ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Wanderlei Silva, one of the most exciting fighters in the history of mixed martial arts, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer, the promotion announced Saturday night during the UFC 298 broadcast.
The induction ceremony typically takes place during International Fight Week, which will fall in late June 2024.
Known for his violent, full-speed-ahead striking style, Silva was one of the premier MMA fighters of the 2000s, mostly competing in Japan before coming to the UFC toward the tail end of his career.
Silva, 47, has the most knockouts in major MMA history (19) if you combine the UFC, Strikeforce, Pride and WEC, which are now all owned by UFC parent company Zuffa.
"The Axe Murderer" is tied for second in finishes for Zuffa with Donald Cerrone and Charles Oliveira. The Brazilian slugger had the most wins (22) and knockouts (15) in Pride FC history, many of those coming during a period when Pride, then the biggest MMA promotion in Japan, was on an equal level to the UFC, if not bigger.
Silva became Pride FC middleweight champion in 2001 and didn't lose the title until 2007. He won the Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix, knocking out Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in the finals.
Silva was past his prime when he arrived in the UFC, but had the Fight of the Year with Chuck Liddell and Knockout of the Year (over Keith Jardine) in 2008. He retired in 2018 after Bellator losses to Chael Sonnen and Jackson.
In his career, Silva defeated former champions such as Michael Bisping, Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba and Jackson.
