Inside the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, the lights dimmed as the crowd
waited with anticipation. Cheers began to fill the arena as a familiar tune blasted over the
sound system. The crowd clapped to one of the most recognisable entrance songs in mixedmartial arts – ‘Sandstorm’ by Darude had them on their feet. Wanderlei Silva made his walk to
the UFC’s Octagon in the country, and arena, that made him a mixed martial arts superstar.
T
hat was 3 March, 2013 and Wanderlei
Silva hasn’t fought since. In front of a
crowd of 14682, he knocked out Brian
Stann in a scrap that would see him
awarded a Fight of the Night bonus as well as
Knockout of the Night honours.
A lot has happened in the course of the three
years since that fight. Silva has seen ups and
downs — well, mainly downs, with a falling out
with the UFC, a refusal to take a random drug
test and a court case fighting a lifetime ban from
competing in the state of Nevada all taking
place since he last stepped foot inside a cage.
When Silva was released from his UFC
contract in January of 2016, the mixed martial
arts world was abuzz. Although there has been
long-time speculation that Silva has spent mostof his career using banned substances, it didn’t
really matter, people still wanted to see him
fight. Now that he is free to entertain offers from
all over the globe, there are so many interesting,
fun and nostalgic fights that Silva could take.
Let’s face it, although he may be past his prime,
he is still one of the most memorable fighters to
ever compete. There is no doubt that when Silva
does sign on for his first post-UFC fight, there
will be people watching. He still has an aura
about him, even if he may never be able to go
toe-to-toe with the world’s best again.
The world will now wait to see where
Silva lands now that he is free of his
obligations with the UFC. So, here are the
top five fights for him now that he is a
free agent.