Wanderlei Silva Will Win the Fight of the Decade by Split Decision
Chris Leben fondly recalls going to Japanese toy stores and the like where the owners kept a section of bootlegged PRIDE DVDs, and that's how he got put onto Wanderlei Silva.
Years after the era of bootlegged PRIDE DVDs and old PRIDE tapes, Leben gets to stare across the cage from the oxygenated figure this Saturday in the one fight of the summer guaranteed to not disappoint.
You don't even need to be a Chris Leben fan to admire his style or to know that this fight will be a hurricane of electricity all throughout—all you need to do is watch his early fights in the UFC.
He could have pulled guard and made for some of the most stale fights in the UFC, but he abandoned smarts and opted to turn his roller-coaster career into a highlight reel for the ages—and while it's cost him a few times, it's also led to some insane finishes.
Wanderlei Silva knows about insane finishes, because he's responsible for some of MMA's craziest knockouts and his Muay Thai is arguably the most legendary in MMA history.
Both guys have alternated between saying they'll try for KO of the Night and saying that this one will at the very least be Fight of the Night.
It will, and it will look like it should be a split draw, but something inside me says whatever Wanderlei lands with will be effective enough to steal him a split decision.
Wanderlei and Leben will look worse than either man has ever looked after a long 15-minute battle, but at the end of the bout, we will have a winner by split decision and it will be The Axe Murderer.
Expect Leben to briefly show his jiu-jitsu and keep his guard tight enough for the ref to stand up the fight, but don't get too comfy with thinking Leben will submit Wanderlei.
Knowing Leben, he'll get the chance, but he'll sacrifice it if it means that this co-headliner is Fight of the Decade.