“The Axe Murderer,” Wanderlei Silva, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this year.
Silva joins the Pioneer wing as part of the 2024 class.
Set for Las Vegas this summer during International Fight Week, the hall of fame ceremony will stream live on UFC Fight Pass.
“Wanderlei Silva is one of the true pioneers of the sport of MMA,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “Wanderlei was an absolute savage who left his mark by delivering some of the most memorable fights in combat sports history.
“He had legendary fights against Mirko Cro Crop, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Brian Stann, and his fights against Rich Franklin, as they were absolute wars.
“He was also one of the early superstars of PRIDE who helped grow the MMA fanbase on a global scale, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”
Silva becomes the 19th member of the Pioneer wing, which is for athletes who turned pro prior to 2000, are at least 35 and have been retired for a year-plus.
Wanderlei Silva Career Resume
During his 22 years in the sport, Silva competed 51 times, going 35-14-1 with a no-contest. That included an extended career in PRIDE and UFC where he won 27 matches.
Some of those key victories came over the likes of fellow UFC Hall of Famers Michael Bisping, Dan Henderson and Kazushi Sakuraba. He also scored victories over Guy Mezger, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Brian Stann during his career.
Silva debuted in 1996 competing at Brazilian Vale Tudo 6. He made his Octagon debut two years later vs. Vitor Belfort.
After returning to the UFC following a run in PRIDE, Silva lost to Tito Ortiz for the vacant light heavyweight belt. He owns the most knockouts in Zuffa history at 19 and the most PRIDE wins with 22.
Silva also went 20 fights without a loss in PRIDE and has received numerous honors for his efforts in the sport.
More must-reads: