Fifteen years ago, the rivalry between
Brazilian Top Team and
Chute Boxe used to make Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba hostile
territory for anyone representing the opposing team.
Wanderlei
Silva adopted the phrase “time is the best medicine,” launching
his autobiography on Thursday titled “Sem Coleira” in former rival
city Rio de Janeiro. Unconcerned with a hostile reception, those in
attendance including even former enemies gave him a hero’s welcome,
and “The Axe Murderer” was truly moved from the fans in the city.
In his release party, Silva was able to celebrate with the fans and
former rival teams in Rio de Janeiro, in a beautiful tribute for
the legend of the sport.
Those in attendance included fans, journalists, Luta Livre members,
Nova Uniao and even former enemies from BTT.
“Fifteen years ago, it would be impossible for me to be here,”
expressed BTT founder “Bebeo” Duarte. The Carlson Gracie black belt
was also joined by Carlos
Barreto at the ceremony. “I would be at home cheering for a
huge storm destroy his event, mainly for being in our homeland. But
that’s past. Today I’m able to see how important it was that
rivalry to the MMA and I’m very happy to be here honoring this
great legend of our sport.”
“Names like Wanderlei, Minotauro and Anderson
Silva transcend MMA,” said Duarte. “They are icons admired for
any fans of any sports. There is no way I wouldn’t be here to pay
my homage to him.”
Before fans lined up, Silva was announced by entering to iconic
walkout song “Sandstorm” by Darude, walking out to a cage to sign
books and take photographs. During his brief speech, Silva
emotionally reminisced about of his career and thanked fans along
with his team and the opponents that helped him grow.
When Silva noticed Luta Livre master Eugenio
Tadeu entering the arena, he could barely hold himself
together.
“Thanks for coming, master,” Silva gushed. “You did the first Vale
Tudo fight I saw in my life [against Wallid
Ismail in 1991]. Such an honor to have you here.”
For almost two hours Wanderlei signed books, took pictures and
talked to everyone in attendance. Several famous members of the
sport made appearances in support of their hero, including former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champion
Jose
Aldo as well as ex-king of Shooto Alexandre
Franca Nogueira, with the latter reigning over his
featherweight division from 1999 to 2005. Although the focus was
not on Aldo, the longtime champ discussed the influence of Silva on
his own aggressive style, while revealing that his next UFC bout is
booked for November – although he was coy about revealing the
opponent.
Comedian and musician Rey Biannchi also came to celebrate with
Silva. The popular Brazilian comic known for his numerous humorous
animal imitations, cracked Silva up in a short performance. In his
show, Biannchi performed in part as a character called “The Mad
Dog,” created as an homage to the legend.
“I lost so many nights waiting for his fights in Pride,” explained
Biannchi. “There were no TV transmissions by that time so Brazilian
fans needed to find illegal links. Wanderlei was the Brazilian Mike
Tyson. I’m really happy to finally met him personally and make him
laugh. His legacy can never be forgotten by new generations.”
His biography, written with ghostwriters Thiago Parijiani and Luis
Henrique Gurian, delved into the life of “The Axe Murderer.” In the
pages, Silva revealed several important moments of his career by
going into detail about his rivalries with Ricardo
Arona, Chael Sonnen
and Vitor
Belfort.
Also featured in the
166-page, picture-stuffed book is the oft-discussed salacious
story of Silva’s encounter with Charles
Bennett. Sharing a long-held Chute Boxe secret, Silva admitted
in his biography that “Krazy Horse” did in fact knock him out
backstage at Pride Shockwave 2005 shortly before Silva had to face
Arona for the Pride Fighting Championships middleweight
belt.
Silva
recently met with Royce Gracie
on Monday to sign a copy of his book for the fellow legend. While
the biography is currently only released in Brazil, Silva promised
that the English translation will be made available in 2021.