Former Pride FC 205-pound champion and current UFC fighter, Wanderlei Silva, is considering a move to middleweight (185 pounds) after taking some vacation time since his unanimous decision loss to Chuck Liddell at UFC 79: “Nemesis” on December 29, 2007, according to GracieMag.com.
In addition, the consideration means that the rumored light heavyweight fight between him and Keith Jardine at UFC 84 in May continues to be just that until a decision is made on his future fighting weight.
Here’s the snip from an “Axe Murderer” trainer, Rafael Alejarra:
“Wanderlei made the most of his holidays to rest his body and mind. But we’ve already done a bit of training this weekend and starting tomorrow things will pick up. As we only just got back now and today is a holiday here (Las Vegas) we can’t confirm anything about the next fight, if just because there is the chance Wand will drop down in weight. Every fight and adversary is different, which is why we have to wait to define our training plan. If he should drop to middleweight, we will work on his losing weight and preserving his muscle mass, losing only water and fat and not strength and size, since he normally weight 98 kilos. But nothing’s for sure yet, we’ll wait and see.”
It’s no secret that Silva looked leaner in his bout with the “Iceman” this past New Year’s Eve weekend than he had competing for years overseas. Some attribute that to performance enhancing drugs, (tests for steroids went relatively untested in Japan), which is sheer speculation.
Others point to his rigorous snorkel-packed conditioning program leading up to the Liddell bout. In fact, those close to Silva in the wake of the loss admitted that he spent too much time on his cardio and not enough on his bread and butter, striking.
Whatever the case, it’s not really important right now. One thing is for certain: Silva is capable of making the 185-pound cut if he is up for the challenge — he walks around at 215 pounds.
Rich Franklin has a similar muscular build — he might even be bigger — and made the drop successfully. In fact, “Ace” captured the middleweight strap quickly and defended it numerous times.
Silva might not have the same instant success. However, it’s no secret that the middleweight division is starving for contenders. And if Silva were to throw his name in the hat he’d be an instant threat to UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva, and the rest of the field.
Here’s to hoping he takes his time and makes the right decision … whatever that may be.
59 Comments »
Wanderlei Silva looked extremely small at 205 when he fought Liddell. I think if Wanderlei can make the drop and fight fine, then he should do it.
Wanderlei vs. Hendo III sounds extremely well right now.
Wandy vs franklin?=FUN
Yes considering the fact that he looked kinda small opposed to the iceman, he should go down that path, but the middleweight needs more action. Even with him in it.
But I would really much want to see Rampage vs Wand III and of course id like Wand to pick Jardine apart just to rid us of the lhw confusion.
I predict that after Wandy loses his next fight (maybe the next two, wouldn’t surprise me), he will go to fight in Dreams. I have a feeling he is going to be the next former Pride fighter that does not fair so well against UFC fighters.
sweet, him and hendo go at it again
hopefully he does drop hed be a hell of strong fighter at 185
Why on earth would Keith Jardine, who beat Chuck Liddell, fight Wandy, who lost to Chuck??
[quote comment=”318637″]Why on earth would Keith Jardine, who beat Chuck Liddell, fight Wandy, who lost to Chuck??[/quote]
Why would Forrest Griffin who beat Elvis Sinonsic fight Rampage Jackson who lost to Wanderlei Silva who lost Chuck Liddell who lost to Jerememy Horn who lost to Elvis Sinosic?
It doesnt matter what weight class Wandy fights in. Hes not getting any belt any time soon unless he leaves the UFC.
However a Hendo vs Wandy 3 does sound nice.
the guys is just a plain exciting fighter theres no doubt about it i really will not complain to see him fight anybody at any weight class
you gotta like a guy with a tat like that on the back of his head and he showed huge kahones and an iron chin in the chuck fight
did anybody see this its called the Iron Ring
its like BETs version of TUF i guess….not really sure they have like rappers acting like the owners of mma teams..kinda ifl style
http://www.zilo.com/ironringfighting/
[quote comment=”318645″][quote comment=”318637″]Why on earth would Keith Jardine, who beat Chuck Liddell, fight Wandy, who lost to Chuck??[/quote]
Why would Forrest Griffin who beat Elvis Sinonsic fight Rampage Jackson who lost to Wanderlei Silva who lost Chuck Liddell who lost to Jerememy Horn who lost to Elvis Sinosic?[/quote]
haha
I’m not a fan of his but Anderson Silva would destroy the Ax Murderer.
[quote comment=”318637″]Why on earth would Keith Jardine, who beat Chuck Liddell, fight Wandy, who lost to Chuck??[/quote]
Wanderiel is a much more accomplished fighter than Jardine. You can’t compare people like that.
If Jardine wins and Liddell wins what’s next? Do we see Jardine Liddell II or is it if Rampage wins we see Liddell Jackson III and if Griffin wins we see Jardine Griffin III
Jardine cannot beat wandy. Jardine doesnt have the power to start Wanderlei from mauling him like a bear vs a dog, Jardine stands no chance. Leg kicks are completely ineffective against someone like Wanderlei who will immediately charge foward and knock Jardine out, Wanderlei =brawler Liddell=Counterstriker big difference.
ment to say stop not start btw*
[quote comment=”318754″]Jardine cannot beat wandy. Jardine doesnt have the power to start Wanderlei from mauling him like a bear vs a dog, Jardine stands no chance. Leg kicks are completely ineffective against someone like Wanderlei who will immediately charge foward and knock Jardine out, Wanderlei =brawler Liddell=Counterstriker big difference.[/quote]
I agree. Styles make fights.
[quote comment=”318645″][quote comment=”318637″]Why on earth would Keith Jardine, who beat Chuck Liddell, fight Wandy, who lost to Chuck??[/quote]
Why would Forrest Griffin who beat Elvis Sinonsic fight Rampage Jackson who lost to Wanderlei Silva who lost Chuck Liddell who lost to Jerememy Horn who lost to Elvis Sinosic?[/quote]
Beautiful, that was artistic, thx for making him look like a r*tard.
I completely agree with a decision to drop down to 185 pounds. I base this primarily on one thing, his reach.
Time and time again in the fight against Chuck he only missed the knockout blow by an inch or two. It was amazing how many times this occured.
I also this his vicious style will be a great match up for most of the 185 pounders - I can not wait to see the outcome.
In saying this, do you think he wil fight Anderson if he is still at the top of the pile?
Here’s a fun fight to watch… Vandi vs. Leben @ 185… two thick heads with heavy hands… and this new and improved Leben could make it interesting.
its strange how s,mall he was for the chuck fight
he was absolutely massive in the crocop fight open weight GP iirc
in terms of his frame and functional muscle 185 may be a good home for him
but in all honesty it would be smarter to avoid hendo and spider at 185 even if it would require a 3 or 4 fight win streak to get a shot at 205
there are certain guys in mma who it would be a good move to dodge at all costs BJ GSP hendo silva and NOG all look incredibly tough to beat… i guess they are champions for a reason
205 division is stacked but there are a whole heap of mediocre TUF fighters (jardine and forrest not included) from both LHW and HW seasons who cut
id expect wanderlei to be able to notch up an impressive win streak over guys who are considered top 10 at 205
dropping to 185 would mean being thrown to the lions
hiis first fight would likely be hendo or AS and it wouldnt be good to put a fighter whos such a big draw on a 4 fight losing streak
His trainers are crazy you cant drop to 185 without losing muscel mass its not possible there probably the same dumb ass trainer who decided he should work out with a F***king snorkel. that was retarded it was obvious he was over trained for that fight he should have been in the wieght room and working his grappling and g & P.
now that I think about that was probably the same dumb ass trainer who told wandy to fight chuck at his own game trading blows from the outside that was also totally retarded. you dont have to be an expert to know that if wandy would have fought chuck with a halfway decent game plan he could have won like press chuck on the feet forcing him in the clinch and putting him on his back in the later rounds chuck was more exhuasted than wandy, wandy was just more hurt than anything
Wandy go back to chute box or at least get rid of the people who are currently surrounding you they are hurting you more than helping you
and by the way its no coincidence that as soon as wandy and shogun left chute box there winning ways went down the toilet look at the impact they had on werdum That is one of the best camps for a reason and they dont train with snorkels
i don’t think he should have ever been a 205lbs. i was saying this b4 he came back 2 the ufc. he looked small back when he used 2 fight in the ufc. silva vs silva. i bet u silva wins. lol
[quote comment=”318838″]Here’s a fun fight to watch… Vandi vs. Leben @ 185… two thick heads with heavy hands… and this new and improved Leben could make it interesting.[/quote]
Or Cote, he took that shot from Mcfedries and it didn’t even faze him. I don’t think I ever seen him get rocked and we know he has KO power.
[quote comment=”318645″][quote comment=”318637″]Why on earth would Keith Jardine, who beat Chuck Liddell, fight Wandy, who lost to Chuck??[/quote]
Why would Forrest Griffin who beat Elvis Sinonsic fight Rampage Jackson who lost to Wanderlei Silva who lost Chuck Liddell who lost to Jerememy Horn who lost to Elvis Sinosic?[/quote]
LOL… perfect answer!
Wandi and a buncha guys at 205 should consider droping down to 185lbs…
It would be a very tough cut for Wandi, he’s really muscle packed… he’s short though, so it may not be as rough as it sounds
[quote comment=”318645″][quote comment=”318637″]Why on earth would Keith Jardine, who beat Chuck Liddell, fight Wandy, who lost to Chuck??[/quote]
Why would Forrest Griffin who beat Elvis Sinonsic fight Rampage Jackson who lost to Wanderlei Silva who lost Chuck Liddell who lost to Jerememy Horn who lost to Elvis Sinosic?[/quote]
u’r da man
it would be funny as hell to see silva’s 1st match at MW against Bisping - i wonder if Bisping would drop another weight to WW after he got a beating
It’s hilarious seeing Wanderlei’s camp use a size excuse for losing to Chuck and consider dropping weightclasses entirely, considering 90% of Wanderlei’s wins have been gainst guys he had considerable size advantages against.
These moves should finally breath some new life intot this weight class. Finally some more oppnotunity for the Spyder to prove how great he is….
i thought last year in an interview Wandy told the press because they kept asking him about droping to MW, he said : it would be imposible for him to drop so much weight, im pretty ddamn sure thats what he said.
Ufc needs to sign lawler. Wand vs Lawler = Ultimate shootout
BISBING Vs WANDI!!!!
I think this brings the MW division 1 or 2 good signings away from being competetive with some potentially decent fights…
[quote comment=”318620″]Wanderlei Silva looked extremely small at 205 when he fought Liddell. I think if Wanderlei can make the drop and fight fine, then he should do it.
Wanderlei vs. Hendo III sounds extremely well right now.[/quote]
WOW! Could u imagine Hendo vs. Wanderlei III at middleweight in the octagon. That fight would be HUGE. The MW division needs him badly. If I were Dana, I would pay him extra to drop down a weight class. It is whats best for him and the UFC right now.
Who would be his first opponent is the big question? I know this would never happen because Bisping gets babied by the UFC…But Bisping vs. Wanderlei would be awesome tune up fight for wanderlei. He would give Bisping the beating of his life…It would be so great. Even better, if they fought in England. Wandy would destroy him in front of thousands of his countrymen. Back to reality that would never happen. Lets hope he does drop down to middleweigh!
[quote comment=”318906″][quote comment=”318838″]Here’s a fun fight to watch… Vandi vs. Leben @ 185… two thick heads with heavy hands… and this new and improved Leben could make it interesting.[/quote]
Or Cote, he took that shot from Mcfedries and it didn’t even faze him. I don’t think I ever seen him get rocked and we know he has KO power.[/quote]
Cote, mcfedries, Leben even Sakara would be great warm up BRAWLS for wanderlei at 185 lbs. He would go on a WARPATH at 185…it would be awesome.
I like Wandy and have followed him from the beginning so don’t take the following as a “bash”. It’s just my opinion…
I think it looks bad on him. He comes back to the UFC, loses to Chuck, and immediately drops to 185?
It looks like he’s running away from the LHW. And does he really think he can just mow through the MW division?
IMO several current UFC MW’s would have an excellent shot beating Wandy and using him to advance their career at his expense…
I think he is probably better off at 205. Fight and beat Jardine (love him or hate him, he deserves some respect) and get back on track.
Either way I will remain a Wandy fan!
While 185 is probably the best division for Wanderlei, would he even potentially take a fight with Anderson Silva? I can remember hearing they were training partners.
Could u imagine if Wanderlei vs. Bisping took place under Pride rules? Bisping would be getting blasted with soccer kicks to the face all night and eventually wanderlei would start stomping on his head….it would be poetry in motion! lol
either way i see it silva would fight either anderson or hendo for the belt, who ever wins he will drop down in weight for a title shot, i think he might still fight in may but it would be a tune up fight for a title shot down the line, watch they will annouce it on the pay per view he will come in the cage after the fight and say he wants the next shot at the belt
wandi at 185 makes perfect sense. he probably dosent even dehydrate or diet much to make 205. add his name to the mix w/ silva,hendo,franklin,and bisping? as well as the possibility that gsp and b.j. could challenge at this weight as well and the mdws are stacked.
He should make the drop. He is one of my favorite fighters and this would make the MW division that much more interesting. I would like to see him beat the hell out of Bisping for his first fight. I don’t think this Jardine fight is a good fight for him. Besides, why should Jardine get liddell’s left overs. I would like to see a rematch with Houston Alexander and Jardine. That would make sense.
[quote comment=”319421″]Could u imagine if Wanderlei vs. Bisping took place under Pride rules? Bisping would be getting blasted with soccer kicks to the face all night and eventually wanderlei would start stomping on his head….it would be poetry in motion! lol[/quote]
sounds good - but no chance! just cuz bisping fights ufc rules doesnt mean he doesnt know how to soccer kick - in England we have ‘Football’ remember, which every kid in the country has to learn - that includes bisping
[quote post=”5008″]sounds good - but no chance! just cuz bisping fights ufc rules doesnt mean he doesnt know how to soccer kick - in England we have “Football’ remember, which every kid in the country has to learn - that includes bisping [/quote]
[quote post=”5008″]Could u imagine if Wanderlei vs. Bisping took place under Pride rules? Bisping would be getting blasted with soccer kicks to the face all night and eventually wanderlei would start stomping on his head….it would be poetry in motion! lol[/quote]
But you forget that Wandy is also Brazilian and we all know brazilians are the best footballers so yeah he would get a heavy beating in all ways by Wanderlei. Would be great to see Bisping get KOed and finally leave UFC.
[quote comment=”318838″]Here’s a fun fight to watch… Vandi vs. Leben @ 185… two thick heads with heavy hands… and this new and improved Leben could make it interesting.[/quote]
Leben wouldn’t stand a chance against Wandy. Leben got lucky against Martin (who’s a low class fighter anyway). It would be a brutal, 1st round KO for Wandy.
I would much rather see Wandi where he deserves to be, in teh best of competition, fighting with the best and hanging with the best he can, which is in the 205, Wandi has showed he can dominate, he was 205 champ for cryin out loud.
Don’t do it Wandi, there are much better match ups at 205, that’s where the real action is at right now, and that’s where Wandi needs to be.
Wandi vs Rich would be great… Wandi better drop down now and start his path to get the belt cause once chuck ko’s shogun, rua will be dropping down as well. Shogun looked smaller than bisbing when he faught with forest
He would definitely be in title contention at 185! We could go from having 1 superstart MW to 3 in just a couple months.
Wandy is my favourite fighter…pure heart and talent.Can’t wait for him to destroy ”Rampage” again and then move down to destroy Anderson.He’ll hold a belt,or maybe two of them soon.
Silva vs Silva??? WOW, that’s a great battle. Two former teammates at Chute Box go to WAR for the MW strap…
PRICELESS!!!
just incase hendo will lose to anderson, the ufc might give wanderlei to hendo.. just what i think
[quote comment=”320545″]just incase hendo will lose to anderson, the ufc might give wanderlei to hendo.. just what i think[/quote]
That might happen win or lose. Everyone would love to see them settle the score, I know I would.
[quote comment=”318730″][quote comment=”318637″]Why on earth would Keith Jardine, who beat Chuck Liddell, fight Wandy, who lost to Chuck??[/quote]
Wanderiel is a much more accomplished fighter than Jardine. You can’t compare people like that.[/quote]
Wanderlei may well be more accomplished, but that was a huge huge win for Jardine. When have you seen somebody who has won a fight as big as that, fight an opponent who had just lost his last fight. As I have said before, the UFC have put Jardine in this fight because they are hoping Silva can take him out of title contention. They do not want Jardine anywhere near that belt. I am really hoping Jardine wins it. If he does they will probably put him in with Houston again. Jardine will never be good eonough for the UFC, it doesn’t matter who he beats or knocks out. I have never had a problem with him, he always brings it when he steps into the Octogan.
[quote comment=”319830″]I would much rather see Wandi where he deserves to be, in teh best of competition, fighting with the best and hanging with the best he can, which is in the 205, Wandi has showed he can dominate, he was 205 champ for cryin out loud.
Don’t do it Wandi, there are much better match ups at 205, that’s where the real action is at right now, and that’s where Wandi needs to be.[/quote]
I completly agree even though Wandi could dominate at 185 there is more than 1 reason he should stay at 205.
1st he would look like he is dodging Rampage who still wants a rematch with him, not to mention Chuck,Tito and even Belfort(if he returns to the UFC) all have a chance of rematching him so he would look like he ran away from the 205 division.
2nd Even though Wand looked a bit smaller at 205 in his last fight, he still does walk around at 215-218lbs i think instead of trying to cut weight to go down to 200 pounds and lose some extra wight, he should gain some muscle wieght back and look like he did in Japan muscular and big around 220lbs.
3nd I don`t think he would fight The Spider for the 185 title because they are former trainning partners and ex. teammates and are still good friends after all these years just watch the post fight ufc 79 interview in his locker room when A. Silva congratulates him after the fight.
4th I agree there are so many great match ups for him at LHW than there are at MW, thats were the action is because 205 is one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC and Wandy likes to be were the big fights are at, there s just more competition for him at LHW ex. Jardine, Rampage, Liddell, Machida, Tito, Alexander, Gouveira, Sokodju,T. Silva, Rashad, Hamill, Forest etc., all are good fights he could take.
[quote comment=”318645″][quote comment=”318637″]Why on earth would Keith Jardine, who beat Chuck Liddell, fight Wandy, who lost to Chuck??[/quote]
Why would Forrest Griffin who beat Elvis Sinonsic fight Rampage Jackson who lost to Wanderlei Silva who lost Chuck Liddell who lost to Jerememy Horn who lost to Elvis Sinosic?[/quote]
That’s funny as shit!