Wanderlei Silva may have been a betting underdog to Cung Le at UFC 139 but many MMA fans hadn’t given up on “The Axe Murderer.” Silva overcame some shaky early moments to get inside in the second round and land punches and knees, hurting Le badly and finishing the fight. Le was left with a badly shattered nose and Silva was left with yet another great moment in a historic career.
Wanderlei’s win was his first since February 2010 while Le was making his UFC debut.
What was the high spot of the fight?
The finishing flurry by Silva is undoubtedly the highlight of the fight. It was vintage Axe Murderer as he closed the show once he had Le hurt.
Where do these guys go from here?
Silva is now 3-3 since 2008, it’s hard to see what you really do with him. He is more of a special attraction now than an elite contender but there are still ways to put him in exciting fights through methods like they used with Cung Le. Find a fighter who will go to war with him and see what unfolds. Still, the days of Silva as a title challenger are behind us. As sad as that is to admit.
For Le, I’d assume it’s back to Hollywood. He has never seemed 100% committed to his MMA career. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the UFC isn’t a place where you can dog it and find success. I think his style would still be a pain for a lot of people to deal with, but Le needs to be in better shape and fight with a bit more strategy if he’s going to stick around. I’d still be interested in Le vs. Chris Leben in a battle of guys coming off losses though, even if I think Leben would put Le into a deep sleep.
Watch it now, later or never?
Now, absolutely now. Wanderlei Silva violence is a special kind of violence.
More BE coverage of UFC 139 in the full entry.
UFC 139 Results: FightMetric Scores Shogun vs. Henderson a Draw – Tim Burke
UFC 139 Results: The Resurgence Of Stephan Bonnar – Josh Nason
UFC 139 Shogun vs Henderson Results: Winners, Losers, and Other Thoughts – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Video: Full Post-Fight Press Conference Video For Shogun vs Henderson – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Dan Henderson vs Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua Fight Video Highlights – Leland Roling
UFC 139: Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua Results and Post-Fight Analysis – Brent Brookhouse
UFC 139 Post-Fight Press Conference Coverage – Tim Burke
Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio – Episode 102: UFC 139 Results Review – Matt Bishop
UFC 139 Results: Dan Henderson Wins Decisions Over Shogun Rua In An Absolute Classic – Matt Roth
UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson – Live Results and Play-By-Play for PPV Broadcast – Brent Brookhouse
UFC 139 Results: Wanderlei Silva Knocks Out Cung Le In The Second Round – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Urijah Faber Chokes Brian Bowles Out With A Guillotine – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Martin Kampmann Edges Rick Story with Split Decision Victory – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Stephan Bonnar Dominates Kyle Kingsbury To Unanimous Decision – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Ryan Bader Knocks Out Jason Brilz In The First – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Michael McDonald Knocks Alex Soto Out In The First Round – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Chris Weidman Sinks In D’arce Choke to Beat Tom Lawlor – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Gleison Tibau Wins Split Decision Over Rafael dos Anjos – Matt Roth
UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson – Live Results and Play-By-Play for Facebook Stream – Brent Brookhouse
UFC 139 Results: Miguel Torres Puts On A Clinic Against Nick Pace – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Seth Baczynski Finishes Matt Brown Early In The Second – Matt Roth
UFC 139 Results: Danny Castillo Finishes Shamar Bailey With Punches – Matt Roth