Going into his fight with Cung Le, Wanderlei Silva was in the same spot Tito Ortiz was a short while ago. We were waiting for him to lose that one final time, if only to prove to Silva himself that he didn’t have it anymore. Cung Le was the best fighter for him in terms of a match-making perspective but not perhaps in the most competitive one. And while the fight was much more competitive than anyone had hoped, and Silva’ stoppage one of the great moments of a card littered with them, forgotten after an amazing main event is that UFC 139 showed MMA fans something that hasn’t been seen since the high point of MMA was almost exclusively in the Land of the Rising Sun.
We got to see “The Axe Murderer” one more time and not the shell of the fighter who still has a home in our hearts.
For one fight, Wanderlei looked like the fighter that made fans worldwide an instant fan. Coming to the cage to “Sandstorm,” and bouncing up and down with the same vigor he has for all his fights, it felt the same way that Ortiz coming out to “Not Afraid” by Eminem did: more perfunctory than performance. We expected both men to lose, and lose convincingly, and when the fight was stopped it was a celebration.
The man who had a stretcher and smelling salts seemingly lined up for him by everyone but his corner came out the victor. Le looks to have a plastic surgeon’s work on him in the near future before returning to what will most likely become his full-time career as an actor. And while it didn’t show us anything but the fact that Silva defeated a guy whose credentials to be in the UFC were dubious at best, it gave us a special moment to treasure.
In the aftermath of this fight, we’re left with plenty of questions and not as many answers as there ought to be. Silva’s chin showed it could hold up but Le didn’t challenge him as often as one expected him to, relying more on his repertoire of kicks to the body to carry the fight. Silva’s ability to swarm and unload punishment looked as crisp as it has in years, as well, and when the fight was stopped with Le holding on for dear life anyone who calls themselves a fan of the sport had to have rejoiced.
For one night, “The Axe Murderer” was back and well. Our memories of his dominance came to the front of our memory and his recent trend of getting knocked out was pushed away. In one shining moment we got to relive what made him the most feared man in MMA, whose nickname was appropriate in every way. No matter what the future holds for him, sometimes it’s nice to be rewarded.
