W. Silva (left) lost to V. Belfort (right) in 1998 (Photo: UFC)
Wanderlei Silva recently announced his return to MMA after a four-year hiatus. The former Pride champion will face his arch-rival Chael Sonnen in the main fight of Bellator 180, in June, but he is already eyeing other settlements. The Brazilian aims to challenge old rivals in his new home, including Vitor belfort.
The two faced each other in the first edition of the UFC in Brazil, in 1998, and Wanderlei lost by knockout in the first round. The two even had a rematch scheduled in Ultimate and were coaches in the first season of TUF Brasil. However, the Phenomenon was injured and a second duel never took place. With Vitor's imminent retirement, Wand asked to challenge him in Bellator, in addition to trying his luck against names like Dan Henderson e Rampage Jackson.
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“I would like a rematch against Vitor belfort, "Rampage” Jackson, and against the Dan Henderson…there are several opponents who can make a good classic, because, in truth, there are a lot of fights, but there is not that classic that people want to see, that everyone wants to see, with a cool rivalry, with a promotion good. There are good fights, obviously, but the classic itself, with famous fighters, is no longer there, because they are all retiring, stopping, so we have to rescue these renowned fighters, so that through the classic they can promote new ones. names, so that these new names can become legends, making classics in the future for us”, commented the “Crazy Dog” in an interview with the Fox Sports website.
Even without fighting since 2013 and in litigation with the UFC, Wanderlei will make his Bellator debut in the main fight of the biggest event in the company's history. Bellator 180 will be the organization's first show in New York and will be distributed in North America via pay-per-view. Wand was full of praise for the new bosses, and guaranteed that the 180th edition of Bellator will break Ultimate records.
“Bellator is growing a lot, they have a much larger number of events now, they are really starting to create their champions, so congratulations. The event is growing more and more, without a doubt. Nowadays, Bellator is ranked second in the world of MMA, but this coming 24th (June, date of Bellator 180) everyone is already saying that it will be first. On that day we are going to beat the UFC, who canceled the event they were going to have on that day and changed the date as a sign of respect for us, because they are afraid of this show that we are going to hold, which without a doubt, will be a great event”, concluded the Brazilian.
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