Wanderlei César da Silva (/ˈvændərleɪ/VAN-dər-lay,Brazilian Portuguese:[vɐ̃deʁˈlejˈsɛzɐʁdɐˈsiwvɐ],Japanese:[bandaɾeːɕi.ɯba]; born 3 July 1976) is a Brazilian formermixed martial artist who competed in Japan'sPride Fighting Championships and theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He holds the record for the most wins, knockouts, title defenses and longest winning streak inPRIDE history. He is the formerPRIDE Middleweight Champion and the2003 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion. He most recently competed forBellator MMA in thelight heavyweight andheavyweight divisions. In February 2024, Silva was announced as the next inductee in the "pioneer wing" of theUFC Hall of Fame.^[2]

Wanderlei Silva
Silva in 2015
Born	Wanderlei César da Silva (1976-07-03)3 July 1976 (age 48) Curitiba, Brazil
Other names	The Axe Murderer
Residence	Curitiba, Brazil[1]
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Division	Heavyweight Light Heavyweight Middleweight
Reach	74 in (188 cm)
Fighting out of	Curitiba, Brazil[1]
Team	Chute Boxe Academy (1996–2007) Wand Fight Team (2007–present) Kings MMA (2011–2018) Evolução Thai Brasil (2018–present)[1]
Trainer	Rudimar Fedrigo Cristiano Marcello André Amado[1]
Rank	Black belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blackprajiad inMuay Thai
Years active	1996–2018
Mixed martial arts record
Total	51
Wins	35
By knockout	27
By submission	1
By decision	7
Losses	14
By knockout	7
By decision	7
Draws	1
No contests	1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog
Last updated on: 14 September 2011 (2011-09-14)

Silva's aggressive style is rooted in street brawling, refined with elements ofMuay Thai andkickboxing, which he began learning at the age of 13 inChute Boxe Academy in his hometownCuritiba. In his late teens, he joined the Brazilian army and was quickly recognized for his fighting talents. He was asked to joinVale Tudo andBrazilian jiu-jitsu school. Silva enlisted after winning several fight tournaments within his age group in Brazil. There was a time where he developed a scar tissue around his eyes from fighting in bare-knucklevale tudo.

Silva's first professional match was on 1 November 1996, in the bare-knuckle organization Brazilian Vale Tudo Fighting (BVF). In this fight, he was able to knock out Dilson Filho via right elbow atBVF 6. He fought in another match in BVF,BVF 10 on 1 July 1997, against Marcelo Barbosa, who submitted due to a shoulder injury.

Silva fought six matches in four differentInternational Vale Tudo Championship events,IVC 2,IVC 6,IVC 9 andIVC 10, from 1997 to 1999. He won five of these matches byKO/TKO, with his one loss being the result of a cut stoppage against Artur Mariano in the IVC 2 show on 15 September 1997. Though Silva dominated Mariano with punches and knee strikes, the cut above Silva's left eyelid opened back up several times, partially because Silva continued to use the cut side of his head to inflict manyheadbutts on Mariano over the course of the match.^[3] The doctor observed the cut several times before the fight was officially ended.^[3]

Silva culminated hisIVC career by winning the promotion'sCruiserweight belt with a submission win overEugene Jackson in the IVC 10 show on 27 April 1999. It was after this fight that Silva earned the nickname "The Axe Murderer".

Silva participated in one Meca World Vale Tudo event,Meca 2 on 12 August 2000, where he knocked out Todd Medina with Muay Thai knees.

Silva entered the UFC on 16 October 1998, atUFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil, in a match againstVitor Belfort. The match was arguably the worst defeat of his career, lasting only 44 seconds and left him knocked down against the cage by Belfort's punches then being stopped by the referee. Silva won his next UFC match on 7 May 1999, atUFC 20, in which he knocked out Tony Petarra with knees. On 14 April 2000, Silva fought for theUFC Light Heavyweight Championship, but lost via unanimous decision toTito Ortiz atUFC 25.

Silva debuted inPRIDE at thePride 7 event on 12 September 1999, againstCarl Ognibene (better known as Carl "Malenko"). Silva used his strength to control Malenko from the ground, demonstrating hisgrappling expertise, coming very close to securing aguillotine choke and arear-naked choke during round one, in addition to landing many powerful knees from the clinch. Silva continued to dominate Malenko en route to a decision victory. This dominance would set the tone for Silva's career in the organization. From 1999 to 2004, Silva won eighteen-straight fights in PRIDE, excluding a draw againstMirko Cro Cop (under slightly modified rules in which if the match would go to the time limit, the bout would be declared a draw) and a no contest againstGilbert Yvel (Silva accidentally kicked Yvel in the groin), giving him a twenty-fight unbeaten streak. Silva's reputation as a formidable MMA fighter grew as he developed a successful 5-year win record in the middle weight division (205 lb) of Pride.

Silva fought Japanese superstarKazushi Sakuraba for the first time atPride 13 - Collision Course on 25 March 2001. Silva won via TKO (knees and soccer kick) at 1:38 into the first round. AtPride 17: Championship Chaos on 3 November 2001, Silva won the inaugural Pride middleweight (205 lb) championship when he defeated Sakuraba for the second time. Sakuraba suffered a brokenclavicle and was forced to withdraw after the first round, giving Silva a TKO win via doctor's stoppage. The two fought for a third time on 10 August 2003 atPride Total Elimination 2003, part of thePRIDE Middleweight Tournament. Silva knocked out Sakuraba with a two punch combination at 5:01 into the first round.

Silva facedQuinton "Rampage" Jackson atPride Final Conflict 2003 on 9 November 2003. Silva won by TKO after delivering seventeen consecutive knees to Jackson. Silva became Pride's 2003 tournament champion with the win. The two fought again on 31 October 2004 atPride 28: High Octane. Jackson knocked Silva down near the end of the first round and mounted him as the bell rang. In round two Silva caught Jackson with a counter right hand and followed up with knees from the thai clinch knocking Jackson out, successfully defending the Pride middleweight championship with the win. In Japan, Silva additionally gained his reputation as a fighter who has never been defeated by any Japanese opponent, resulting in a trend of various Japanese fighters being arranged by Pride to face him.

Silva's undefeated 5-year streak (18 wins, 13 knockouts) in PRIDE was broken by SamoanHeavyweightMark Hunt, aK-1 champion on 31 December 2004 at thePride Shockwave 2004 event. Hunt won the non-title match by split decision. The decision was controversial because some who felt that Hunt's weight of 280 lb (125 kg), over 80 lb more than Silva, as well as Silva's performance in rounds two and three, had not been sufficiently considered by the judges in their decision;Randy Couture andBas Rutten, both being commentators at the event, expressed disagreement with the judges decision. Silva also took this fight on two days notice. Nonetheless, Silva's 2004 campaign earned him Fighter of the Year honors from bothSherdog and theWrestling Observer Newsletter.

Silva's former status asPRIDE Middleweight Champion first came under debate and criticism with his loss toRicardo Arona (who subsequently lost the tournament to Silva's teammate,Mauricio "Shogun" Rua) on 28 August 2005 atPride Final Conflict 2005. The loss, by unanimous decision in the tournament's semi-finals, was Silva's first defeat in a middleweight match in Pride; however, since it was not a title fight and held under special rules due to the grand prix format (2 rounds instead of 3), Silva was still recognized as the middleweight champion.

A rematch between Arona and Silva was scheduled to take place at thePride Shockwave 2005 event on 31 December 2005. Mere minutes before the fight, Silva's teammateCristiano Marcello had chokedCharles Bennett unconscious in the locker room after a confrontation.^[4] Waking up, Bennett struck Silva with an elbow strike knocking him down unconscious.^[4] Despite the incident, Silva went on to win the fight by split decision.

On 18 May 2006, Pride's parent company,Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE), announced that Silva would replace Prideheavyweight championFedor Emelianenko in the Open Weight Grand Prix. Emelianenko's doctors stated that his hand, which had recently undergone surgery, would not be in good enough shape to fight because the metal implant would still be present. Because Silva was also a champion, he received a first round bye and fought in the second round atPride Critical Countdown Absolute, which took place on 1 July 2006. Silva moved to the semi-finals of the Open Weight Grand Prix after defeatingKazuyuki Fujita by TKO (punches and soccer kicks) at 9:21 of round one.

On 8 July 2006, atUFC 61: Bitter Rivals, UFC presidentDana White announced Silva would faceChuck Liddell in a UFC event held in November, provided Liddell beatRenato "Babalu" Sobral atUFC 62. Liddell did end up winning that fight. However, talks dwindled and the fight as advertised did not happen.

On 10 September 2006, atPride Final Conflict Absolute, Wanderlei Silva was knocked out byMirko Cro Cop in their rematch during the Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finals. After a brief stoppage to tend to a swollen eye on Silva, "Cro Cop" struck Silva in the head with a left kick, knocking him out. On 21 October 2006 atPride 32: The Real Deal, Wanderlei issued his challenge to Chuck Liddell to a fight inside a Pride ring in February, when the promotion returned to Las Vegas, however Dana White stated that the fight would not be happening, citing Silva's recent KO loss to Mirko Cro Cop which would have not allowed the NSAC to clear him medically for the fight that soon after being knocked out.

Silva put his Pride middleweight title on the line againstDan Henderson, Pride's welterweight (183 lb) champion atPride 33: The Second Coming, held on 24 February 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[5] In a night of upsets, Henderson knocked out Silva in the third round with a left hook to become the new middleweight champion. Silva was denied the ability to participate inPride 34 due to medical suspension by theNevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) which made this his last Pride appearance.^[6] Silva almost never lost under pure Pride rules^{[attribution needed]} at 205 pounds.

On 17 August 2007, the UFC announced that they had signed Wanderlei Silva to compete in the organization and that he would return to the Octagon on 29 December 2007 atUFC 79.^[8][9] After months of speculation about Silva's opponent, UFC President Dana White announced that Chuck Liddell would be Silva's opponent for his return match.^[10] The long-awaited match happened on 29 December 2007 atUFC 79 with Silva losing to Liddell by unanimous decision. After the fight Silva said, "Win or lose I like to give the emotion for my fans"^[11] He also added that he gave his best and promised that next time he will deliver a win. This fight earned them theFight of the Night award.^[12]

Keeping to his promise, on 24 May 2008 atUFC 84 in Las Vegas, he earned a decisive KO win againstKeith Jardine at the 36-second mark of the first round, earning him a $75,000Knockout of the Night bonus award.^[13] When Jardine threw a kick, Silva countered with a right-left-right combo that dropped him. Silva then finished the fight with ground strikes to earn the knockout.

AtUFC 92, Wanderlei foughtQuinton Jackson, who he had beaten twice previously inPRIDE.^[14] Jackson avenged his previous defeats by knocking Silva out with a left hook in the first round.^[15] Following the fight, Silva indicated that he would like to face Jackson again in the future.

Silva facedRich Franklin atUFC 99 at a catchweight bout of 195 lb.^[16] After a hard-fought match on both sides, Silva lost via unanimous decision to Franklin. This fight earned him a $60,000Fight of the Night award.^[17] During the second round, Silva rocked Franklin hard with punches and almost finished the fight during that moment. This was counterbalanced by Franklin dropping Silva three times in that round, each time with singular strikes. Silva then announced he would be out of action until 2010, as he underwent facial surgery to repair his nose (which was broken during Silva's second fight with Cro Cop, and then repeatedly broken again in later matches) and remove some scar tissue from above his eyes to avoid bleeding and being easily cut open during future fights. The surgery allowed him to breathe through a once completely blocked nose thus increasing his oxygen intake by 30% by doctor's estimates. At UFC 110, announcer Joe Rogan emphatically stated that Wanderlei looked like a totally different person in the wake of his recent facial reconstructive surgery.

Silva made his middleweight (185 lb) debut duringUFC 110 againstMichael Bisping on 21 February 2010.^[18] During the fight Bisping was able to take Silva down several times during the first round, however Wanderlei came back with a flurry of punches at the end of the first round, a tight guillotine choke in the second, and a right hook that dropped Bisping in the third. After three rounds of fighting, Silva was awarded the unanimous decision victory (29–28, 29–28, and 29–28)^[19] and his first victory in almost two years.^[20] Although winning only one of his previous 6 bouts, he was slightly favored going into the fight as it was widely speculated that Bisping was apprehensive to fight toe-to-toe after being viciously knocked out by Dan Henderson on 11 July 2009 in UFC 100. After the fight, an emotional Silva told the audience, "In your life you have bad moments. Everybody has bad moments, but if you believe in God and working hard, good moments they’ll come". Silva attributed his success to working with his previous trainer Raphael Cordeiro. Bisping added, "Wanderlei's a great opponent ... I felt the reason he got the decision was the knockdown right at the end".^[21]

Silva was expected to face formerK-1 HERO'S Light heavyweight ChampionYoshihiro Akiyama atUFC 116.^[22] However, on 22 June, Silva had to pull out due to breaking three ribs during training.^[23] Akiyama would instead be fighting on the card, againstChris Leben. After Leben defeated Akiyama with a triangle choke in the third round Leben verbally called out Silva saying "Come on Wanderlei, I'll take you out too" in his post fight interview.^[24] "He represented very well, he's a good opponent," said Silva of "The Crippler." "I think if he's gonna wait that I'm gonna fight him next however Dana White has not considered a Silva/Leben fight happening anytime soon."^[25]

Silva underwent knee surgery in late July 2010 and his doctors had stated that he would need to wait at least 4 months before returning to training. This meant that he would not be seen fighting in the octagon again until early 2011.^[26]

Silva was scheduled to faceBrian Stann atUFC 130.^[27] However, after Silva voiced his reluctance to face Stann, he was replaced on the card by returning UFC veteranJorge Santiago.^[28]

On 4 April 2011, the UFC announced that Silva's next opponent would beChris Leben with the two scheduled to meet atUFC 132.^[29] on 2 July 2011. During the fight's first round Leben won by KO with several uppercuts before following Silva to the ground for a referees stoppage at the 27 second mark.^[30][31] When Dana White was asked about his thoughts on Wanderlei's possible retirement, he said he felt it would be the best time for Wanderlei to retire but in the end it is up to whether Wanderlei himself would like to fight again.

Silva would fight again after replacing an injuredVitor Belfort against formerStrikeforce Middleweight championCung Le atUFC 139. Le managed to confuse Silva with his unorthodox kicks, and landed a spinning backfist that dropped Silva. During the second round, Silva managed to shake Le with huge punches and knees that completely broke Le's nose. Le was stunned, bloody and fell to the ground, and the fight was stopped by the referee. This fight earned them a $70,000Fight of the Night award.^[32] Afterwards in the press conference, Dana White commented that it was a good stoppage and that Cung was taken to the hospital.

Silva andVitor Belfort coachedThe Ultimate Fighter: Brazil A rematch with Belfort was expected to take place on 23 June 2012 atUFC 147 but due to a broken hand Vitor Belfort had to withdraw from the match.^[33]

Silva facedRich Franklin in a 190 lb catchweight at the event.^[34] Franklin and Silva fought once before atUFC 99, where Franklin won via unanimous decision. Despite Silva nearly finishing Franklin in the second round, the result was the same when the pair met for a second time atUFC 147, where Franklin again won by unanimous decision 49–46. This fight earned them a $65,000Fight of the Night award.^[35]

In an interview withSherdog asking about his future, Silva said: "I want to either fight acatchweight bout at 198 pounds (90 kg) or at light heavyweight. At middleweight, I'm very hungry (laughs). Right now, I'm doing weight training and someshadow boxing. I'm kind of on vacation now, paying attention to the family, but next year the Wand is back."^[36]

Silva facedBrian Stann in aLight heavyweight bout on 3 March 2013 atUFC on Fuel TV 8.^[37][38] The fight was notable as it was Silva's return to theSaitama Super Arena, where Pride FC ran the majority of its shows. Silva defeated Stann via KO in the second round in a bout that featured back and forth action, and earned both participantsFight of the Night honors.^[39] This fight also earned him theKnockout of the Night award totalling his bonus earnings to $100,000 for this fight.^[40]

On 22 October 2013, it was announced that Silva will be coachingThe Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, against long-time rivalChael Sonnen. A bout with Sonnen, briefly attached toUFC 173,^[41] then atThe Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 Finale,^[42] was expected to take place on 5 July 2014 atUFC 175.^[43] Dana White later stated the fight had to be moved back when Silva injured his hand and back during a brawl with Sonnen that took place during filming of the show.^[44] Silva was ultimately pulled from the fight entirely after he failed to submit an application to fight in the state of Nevada, as well as his refusal to undergo a random drug test and was replaced byVitor Belfort.^[45][46]On 10 June 2014, it was later reported that Chael Sonnen failed a drug test and would not be allowed to fight on UFC 175 card, as a result of the failed drug test, Sonnen announced his retirement from the sport the following day.^[47] As a result of his refusal to submit to the drug tests, Silva was given a lifetime ban and a $70,000 fine by the Nevada State Athletic Commission at their meeting on 23 September 2014.^[48]

In May 2015, judge Kerry Earley overturned the lifetime ban that was imposed on Wanderlei Silva by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.^[49]

In January 2016, following an apology to the UFC about their "fight-fixed" [a.k.a. fight fixing] and retracting his statement, he was released from his UFC contract. This allowed him to do whatever he wanted with his career.^[50]

Subsequent to his ban, Silva competed in atag team grappling match withKiyoshi Tamura against former opponentKazushi Sakuraba andHideo Tokoro at an event on 17 April 2016 for startup regional promotionRizin Fighting Federation.^[51][52] The official result of the match was deemed a draw.

In July 2016, it was announced that Silva would return to mixed martial arts competition in Japan as part of Rizin's 16-man openweight tournament beginning 25 September 2016 in Tokyo.^[53] Silva was scheduled to faceMirko Cro Cop in a trilogy bout on 29 December in the Rizin Open Weight quarter finals.^[53] However, on 2 December, Silva withdrew from the bout citing injury.^[54]

In early March 2016,Bellator MMA announced that Silva had signed a multi-fight contract with the organization. The previous lifetime ban handed down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission was reduced to a three-year suspension retroactive to 24 May 2014. He was eligible for reinstatement beginning 25 May 2017. The ban would not prevent Silva from competing atIndian Casinos or in Japan.^[55]

After four years away from the sport, Silva made his delayed Bellator debut againstChael Sonnen in the main event atBellator NYC on 24 June 2017. Silva lost a unanimous decision.^[56]

On 25 June 2018,Bellator MMA announced that Silva would faceRampage Jackson in a fourth match on 29 September 2018 atBellator 206.^[57] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.^[58]

On 29 September 2019, news surfaced that Silva's contract with Bellator had expired.^[59]

On September 1, 2022 Silva officially announced his retirement from MMA, expressing interest in boxing, calling out Dan Henderson.^[60]

On December 11, 2024, it was announced that Silva was eligible to be drafted in theGlobal Fight League.^[61] However, despite not having been drafted for the 2025 season, Silva will be the manager for the Los Angeles GFL team.^[62]

Silva was famous for his brawling, relentless style ofMuay Thai, which was described as being "feral"^[63] and carrying "a terrifying ferocity".^[64] His main strength was his offensive striking and use ofhooks,soccer kicks andstomps.^[63] Silva was also willing to absorbcounters in order to continue landing his own hits.^[63][65] He was also dangerous in theclinch, utilizing an onslaught of short hooks andknee strikes.^[64] Silva was also known for his use ofheadbutts when the rules allowed.^[64][65] Though his grappling expertise was initially considered inferior to his striking skills due to his preference forground and pound, he had a refinedBrazilian jiu-jitsu transitional game.^[64][65]

Silva and his wife have a son, Thor. He has a daughter from a previous relationship.^[66][67]

On 26 August 2012 Silva's father, Holando Pinheiro da Silva, died in a car accident in Brazil.^[68]

In April 2016, Silva became anAmerican citizen.^[69]

After years of living in the United States, Silva moved back to his hometown, Curitiba in Brazil.^[1]

In 2018, Silva admitted that he has been bearing symptoms consistent withchronic traumatic encephalopathy, and has expressed a wish to donate his brain for research.^[70]

Wanderlei Silva ran forfederal deputy representing Paraná for thePSD in the2018 elections, in which he obtained 13,755 votes, not being elected.^[71] He attempted to run for a second time in the2022 elections forProgressistas.^[72]

On 8 October 2020,Sem Coleira, aPortuguese biography book about Silva was published.^[73]

Wand Fight Team is a mixed martial arts training organization headed by Wanderlei Silva. It was founded in 2009 in Las Vegas, with a former franchise inPensacola, Florida.

The Las Vegas location features several famous MMA Instructors, including, Leandro Lorenco (BJJ), Michael Costa (Muay Thai & MMA), Pete Martin (Kids Wrestling & Fitness) and Erik Perez (Fitness).

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Hall of Fame (Pioneer Wing, Class of 2024)
  • Fight of the Night (Five times)vs.Chuck Liddell,Rich Franklin1,Cung Le,Rich Franklin2,andBrian Stann^{[12][17][32][35][39]}
  • Knockout of the Night (Two times)vs.Keith JardineandBrian Stann^[13][40]
  • UFC Encyclopedia Awards
    • Fight of the Night (One time)vs.Tito Ortiz^[74]
    • Knockout of the Night (One time)vs. Tony Petarra^[75]
  • Most knockouts inZuffa, LLC (UFC,Pride,WEC,Strikeforce) history (19)^[76]
  • Most knockdowns inZuffa, LLC (UFC,Pride,WEC,Strikeforce) history (27)^[77]
  • Tied (Donald Cerrone &Charles Oliveira) for second most finishes inZuffa, LLC (UFC,Pride,WEC,Strikeforce) history (20)^[78](behindMirko Cro Cop)^[79]
  • Tied (Jim Miller) for second most wins inZuffa, LLC (UFC,Pride,WEC,Strikeforce) history (27)(behindDonald Cerrone)^[80]
  • UFC.com Awards
    • 2007:Ranked #3 Fight of the Yearvs.Chuck Liddell^[81]
    • 2008:Ranked #7 Knockout of the Yearvs.Keith Jardine^[82]
    • 2009:Ranked #6 Loss of the Yearvs.Rich Franklin 1^[83] &Ranked #4 Fight of the Yearvs.Rich Franklin 1^[84]
    • 2011:Ranked #10 Knockout of the Yearvs.Cung Le(Tied withAnthony Johnson),^[85]Ranked #9 Upset of the Yearvs.Cung Le^[86] &Ranked #8 Fight of the Yearvs.Cung Le^[87]
    • 2013:Ranked #8 Knockout of the Year^[88] &Ranked #2 Fight of the Yearvs.Brian Stann^[89]
• Pride Fighting Championships
  • Pride Middleweight Championship (One time, first)
    • Four successful title defenses
      • Most successful title defenses in PRIDE FC history (4)
      • Most successful title defenses in the history of PRIDE FC Middleweight division (4)
      • Most consecutive successful titles defenses in PRIDE FC history (4)
      • Most consecutive successful title defenses in the history of PRIDE FC Middleweight division (4)
      • Longest title reign in PRIDE FC history (1939 days)^[77]
    • 2003 Pride Middleweight World Grand Prix Championship^[77]
    • 2005 Pride Middleweight World Grand Prix Semi-finalist^[77]
    • 2006 Pride Openweight World Grand Prix Semi-finalist^[77]
    • Saku Championship belt winner
    • First fighter inPride Fighting Championships history to win a Pride Championship and Pride Grand Prix
  • Most wins in PRIDE FC history (22)^[90]
  • Longest undefeated streak in PRIDE FC history (20)^[77]
  • Most knockouts in PRIDE FC history (15)^[90]
  • Most knockdowns landed in PRIDE FC history (18)^[77]
  • Tied (Mirko Cro Cop) for most finishes in PRIDE FC history (16)
  • Most significant strikes in PRIDE FC history (720)^[77]
• International Vale Tudo Championship
  • IVC Light heavyweight Championship (One time)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • 2001 Feud of the Yearvs.Kazushi Sakuraba
  • 2001 Most Outstanding Fighter
  • 2003 Fight of the Yearvs.Hidehiko Yoshida on 9 November
  • 2004 Fight of the Yearvs.Quinton Jackson on 31 October
  • 2004 Most Outstanding Fighter
• Sports Illustrated
  • 2004 Knockout of the Decadevs.Quinton Jackson on 31 October 2004^[91]
• MMAFighting.com
  • 2004 Light heavyweight of the Year^[92]
  • 2013 Best Fight of the Half-Yearvs.Brian Stann^[93]
• Sherdog
  • 2004 Fighter of the Year^[94]
  • Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame^[95]
• World MMA Awards
  • 2008 Fight of the Yearvs.Chuck Liddell atUFC 79^[96]
  • 2008 Knockout of the Yearvs.Keith Jardine atUFC 84^[96]
  • 2018 Lifetime Achievement^[97]

^[98]

• Wanderlei Silva- Sem Coleira, BB Editora (8 October 2020),ISBN 978-85-62716-85-0

• Professional MMA record for Wanderlei Silva fromSherdog 
• Wanderlei Silva atUFC