Wanderlei targets “superfights” on his return to Bellator to 'come out on top'

Wand wants to return to Bellator soon (Photo: Reproduction/Facebook Bellator)

After debuting on the wrong foot in Bellator, when defeated by Chael Sonnen on points, in June this year, Wanderlei Silva is already planning his return to the circular cage. After complaining a lot about the posture of his last tormentor during the fight, Wand makes no point of hiding that he prefers to face an opponent who seeks to keep the fight standing, even mentioning some possible opponents, all of them MMA veterans.

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“There are several who could be (my next opponent). One Quinton jacksonTo Dan HendersonTo Vitor belfort… There are several who could be a good opponent and put on a good fight. But I wanted to get a guy who would stand up, who would accept going hand to mouth. I wanted to test myself. I wanted to knockdown, get knockeddown, and that didn't happen in my last fight. He just wanted to know how to hold on. I wanted to get a changing table, and I'm sure that would be a great show”, declared Silva, in an interview with the website 'Portal do Vale Tudo'.

At 41 years old, Wanderlei knows that his goals within the sport are no longer linked to titles or belts, achievements that marked his career in the last decade. Aware of the current situation he is experiencing, the Brazilian emphasizes that his intention is to hold so-called 'superfights', always seeking to attract more audiences to MMA.

“I want to do big presentations, with big names, at big events so that we can get people's attention. In my last fight I achieved this objective, which was to reach as many people as possible, and we broke the record with the largest audience in Bellator history. And that made me very happy. A lot of people who didn't talk about fighting, the next day were talking about my fight and I was very happy. That’s my focus,” he concluded.

Wanderlei, who returned to acting after a four-year hiatus, has a record of 35 wins, 13 losses, one draw and one unsuccessful fight. His last triumph was in March 2013, when he knocked out Brian Stann, still with the UFC. The peak of his career was in the early 2000s, when he became champion of the now-defunct Pride, a Japanese event that, at the time, was considered the best in the world.

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