GRACIEMAG.com stopped by Wanderlei Silva’s gym in Las Vegas. Being the gentleman he is, Wanderlei didn’t just welcome in the reporter, but another dozen fans who were dying to meet the MMA legend. Among them were notable figures like Fredson Alves, a Gracie Humaitá black belt.
Over there, we took the opportunity to ask about the fight with Brian Stann that was announced for UFC 130, on May 28. The “Axe Murderer” was content to leave the question hanging in mystery, though.
“I’m still not 100% sure it’s going to be this opponent they’ve been talking about. Maybe, maybe not. If it is, it’ll be a good fight, a fight with him is doable,” said Wand last Friday.
However, should the UFC maintain the matchup, the fighter is ready.
“To me it doesn’t matter who it is. With what I make, I obviously have to fight anyone. I want a big name guy who’ll raise my stock too,” he added.
When the UFC touched down in Brazil in 1998, Wand saw action against Vitor Belfort in the octagon set up in São Paulo. Now he would like to fight in the country again, this time in Rio de Janeiro at the August event.
“I’d really like to fight in Rio, and I think it would be really cool. We’ll see, because I still don’t know the exact date of when I’ll next fight. Depending on when, it may be possible for me to fight in Rio. It will be a really cool event, which will come in making a different kind of impact. It shows how MMA is something else,” he said.
“It used to be that everyone would have to make a huge effort just for a snippet to show up in a newspaper, now they know how to do things. I’d really like to participate in this second installment of the UFC in Brazil. I fought at the maiden event in Germany, in Australia, and to fight at the first installment in Rio would be wonderful,” pleads Wand.
Check out Wanderlei’s gym in Vegas:
[flickr set=72157625869441571]
