Dan Henderson vs. Wanderlei Silva II

When they met in 2000, Wanderlei Silva and Dan Henderson had yet to achieve the level of stardom that they would fighting for Pride and the UFC over the course of the next ten years. Silva won that initial affair by surprising the sturdy American wrestler with his extreme athleticism and aggression. So when Henderson knocked Silva out with a spinning backfist followed by a straight cross in their title bout at Pride 33 in 2007, he not only avenged an early career loss, but avenged it on a much bigger stage, at a time when the mixed martial arts business had expanded tremendously.

“Pride fighters are great,” Silva said in the pre-fight package for the Las Vegas-based event. “Pride will conquer UFC.” Henderson entered the ring first. Trigg: “When these guys first fought seven years ago it was an epic battle. Henderson has gotten so much better since then.” Silva, the champion, entered next. Barnett: “Even though he gets dropped, Wanderlei Silva never ever seems to be out of a fight.” What the announcers did not know at the time was that Silva was battling a terrible flu when he entered the ring that night. Silva was also excessively bulked up from his stints fighting heavyweights in the Pride Open Weight (Absolute) Grand Prix. The factors combined to leave him a step slow throughout the bout.

The first round was close, with neither fighter gaining a noticeable advantage in the standing exchanges. McEachern: “Interestingly enough, Silva says he doesn’t fight with a game plan. He trains for everything, sees what the opponent gives him, and reacts to it.” The momentum shifted clearly in favor of Henderson in the second round, as he took Silva down and opened up a cut beside his right eye with shoulder strikes amidst persistent ground and pound. McEachern: “Dan just being consistent and aggressive. He’s just trying to batter his foe.” Silva seemed to sense the loss of momentum and get back into his rhythm early in the third round, but just as things were looking up for “The Axe Murderer” the bout concluded in sudden fashion, as Henderson stunned the champion with a spinning backfist before crushing him with a left hook and a follow up right that sent Silva crashing to the canvas unconcious. Henderson clenched his fists and his face was contorted with emotion as he celebrated his victory and the Pride Middleweight Championship.

Henderson’s victory over Silva cemented his place in MMA history as the first man to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight classes in a major organization.