n a recent interview with a Las Vegas television station, UFC president Dana White said the UFC has acquired some of the world’s top fighters, and among them, he named PRIDE Fighting Championships veteran Wanderlei Silva (31-7-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC).
Last month, a deal fell apart in the final hours that would have pitted the former PRIDE middleweight champion against Chuck Liddell at UFC 76. UFCjunkie.com (www.ufcjunkie.com) first reported that a tentative agreement had been reached, but when Silva asked to fight in November rather September, the deal was scrapped and Liddell was instead scheduled to face Keith Jardine.
The two light heavyweights will now headline UFC 76, which takes place Sept. 22 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
As for Silva, the UFC has given no official word on his status. However, according to White’s latest comments, there’s reason to believe we’ll see Silva back in the Octagon soon.
“We’ve got nothing but mega-fight for the next three years,” White said. “We’ve got Wanderlei Silva. We’ve got (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira. And the list just goes on and on.“
In fact, UFCjunkie.com has heard from inside sources that Silva is still likely to make his debut at a Dec. 29 Las Vegas show — possibly against Liddell.
Silva, a Brazilian Jiu-Jistu black belt and one of PRIDE’s most successful fighters, is coming off brutal back-to-back losses to Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Dan Henderson. Despite the losses, he remains one of the top-ranked 205-pound fighters anywhere in the world.
For the full interview with White, head over to KTVN.com.
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And.....its on, Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
Finally.
I'm a happy man again!!!
.. Ultimately The Natural is possibly the best heavyweight in the UFC within the last 8 years. He is a beast