Wanderlei Silva is one of the most successful combatants ever. “The Axe Murderer” rose to prominence as an unstoppable force in the PRIDE ring. He went on the longest winning streak in the promotion’s history and made four title defenses. A recent HOF inductee, Silva is one of the greats. Sadly, lining up to the UFC antitrust case, the fighter has now disclosed serious health concerns after his combat sports career.
A second settlement was recently reached in the UFC antitrust case to the tune of 375 million dollars. Ex-UFC stars Cung Le, Nathan Quarry, Jon Fitch, Brandon Vera, et al. acted as plaintiffs (Case No. 2:15-cv-01045-RFB-BNW) starting the two-parter lawsuit ranging back a decade now. Prime declarations from Wanderlei Silva are now privy to public due to the alleged anti-competitive conduct violating Section 2 of the Sherman Act. It mostly reads:
While fighting for the UFC, I suffered many significant injuries, including concussions. I fear that during my career I have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI) and am noticing symptoms common with TBI and CTE including depression, mood swings, and irritability. To date, no treatment for CTE has been found. I suffer from sleep apnea and have difficulty sleeping and breathing. That I can recall, I have had four surgeries on my nose, 1 on my face, 2 on my left knee, 1 on my right knee and 1 on my elbow…
Media Declaration from Wanderlei Silva – (Case No. 2:15-cv-01045-RFB-BNW); H/T: MMA insider John S. Nash on X (@heynottheface)
Wanderlei Silva has had quite the running under the banner. The 48-year-old Brazilian, previously banned by Dana White, was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame earlier this year. The legendary bruiser joined the UFC in 2007, past his prime. However, in his six years, he managed to defeat quality opponents like Michael Bisping and Brian Stann. His moments with rival Chael Sonnen still hold to this day.
Declaration of Wanderlei Silva pic.twitter.com/w7eJQdKNou
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) October 7, 2024
Declaration of Shane Carwin pic.twitter.com/9HwA79M4M8
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) October 8, 2024
some quotes from some of the fighter declarations. This is some sad reading. pic.twitter.com/zoAtZoiG27
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) October 7, 2024
Silva stopped fighting and officially retired in 2022. Facing knockouts from the likes of Mirko Cro Cop and Quinton Jackson, the fighter seriously needs the settlement. District Court Judge Richard Boulware previously struck down a combined $335m settlement for the UFC antitrust case saying a $75m wasn’t a big hike. Hence, struggling UFC veterans are awaiting word for a better sum. Fan fave Silva’s statement is very harrowing but hardly unique.
UFC Lawsuit update: Winners and losers of the alleged settlement
The TKO helm and the banner narrowly avoided paying for UFC’s multi-bout contracts and damages up to $1.6 billion in the trial. It rose in stock points, agreeing to higher the $375m antitrust case, telling the Securities and Exchange Commission. Now, there are more winners and losers to settling.
The combat sports malpractices have been a total axe to ‘Ax Murderer’ Wanderlei Silva, Francis Ngannou, Nate Quarry, and all. But there have been positives and negatives to the case. John Nash has been covering the case flow as such. Mostly on his Substack and “Hey Not The Face” Podcast; What Every Fighter Should Know about the Antitrust Settlement” segments.
For one positive, a five-year maximum rehash period on contracts has helped bigger fighters. It helped allow then-UFC Ngannou to sit out his contract and opt for free agency. Since then, he’s secured big paydays as a professional boxer. These would not have been possible without these short but significant changes to the contract, even though it meant the micromanaging practices not going to trial.
Ex-UFC middleweight Quarry, a vocal part of the fighter cohort, wrote on Reddit that the settlement “seemed like the best option” available. But there was also a considerable risk if they went to court and lost, they’d get nothing. It could be years before they saw any money. Only a few ever get to the loftier offsets and big pay. That would hardly be true for a herd.
MMA media and UFC competition lost out a bit too. The sale to Endeavor in 2016 and the documents circulated would give much more tidbits to poach on. That is – if settlements were not on the table and it went to trial.
