this connection, Brazil's MTL seems to have the right idea with their coaches. Plus, MMA is huge in Brazil, so I look for big things from this new team format.

For more details about team MMA in Brazil, including the full team rosters, check out MMAWeekly’s coverage.

Happy Birthday, Wanderlei Silva

Please come back soon. Talk of Tito Ortiz deserving a fight against Rampage is a bit discouraging.

Straight Talk

"I think it’s a great fight for the fans and I think it would be a great fight. I think it would have been a little better both of us being champions and now with both of us coming back from losses, but that’s what champions do so it’s both of us trying to make our way back."

- Chuck Liddell on fighting Wanderlei Silva.

Straight Talk

Here I am...