Wanderlei Silva detonates 'Belfort x Holyfield' and says he is interested in a rematch against his Brazilian rival

MMA legend, Wanderlei Silva spoke again about the boxing challenge won by Vitor belfort about Evander Holyfield, held on September 11th. In an exclusive interview with the SUPER FIGHTS on YouTube, the 'Crazy Dog' highlighted that he likes the moment when celebrities and MMA personalities venture into boxing, but he didn't like seeing the performance of the 'Phenomenon'.

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“I was sad to see a great boxing legend subjecting himself to this, right? Because fighting, for example, at 30 years old against a 45-year-old guy already makes a big difference. Now, a 45-year-old guy against a 60-year-old guy is bordering on despair. I don't know what made Holyfield submit to a situation like this, but the guy accepted the fight and Belfort did what he did (…) The way to stop Vitor is to just hit him. When he's hitting, he's a lion. But when he takes two or three (blows) things change. It was a privilege to have done that with Holyfield. But I think he should take athletes at least his age or younger,” said Wanderlei.

The ancient rivalry between Wanderlei Silva e Vitor belfort He has already gained countless possibilities for a possible rematch and, now, the 'Crazy Dog' has revealed his interest in making it happen in boxing. Asked about migrating to boxing, the Brazilian athlete says it would be interesting to face his rival in his debut in the 'noble art'.

"I would like. I'm finding it very interesting and feeling in very good physical shape – taking care of myself and hydrating a lot. (…) I think I can really do great fights in the new modality. I think the ideal opponent, to begin with, would be (Vitor) Belfort, right? It would be a very interesting fight”, added the Brazilian.

Youtubers in boxing? Yes of course…

Recently, boxing fights promoted between YouTubers and/or celebrities against mixed martial arts athletes have caused great repercussions in the sports scene, with the community divided on whether to support or criticize each clash. And, when asked about the topic, Wanderlei was in favor, highlighting that events like these attract the average public and, consequently, promote even greater awareness of combat modalities.

“I think there is room for everyone. If we promote the fight and publicize our sport, I think it's very valid. I think it's cool that celebrities are training and fighting professional guys. They just didn't get the right guys. If I catch one of these athletes, he won’t make it through the first round,” he said.

A new path

It does not stop there. The 'Crazy Dog' also claims to have enjoyed watching duels between MMA veterans in boxing competitions. To illustrate the scenario, Wanderlei cited the presentation between Anderson Silva e Tito Ortiz as an example to follow.

“We have a lot of interesting names on the circuit, because boxing opens up a huge range of possibilities for you to see fights that you had never imagined before. I'm very happy to be able to see fights like the one Tito Ortiz against Anderson (Silva), because we would never see that in MMA”, he concluded.

Professional since 1996, Wanderlei Silva has a record of 34 wins, 15 losses and one draw in his career in mixed martial arts. The Brazilian is recognized as one of the most feared fighters in history and, now, he does not rule out also working in boxing. At 45, he hasn't played since 2018, when he was knocked out by his arch-rival Rampage Jackson.

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