dana white wanderlei
Props: Yahoo!Sports.com

Quoteworthy:

“You see the passion he has for this sport. He told me once that he’d rather lose a fight and have the fans going crazy instead of winning a fight where the people are booing. That’s the kind of guy I want in my company fighting on my shows…. He just wants to be able to blow your mind every time he fights. That’s how he is. I just wish I had 250 other guys like him. If I did, this sport would be so far in front of everything else, it would never get caught.”

UFC President Dana White talks about Wanderlei Silva, indicating that it doesn’t matter if he loses more fights because “The Axe Murderer” always puts on a show. He has dropped three straight, however, and has a tough test against Keith Jardine at UFC 84: “Ill Will” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24. The interview addresses the possible move to middleweight after the bout — Silva walks around at 210 pounds (just five pounds more than the light heavyweight division limit). But as he puts it, he does own two wins over the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Rampage Jackson. This fight with Jardine will more than likely determine a lot for his fighting future inside the Octagon in regard to weight class.

Bookmark and Share
May 9th, 2008    

RSS feed | Trackback URI

64 Comments »

Comment by smelltheodore
2008-05-09 12:14:36

Wandys going to smash Jardine in the 1st via staredown

Comment by Landowner
2008-05-09 12:23:53

Lol, He does look mean as hell there. I really want to see him face Rampage. Too bad he has to “earn” it. Beating him twice should be enough.

Comment by John
2008-05-09 12:31:56

This is the most intelligent statement that Dana white has ever made!

If I had 250 guys like wanderlei I would have a small Militia! lol

I really hope wanderlei KO’s Jardine. I really want Wanderlei to find success in the UFC as long as he is not fighting Rampage!

(Comments wont nest below this level)
Comment by Landowner
2008-05-09 12:38:50

It’s and odd thing. Iceman beats Wandi twice, Rampage beats Iceman twice, Wandi beats Rampage twice. It does not make sense.

 
Comment by Anon
2008-05-09 12:50:53

I must have missed Liddell’s 2nd win

 
Comment by psyqo78®™
2008-05-09 12:52:49

Iceman beat wandy once.

 
Comment by smelltheodore
2008-05-09 12:52:58

chuck beat wandy once.

 
Comment by Jase
2008-05-09 13:05:11

Iceman only fought Wanderlei once. Aside from that, I think its MMA math(Fighter A beat Fighter B who beat Fighter C, so Fighter A should beat Fighter C) that doesn’t make sense. It’s all about how individual strengths match up against each other, IMO.

 
Comment by Pat
2008-05-09 14:26:05

It would be even crazier if Chuck faced and beat Shogun.

 
Comment by jerkoff
2008-05-09 15:53:45

I bet Wandy will beat Chuck under PRIDE rules (PRIDE is dead actually) becuase he throws some nasty stomps, shins, knees, kicks to head on grounded opponent. I miss those moves but it’s possible they can fight at DREAM which have similar rules as PRIDE’s. But unfortunately asshole Dana and Ferietta bros won’t cross promote and it propably won’t happen.

 
Comment by b.w.
2008-05-09 20:18:34

john did you read the whole story as well. wandi also asked dana when gsp is gonna fight a.silva as well, saying he would buy a front row seat if it happens. he says he is a fan first and watches everything ufc and mma. and then you hear about guys like koscheck who says he doesent even pay attention to the rest of the ufc.( i say hes lying). basically wandi is becoming even more impressive, if thats possible. every fighter should be a fan imo.

 
Comment by Jase
2008-05-10 00:01:06

“Comment by jerkoff
2008-05-09 15:53:45

I bet Wandy will beat Chuck under PRIDE rules (PRIDE is dead actually) becuase he throws some nasty stomps, shins, knees, kicks to head on grounded opponent. I miss those moves but it’s possible they can fight at DREAM which have similar rules as PRIDE’s. But unfortunately asshole Dana and Ferietta bros won’t cross promote and it propably won’t happen.”

Why the hell is Dana an asshole for not cross promoting a fight between two fighters he already has employed within the same organization just so they can fight using Pride rules?

 
Comment by naturalshadow
2008-05-10 23:32:42

Haha. I was thinking the same thing. If Wandy isn’t making excuses, neither should his fans.

 
 
Comment by john
2008-05-09 13:33:02

Today’s News: Sounds like Quarry will replace Leben against Bisping.

British Star…Dan Hardy signs a four fight contract with the UFC….fiveouncesofpain reports that the UFC is going to market him and try to make him as big in the UK as Bisping is.

IFL to reveal its new ring, the Hexegon…its still a ring, but I think it has 5 side snow instead of 4

(Comments wont nest below this level)
Comment by Gaylord
2008-05-09 13:56:06

I believe hexegon is six sided, it makes alot more sense, think about it, how would the corners face each other inside a pentegon, Rampage is #1

 
Comment by ViolentMike
2008-05-09 14:04:59

Some sources earlier were saying Quarry turned it down due to minor injuries…

As for Wanderlei and Dana’s statement - its about time that Dana starts giving Wandi all the props in the world. Every card he’s on, he will win fight of the night. Dana was excited to sign him, but that was just so he can have Chuck beat him. At least Dana knows what he has.

 
Comment by Pat
2008-05-09 14:25:24

I hope Quarry can go. If not, maybe they’ll give Marvin “Stepping Stone” Eastman a call.

 
 
 
 
Comment by serial killer
2008-05-09 12:24:20

Jardine beats silva by TKO

Comment by UTD
2008-05-09 13:30:48

I agree, can’t see it going any over way, jardines at the top of his game, if he refrains from brawling he should take it.

 
 
Comment by MoonUK
2008-05-09 12:27:08

You gotta love Silva, no matter how many he loses.

Comment by JV
2008-05-09 12:33:12

Thats right! He’ll leave it all in the fight. Hope he does well cause 4 straight loses will put him in a bad spot.

 
 
Comment by RoB
2008-05-09 12:31:15

Rampage vs Silva III please!

Comment by Jase
2008-05-09 13:07:28

No, Henderson vs Silva III!

Comment by OJR
2008-05-09 13:16:43

Nope. I wanna see Chuck v. Wandy II !!!

(Comments wont nest below this level)
Comment by ViolentMike
2008-05-09 14:16:23

Rampage and Silva both want to fight each other very badly. Rampage would gladly grant Wanderlei a title shot if he can, but he can’t. The two of them truely don’t like each other, obviously stemming back from their days in PRIDE and in the locker room and…. Most know the stories. Basically Wanderlei gives Rampage his “I’m going to kill you and I am 1000 times the warrior you are”. Rampage has tried being nice but it doesn’t work. Wandi doesn’t like how Rampage acts… ANyways, I don’t see Rampage losing the belt any time soon, but if he was to get upset, I would guarantee that his first fight after losing the belt would be vs Wanderlei Silva.

Chuck wants to fight Rampage, but he absolutely doesn’t deserve to. A lot needs to happen for them to fight again, or rather, Dana will grant Chuck any wish so, we’ll see it eventually if Chuck still wants it when Rampage isn’t champ.

Chuck will make his case to get first cracks at Rampage if he loses the title. But Chuck lost to Rampage twice, and Rampage lost to Wanderlei twice. WHo do you think Rampage would want to fight? Wanderlei of course.

Also, I’d love to see Henderson / Silva III. Wandi has many options, and so does Hendo.

 
Comment by jerkoff
2008-05-09 18:37:53

Why not see all of them I’d rather see Wandy vs Rampage 1st.

 
 
 
 
Comment by JV
2008-05-09 12:37:36

If he loses to Jardine I would think it’s his cue to go to MW. Considering he walks around 210. It shouldn’t be a problem to get to MW

 
Comment by kama kaze
2008-05-09 12:38:51

its kind of hard to get professional fighters to not care about winning when there is the 3 strikes, you’re out the UFC clause. people gotta eat. ever think about that Dana?

Comment by TonyDrip
2008-05-09 12:45:48

I think Dana’s saying the 3 striked & out clause doesn’t apply to guys like Wandi. That’s why Leben’s still in the UFC and safe regardless of him sitting in jail right before a fight.

Comment by kama kaze
2008-05-09 13:16:49

Look at a guy like Halverson. 1 loss to Gurgel and he’s out! LOL. Its a hard way to make a living.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
Comment by mmeh
2008-05-09 13:30:38

don’t forget he faked injured against huerta, when he got kneed in the shoulder, two loses, and that was a bitch move (not calling him a bitch, because i have all the respect in the world for anyone who goes in the octagon to fight)

 
Comment by oddchild
2008-05-09 13:41:53

He also has a loss to Huerta.

 
Comment by kama kaze
2008-05-09 14:18:29

my bad. i don’t even remember that 1. all i’m saying is its hard enough winning plus they gotta worry about being fan favorite. ya kno

 
 
 
 
Comment by bassy
2008-05-09 12:39:54

I can picture Dana saying that. Its all about the money to him. In my opinion I would rather see an exciting fight and see somebody getting knocked out. If I was a fighter I would want to win at all costs. Thats why people form strategies.

Comment by yohnstoppable
2008-05-09 14:45:13

While I agree to an extent, you do have to realize that this is entertainment first and foremost. Guys who give it their all and are exciting will always have a fanbase.

Just look at Guida. The guy is 3-3 in the ufc, but has a ton of fans, because of his pace and heart. Leben is another fighter not at the elite level who has a huge following. Hell, just look at James Thompson. He is well known purely for going balls out in every fight.

Fans love effort, and fight promoters love fans

Comment by JV
2008-05-09 16:07:45

Nicely put.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
 
 
 
Comment by Bobby O'shea
2008-05-09 13:31:28

seems like too many people are counting jardine out. with the exception of his mistake fight against alexander, this guy has been on a tear. He arguably beat bonnar, has beaten allot of tuff guys, whitehead, gouvia, griffin and liddell. silva is coming off 3 straght losses. i wouldnt be surprised to see jardine take this one.

Anyone know the betting odd on this fite yet??

Comment by ViolentMike
2008-05-09 14:20:19

they are up on BetUs and Bodog

Comment by kama kaze
2008-05-09 14:45:50

@bodog,
wandy minus 160 <– doesn’t care if he loses
jardine plus 130 <– just beat chuck!!
they got the dream lw granprix odds up too

(Comments wont nest below this level)
 
 
 
Comment by Hamilton
2008-05-09 13:42:13

Dana must like Clay Guida too ..he gives the fans their moneys worth

 
Comment by Ricky
2008-05-09 13:42:21

Agreed i love silva one of the best fighters!! but its gonna be hard to beat jardine…. WAR SILVA none the less. .but if he does lose and he drops to middle weight.. and he fights anderson silva WOW what a dream match that would be.. and they have talked about fighting one another despite they are friends…. silva vs silva!!

 
Comment by Jason
2008-05-09 14:18:55

I think the winner of the Silva vs. Jardine. These guys next fight will be determined by this fight. If Silva wins he gets a re-match with Rampage again. The question will be will it be for the title or not: I say it will because I pick Rampage to beat Forrest. Regardless that fight may happen. If Jardine wins he will get a title shot, or they could markey a re-match with him and Griffin.

 
Comment by Ground-Game
2008-05-09 14:20:37

What Dana really meant to say…”this Company would be so far in front of everyone else, it would never get caught.”

 
Comment by Tony
2008-05-09 14:38:49

IMO Dana is doing good lately by moving all the crap fighters out of the ufc! if he wants that he needs to do what i have said for ages and bas rutten has been saying. which is to, change the rules to stop wretslers doing nothing on the ground. bas rutten wants takedowns not to count if they don’t do much!

 
Comment by Tony
2008-05-09 14:40:26

Bisping stands and fights always its just he has been put up against a lot of huggers! i think you call it wrestling….

 
Comment by Tony
2008-05-09 14:41:03

Ultimate hugger or ultimate fighter you decide dana?

 
Comment by jim allcorn
2008-05-09 14:55:46

Assuming that Rampage gets thru Griffin ( which is FAR from being a given, of course … ), then Silva should be next in line for a title shot once he’s thru with Jardine. Again, not that Jardine poses no threat to Silva, but despite their size difference, I just can’t see Silva failing to chop Jardine down late in the second, into the third round for a TKO victory.

Keith deserves his props for his clean wins over two of the UFC’s biggest & best names, but IMO the Brazilian matches up much differently & in this case, unfavorably so with him, than did either Griffin or Chuck. I see Silva using his superior hand/foot speed & inside Muay Thai skills to get inside on Jardine to bust him up & wear him down.

 
Comment by Robert
2008-05-09 15:05:59

I’m a big Wandy fan but I think he is a shot fighter…..I think Jardine has a good chance to pull the win off…. but I’ll be cheering for The Ax Murderer all the way!!

 
Comment by rhv
2008-05-09 15:39:25

This thread, like many others, goes to show that DW has a great point about Wanderlei.

All of us are saying we want to see, “Wanderlie v Jardine” or “Wanderlie v Rampage III” “Wanderlie v Chuck II”

The constant: Wanderlie, Wanderlie, Wanderlie.

 
Comment by ognitinoc
2008-05-09 16:02:07

Wanderlei is awesome, he is one of the reasons I watched Pride so much. I enjoy seeing him fight… winning is just a bonus.

Comment by jerkoff
2008-05-09 18:12:43

I miss those nasty kicks and stomping on the grounded opponent’s head that Wandy is known for in PRIDE. But in UFC you won’t see those moves anymore.

 
 
Comment by R-Dizzle
2008-05-09 16:11:22

That’s why Wandy is one of my favorite fighters. How could you not like this guy? He’s so badass.

 
Comment by Ade
2008-05-09 17:34:03

I backed Jardine against Liddell, but Silvas aggressive reckless style is definately going to cause Jardine problems when he is trying to set up his leg kicks. People also forget that Jardine does poses heavy hands as well. Maybe Silva might have forgotten. The UFC and Dana do not want Jardine anywhere near that belt and that’s what makes me support him even more. He is definately a better fighter than Forrest, but not as marketable for them. They are really hoping that Silva takes him out and keeps him away from that belt I beleive this is why they set this fight up. Jardine had one of the biggest wins in the UFC by beating Chuck Liddel and they now reward him by giving him someone who just lost to Chuck. Jardine is going to be the new Matt Lindland. He better be careful what t-shirt he puts on.

 
Comment by DB
2008-05-09 19:25:18

250 Wanderlei Silvas is a very, very scary thought.

 
Comment by none
2008-05-09 20:48:40

It would be even crazier if Chuck faced and beat Shogun.
” if we’re going to say that we have to bring renato “babalu” sobral in, he distroyed shogun with what i want to say was rings, but i can be for sure on that though i have seen the full video and am an avid fan Anyways, back to wandi, i love this guy, no one knows who he really is and what he is known for because he hasnt had that long of a careere with the UFC yet, but it will come sooner or later. this man is one of my favorite fighters to watch, if you havent seen any of his fights please go to youtube.com right now and seach “wanderlei silva” his tat on the back of his head is bonkers as well. the man truely is all about performing, and you cannot hate that, i dont care who you are.

 
Comment by ORTIZ!!!!!!08....BABY!
2008-05-09 21:29:43

I have nothing bad to say about silva i kinda like his style……but 250 silva no way….is this the end of the chucks my boy toy????Dana this is probably one of the most shocking things i heard you say.

Comment by jimmy_dean
2008-05-10 07:19:28

Even though Chuck beat Wanderlei, I’m not convinced that Chuck has heart like Wanderlei does and I am really hope Wanderlei beats Jardine because two respectable wins coud set up a title shot for Wandy. I am just curious to see if Wandy is in Ramage’s head. I agree with Dana The Douche because win or lose Wanderlei goes into every fight with the intention to knock somebody’s head off and always gives 110 percent and that is why he is my favorite fighter.

 
 
Comment by BObO
2008-05-10 10:58:16

chuck would k.O wandi and ramage together in the cage right now, he jus wasnst focused wen he fought rampage. Oh ye rampage said wandi is the “chump murderer” so that makes rampage a chump hahahaha, wat a joker

Comment by jimmy_dean
2008-05-10 12:16:00

You need to watch the fight between Chuck and Rampage in Pride. Focus didn’t have anything to do with that fight, Chuck just got his ass beat.

 
 
Comment by naturalshadow
2008-05-10 23:44:23

This is only my opinion, but I think Jardine beating Chuck was a lot like Serra beating GSP. 99 times out of 100, it would never happen.

Comment by Pat
2008-05-11 09:16:12

I disagree. Jardine was controlling the whole fight. To me, control of a fight is a lot more telling than a punch or submission out of nowhere.

Comment by naturalshadow
2008-05-11 14:53:34

Not the whole fight. Even Jardine’s mom had to give Chuck the first. I don’t disagree that Jardine won that fight, but the Chuck that fought that day just didn’t seem like the same Chuck who fought anyone before, and Wandy after.

(Comments wont nest below this level)
 
 
 
Comment by rhys
2008-05-11 16:25:59

Heres some MMA math for you kids…

250 x Wanderlei Silva = WORLD FUCKING DOMINATION!!!!

 
Comment by Rilly
2008-05-12 00:38:40

Yes Dana, and then you would be RICH, RICH, RICH!!! You should start cloning Wanderlei starwars style mate. You could have an army of wild Brazillians, then no one would ever argue with you again….Think about it Dana??? The world would finally be yours!!! What a dickhead….

 
Name (required)
E-mail (required - never shown publicly)
URI
Your Comment (smaller size | larger size)
You may use <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong> in your comment.

Trackback responses to this post



UFC 100 RESULTS LIVE JULY 11! CLICK HERE.


Buy UFC Tickets





Support MMAmania.com

Burn this Feed!

Enter your email address:

Add to Google Add to My AOL



Site Sponsors

Mar clothing

pro mma radio

Mar clothing

hypoxico

Categories

Advertisements





Disclaimer

MMAmania.com is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). We are an independent news site devoted to the latest UFC headlines, rumors, gossip, fighter updates, and event previews and recaps. For entertainment purposes only.

BlogBurst.com Add to Technorati Favorites


 
Upcoming MMA Events
UFC 100
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dream 10
Monday, July 20, 2009
Saitama, Japan.
Affliction 3
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Anaheim, California.
Sengoku 9
Saturday, August 2, 2009
Saitama, Japan.
UFC 101
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
WEC 42
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Las Vegas, Nevada.
Strikeforce
Saturday, August 15, 2009
San Jose, California.
UFC 102
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Portland, Oregon.
UFN 19
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
UFC 103
Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009
Dallas, Texas
UFC 104
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009
Los Angeles, California