According to a March 2 report from ESPN, Wanderlei Silva is set to fight Brian Stann in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV 8, live from the Saitama Arena in Japan.
Silva, 36, is set to compete in Japan for the first time since Dec. 2006, and he's proud to return to the place where he built up his name as one of the greatest fighters of all-time. The country served host to some of the best performances of Silva's career, including when he won the 205-pound Pride title in 2001.
"I'm so proud to fight back here," Silva said of his UFC on Fuel TV 8 fight. "That stadium, Saitama, has given me some of the best moments in my career."
Unfortunately, Silva is a battle-tested 36. He may be one knockout loss away from retirement, and Stann hopes to send him his walking papers into post-fight life.
"The popularity of my opponent, Wanderlei Silva, is very well deserved," Stann said. "I myself, when I first thought about coming into this sport, my favorite fighter was Wanderlei Silva. I would watch his fights in Pride and I would just marvel at the tenacity that he brought inside of the ring and how he fought. Not only that, but the way he treated other people and the way he conducted himself, I've always admired all of those qualities in him."
"So for me to come into this fight, obviously I'm not going to be the more popular fighter, but Wanderlei's earned that," Stann continued. "He deserves that right, and I'm so happy that he gets the opportunity to return to Japan, where he had some of his greatest accomplishments, and I'm glad that I get to be his opponent. "
For now, Silva put the kabosh on retirement talks. Is he done following his UFC on Fuel TV 8 fight?
"Not yet," he said.
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