Legendary Brazilian MMA Fighter Wanderlei Silva Has Been Told He is Displaying Signs of Concussion… However, the Veteran Refuses to Retire… And Wants to Donate His Brain to Science…
Wanderlei Silva is one of the most distinctive active veterans in MMA today. The Brazilian has fought for PRIDE, the UFC and is currently on the books of Bellator and RIZIN. The 42-year-old has a record of 51 fights, with 35 losses. His most recent appearance was a defeat to Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.
‘The Axe Murderer’s’ best days were back in PRIDE, where he was the promotion’s middleweight champion. He has the most wins, knockouts, title defences and the longest winning streak in the history of the Japanese promotion. Back in the day, Wanderlei was box office.
Now though, after a long and brutal career, the Brazilian is starting to show the signs of taking too much punishment. He has revealed that he is displaying 8 out of 10 symptoms that show you have a concussion.
Important
Silva explained that while attending a lecture on the topic of concussion he discovered that he was displaying almost all of the signs that they had mentioned. He told MMA Fighting:
“I was in a lecture about concussion and of the 10 symptoms the guy mentioned, I had eight,” Silva said. “The symptoms would be, for example, mood swings, getting angry very fast, forgetting some things, having difficulty sleeping.”
“I thought a lot about it and even tried to contact people to make this donation. I have the most interested in donating, since I won’t be using it anyway. This area is very important.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JArrOqdwMtY
Understanding
Dana White might not like to hear it, but there’s a reason the fight game has evolved. It’s not smart to stand and bang in every fight, because you’re going to feel the effects later in your life. Silva explained how his understanding of concussion has evolved and that young fighters need to be careful.
“I, for example, believed that the the more you got punched, the more you could take it. And it’s the opposite: the more you get, the less you can take in a fight,” Silva said. “If I could leave a tip for the young guys, it would be don’t hit yourselves every day. If you have a young student, don’t let him take too many punches to the head. There’s the right moment to do a hard training, but it can’t be every day. A good coach takes care of your student.”
Next Fight
Don’t expect to see him retire anytime soon though. Silva is hoping to fight for the 52nd time, with a potential matchup against a former opponent in Vitor Belfort. His fellow Brazilian holds a win over him and he wants revenge.
“I can fight him twice if he wants, no problem at all,” Silva said. “I’m fine, I’m healthy, I’m training, and at this point of (our) careers would be great for everyone. … I can’t end my career without this fight.”
You can take the fighter out of the octagon, but you can’t take the fight out of the fighter.
