Fight fans rejoice for the godfather of violence will fight again! In January, Wanderlei Silva was released from his contract with the UFC after the two parties settled a defamation suit and Silva issued a public apology for his claims that the UFC has been involved in fixing fights.
Upon receiving a lifetime ban from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for refusing to take a random drug test, many thought the sentence would ultimately mean the end for the Brazilian’s MMA career.
Recently, as many anticipated, Bellator signed the Pride FC legend to a multi-fight contract; outbidding growing rival promotions World Series of Fighting and Rizin Fighting Federation.
After the NSAC lessened the fighter’s sentence from a lifetime ban to a three year sentence, retroactive to the initial time issued, Silva will be eligible to reapply for a license until May of 2017. However, once that time has passed, Bellator has quite a few interesting options for the “Ax Murderer”.
Bellator: Top 5 Matches To Make For Wanderlei Silva
5. Tito Ortiz
After falling to Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Liam McGeary by submission in the first round, it is back to the drawing board for the Tito Ortiz. Despite the loss and largely due to the lack of stars and depth on the Bellator roster, Ortiz would only need a few more wins to be back in the title picture. For Silva, facing Ortiz would give him the opportunity to avenge a unanimous decision loss suffered 16 years ago at UFC 25.
As a main event on Spike TV, this matchup would be sure to garner significant interest from the MMA world and should Silva win, it could potentially create something of a nostalgic rivalry with an opportunity for a tie-breaking third contest under the Bellator banner.
4. Stephan Bonnar
Despite seemingly fallen off the face of the Earth, the “American Psycho” is still listed as an active fighter according to Bellator’s official website. Since signing with the promotion, Bonnar has only fought once with Bellator in which he suffered a razor-close split decision loss to Tito Ortiz back at Bellator 131.
Despite the inactivity of both fighters, with Silva having not competed since 2013 and Bonnar since 2014, this match-up would be a relatively even fight for both men. With a reputation for violence and an iron chin, one could safely assume that Bonnar would be more than willing to trade punches with the ‘Ax Murder’ in what would be a guaranteed slugfest.
3. Liam McGeary/ Rafael Carvalho
As Bellator continues to build their brand, they must look for ways to bolster their champions in the eyes of the casual viewer. If Bellator were to book Silva versus either Light Heavyweight Champion Liam McGeary or Middleweight Champion Rafael Carvalho (as it remains unknown which weight class Silva will compete in), it would give either champion an opportunity to perform with a significant number of viewers watching.
For Bellator, either one of these match-ups is a win-win scenario for the promotion.
If either McGeary or Carvalho perform to the best of their abilities and defeat the former Pride Middleweight Champion, it would do wonders for their name recognition in the MMA world. If Silva were to pull off the upset in either one of those bouts, it would not only be tremendous for Silva and Bellator’s brand, but it would be one of the greatest comeback stories in the history of the sport.
2. Rampage Jackson
In terms of sheer violence and bad blood in MMA, it does not get any more personal and historic than Rampage Jackson versus Silva. With a history dating back to their days in Japan under Pride FC, Silva and Rampage Jackson have had some of the most violent fights in the history of the sport.
Back in Japan, Silva scored two highlight real knockouts over Jackson at Pride Conflict 2003 and again at Pride 28. Jackson would eventually earn some retribution with a knockout of his own at UFC 92. Despite neither man being the same fighter that they once were, this is definitely a fight with considerable appeal to fight fans everywhere.
1. Paul Daley
Riding a 5 fight winning streak, with four of those victories coming by way of knockout stoppage, Paul “Semtex” Daley could arguably be next in line to challenge for the Bellator welterweight championship. However, Daley knows exactly who he wants next; Silva. Despite competing at welterweight, in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, “Semtex” expressed that he would be more than willing to meet Silva at 185 pounds.
With both fighters having an extensive, violent resume and considerable name recognition, booking “Semtex” versus the “Ax Murder” would certainly garner a tremendous amount of attention and appeal for Bellator. To quote former Pride FC and Strikeforce commentator, Daley and Silva in the same cage would definitely be “incendiary ingredients for what’s sure to be a combustible main event”.
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