Wand defends Sonnen, criticizes Belfort and argues: 'I wouldn't accept the UFC Hall of Fame'

Wand (photo) ended his career with 49 professional fights. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube

Officially retired from MMA since last Friday (19), Wanderlei Silva He ended up being punished by the Nevada Athletic Commission and banned for life from any combat in the North American state. The sanction imposed, however, does not seem to bother the “Mad Dog”. During an interview, Wand assured that he will no longer enter the ring to fight professionally and made a point of returning to oppose Ultimate, saying that he no longer wishes to have any type of relationship with the organization.

“I (still) have a contract. They wanted to renew it recently, but I already said I don't want it. I want to terminate. I no longer work with this organization and, for the UFC, I will never fight again. I don't know, but I don't want it anymore. For me, that doesn't matter anymore. I don't fight for them and I don't fight for anyone. This organization did not treat me as it should have. Not just me, athletes can’t speak”, said Wand, in an interview on the “Combate” channel website. The fighter also said that he would not accept any type of honor from the event. “I have no need. I think the Hall of Fame is what the fans do. I want nothing more from this organization. If they give it to me, I won't accept it. My Hall of Fame is my fans,” he stated.

The end of his career also seems to have changed Wanderlei a little, who changed his always critical tone when mentioning Chael Sonnen. When talking about his former enemy, the Curitiba native even said that he had been wronged by Ultimate and also didn't miss the chance to poke fun at another rival: Vitor belfort. When talking about his compatriot, however, Wand ended up using some inaccurate information and even compared the results of Belfort and Sonnen's surprise exams - when the first showed high testosterone levels and the second was caught twice with five different banned substances. .

“This punishment given to Sonnen is a huge injustice. We don't know what's behind this commission, because, in the same hearing that punished Sonnen, there was another athlete (Vitor) who tested extremely high levels of testosterone in February and was released to fight for the belt in December. Both had the same number of incidences. The same case. One is banned and the other is released to fight. We have to know who is regulating this commission, who controls it, because it looks like a circus. They do what they want and who are we going to complain to? Nobody knows who controls the entity. They don't respect their own laws. It is complicated. Nobody knows what is happening, who manages it, who is behind it, he said.

Besides, Wanderlei Silva he also criticized the current level of MMA and presented his own justifications for what he considers a moment of decline in the sport. “Unfortunately now there is a setback. It reached the top, grew, regularized, but now the machine is oppressing the fighter and we are in decline. Decline in the quality of fights, fans who are dissatisfied. The event ends and the guy says: 'What a shitty event! What rubbish fights!' The same fans who came are the same ones who will soon be leaving. (…) This started a while ago. When the promoter wants to appear more than the athletes, it is a great danger. You have to give light to whoever puts on the show, you can't want light without getting slapped. He has to promote the event, do what he has to do, but he cannot appear more than the athlete. Otherwise it will enter this decline that is happening now.

Finally, the “Mad Dog” rejected any possibility of returning to the ring in the future, even if his lifetime punishment by the Nevada Athletic Commission is revoked. “At this point, I have no intention of fighting again. I have no desire whatsoever. I can't get on the mat to train. I can't even continue training for fights, I'm doing it. Everything that happened affected me a lot and I'm trying to get through it all to try to have a normal life. This is not happening because of any punishment. I don’t feel like it anymore,” he concluded.