On March 2, 2013, Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva returned to Japan, the place where he made a name for himself as a Mixed Martial Artist when he fought for Pride Fighting Championships. Silva established himself as a great competitor in Pride FC against fighters such as the legendary Kazushi Sakuraba, former UFC Champion Quinton ‘Rampage” Jackson, Pride Grand Prix Champion Mirko Cro Cop, and Victor Valley High School wrestling legend Dan Henderson. At the Super Saitama Arena in Saitama, Japan, Silva, who is known for having many memorable slugfests in his MMA career, had another wild slugfest with US Marine Brian Stann. MMA fans in the Inland Empire who tuned in to UFC on Fuel TV 8 were not disappointed.
In the first round, Silva and Stann exchanged punches and took turns dropping each other. During one exchange, Silva got kicked in the groin, but after the referee gave him time to recover, he was able to continue fighting. Late in the first round, Stann backed Silva into the cage and threw punches at Silva as Silva’s back was against the fence. Silva went to the ground on his back, and Stann jumped into Silva’s guard. The round ended with Stann trying to damage Silva on the ground.
In the second round, Stann stalked Silva, who was relying on his counterstriking. Silva got kicked in the groin again. Despite getting kicked in the groin twice in the fight, Silva dropped Stann with a straight right and a left hook. Stann fell on his back, and Silva followed up with punches before the referee stopped the fight.
In the post-fight interview, Silva thanked his fans and expressed how happy he was to be able to fight again in the country of Japan.
Silva said, “I’m so proud. Thanks, Dana White. Thanks, UFC, for giving me this wonderful opportunity to fight here for my brothers here in Japan. Thank you, guys. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I’m proud to fight for you.”
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