Wanderlei Silva considers that UFC is bigger than PRIDE ever was

Wanderlei Silva believes that the UFC currently occupies a level of importance never reached by the extinct PRIDE, which was the reference in MMA in the first half of the decade.

The American event, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this month, has reached global proportions, also holding editions in South America, Asia, Oceania and Europe. Furthermore, the UFC holds fights much more frequently than previously seen – in 2013, 33 editions are expected to be held.

In an interview with the website Combate.com, Wanderlei, who shone in both organizations, praised the current phase of the UFC. “Nowadays the UFC has already surpassed PRIDE in terms of numbers and worldwide visibility, because the sport has become more popular,” he argued. “At the time of PRIDE, the fights were more sporadic, there was an event every two months. Not today. Today we have events practically every week, it’s like that football game you have every Sunday”, he said.

Wanderlei was one of the biggest stars in the history of the Japanese event, including being nicknamed 'Mr. PRIDE'. He was middleweight champion (in PRIDE, up to 93 kg) between 2001 and 2007.