What is Wanderlei Silva’s net worth?
| Net Worth: | $18 Million |
|---|---|
| Age: | 46 |
| Born: | July 3, 1976 |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 1.8 m |
| Country of Origin: | Brazil |
| Source of Wealth: | Professional MMA Fighter |
| Last Updated: | November 29, 2022 |
Introduction
Wanderlei Silva is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist who fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships.
Silva retired in 2018 after a 22-year career, competing in his final matches with Bellator MMA.
As of March 2023, Wanderlei Silva’s net worth is estimated to be $18 Million.
Wanderlei Silva Facts
- Silva was born in Curitiba, Brazil and was raised in the city.
- He was a member of the Brazilian Army prior to his professional fighting career.
- In 1996, Silva made his MMA debut with a win over Dilson Filho at Brazilian Vale Tudo 6.
- From October 1998 to December 2004, Silva suffered just one professional loss.
- Silva has held several titles, including the Pride Middleweight Championship.
Early Life
Wanderlei Cesar da Silva was born 3 July 1976 in Curitiba, Brazil and began practicing martial arts including kickboxing and Muay Thai at a young age.
Silva was fighting bare-knuckle in his amateur days, suffering some injuries along the way that he would recover from quickly.
Just a few months after his 20th birthday, Silva would make his professional MMA debut, and started his career 4-0 before his first loss to Artur Mariano.
Silva lost his second match the following year, this time to Vitor Belfort, but Silva would quickly recover and go on a hot streak.
Career
In April 1999, Wanderlei Silva became the IVC Light Heavyweight Champion, earning himself his first title, earning himself a contract with Dana White and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Silva quickly earned a title shot for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, but lost via decision to Tito Ortiz.
This launched a long winning streak for Silva as he left UFC for Pride Fighting Championships, and he went on an 18-match undefeated streak with fights against Mirko Cro Cop, Quinton Jackson, and Yuki Kondo.
Since the end of 2004, Silva has had more professional losses and wins, but has had memorable matches against the likes of Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, and Brian Stann, finishing his career with a record of 35 wins, 14 losses, 1 draw, and 1 no contest.
Wanderlei Silva’s Career Earnings & Net Worth
During his career, Wanderlei Silva was one of the highest earners in mixed martial arts, and found himself among the richest MMA fighters in the world alongside the likes of Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva, and more.
At his peak, Silva was earning more than a quarter million dollars per fight, with his highest single-fight purse coming from his win over Brian Stann in 2013.
Silva earned $200,000 for each of his final two professional fights that ended in losses to Chael Sonnen and Quinton Jackson with Bellator MMA.
Due to his high payouts and endorsement deals, Wanderlei Silva has an estimated net worth of $18 million.
Personal Life
Since 2002, Silva has been married to his wife Tea, with the couple having a son named Thor while he also has a daughter from a previous relationship.
He has split time between the United States and Brazil as his home country throughout his adult life, and now resides in Curitiba, Brazil.
In 2009, Silva founded his own MMA training organization called Wand Fight Team that’s based in Las Vegas with coaches in several forms of martial arts.
Silva has an official website and is active on social media with an official Twitter account and official Instagram account that are updated regularly.
Awards & Achievements
Wanderlei Silva has been with several different promotions in mixed martial arts and has had significant wins with each one.
Though not with the UFC Hall of Fame, Silva is a member of the Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame and has several other honors.
Here are Wanderlei Silva’s top awards and achievements from his fighting career:
- Five-time Fight of the Night and two-time Knockout of the Night bonus recipient with UFC.
- Had a record four successful title defenses as the Pride Middleweight Champion.
- Holds the Pride Fighting Championships record for most wins at 22.
- Named the Most Outstanding Fighter in the World in 2004 by Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
- Given the title of Knockout of the Decade for his 2004 match against Quinton Jackson.
Silva’s fighting career may be over, but he has a lot to be proud of between his championships and memorable matches against fighters like Michael Bisping and Quinton Jackson.
Nobody in Pride Fighting Championships is more decorated than Silva, and that’s something the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai expert is proud of.
How Does Wanderlei Silva Spend His Money?
Wanderlei Silva is not the richest MMA fighter in the world, but he does rank near the top of the list.
That doesn’t mean that Silva is a big spender, though, as he avoids driving the most expensive cars in the world and has a modest home.
Silva does have a couple of BMWs that he likes to drive around, and his house in Las Vegas is estimated to be around $200,000.
He also owns a home in his Brazilian hometown, splitting his time between the two houses as he operates a training facility in Nevada.
Highlights
Wanderlei Silva has a long list of milestones and highlights that put him in the conversation with Georges St. Pierre, Jon Jones and more as the greatest MMA fighter in the world.
Whether it be with the UFC, Pride, or even International Vale Tudo Championship, Silva has had an incredible career as a fighter.
Here are some of the best highlights of Wanderlei Silva’s career:
- Won his first four professional matches from 1996 to 1997 in his native Brazil.
- Defeated Eugene Jackson for his first championship in April 1999.
- Headlined his first pay-per-view in 2009 when he took on Rich Franklin at UFC 99.
- Finished his career against rival Quinton Jackson at Bellator 206 in September 2018.
- Given the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award by the World MMA Awards.
Unless the unthinkable happens, Silva has fought his last match, but the Hall of Famer has a lot to be proud of as a mixed martial artist.
Not many have the type of resume that the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert has built during his long career.
Favorite Wanderlei Silva Quotes
Wanderlei Silva is one of the most well-known mixed martial artists on the planet and has a lot on his mind.
Between giving interviews to Joe Rogan after a fight or speaking candidly about how he prepares for his next opponent, Silva is an open book.
Here are our favorite quotes from Wanderlei Silva:
- ” If you don’t want to sweat, stay on the couch.” – Wanderlei Silva
- ” If I could leave a tip for the young guys, it would be don’t hit yourselves every day.” – Wanderlei Silva
- ” My Hall of Fame are my fans.” – Wanderlei Silva
- ” I like the octagon because there are no corners; there is nowhere for my opponent to go.” – Wanderlei Silva
- ” I don’t think about my losses. I only thinking about winning my next fight and preparing for my next fight.” – Wanderlei Silva
3 Amazing Lessons From Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei Silva has been able to travel the world, calling countries including Brazil, Japan, and the United States his home.
From practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in small gyms to fighting in front of tens of thousands in packed arenas, Wanderlei Silva has done it all.
Now that you know all about Wanderlei Silva’s net worth, there’s much to learn from the man who had the longest winning streak in Pride history.
Here are some of the best success lessons to learn from Wanderlei Silva:
1. Find A Way To Refuel Your Fire
No matter what your job is, you can lose your passion rather quickly if your heart isn’t into it due to management.
That’s what happened with Wanderlei Silva as he wasn’t too happy with how Dana White was operating the UFC and left for Bellator.
The result was Silva finding a new love for fighting as he got to focus on being the most ruthless fighter in the world instead of a promoter.
2. Business Is Business
Wanderlei Silva said that he learned the hard way in the United States that feelings don’t get considered during business transactions.
This was the biggest takeaway from his time with UFC as he thought because he was friends with so many people that there would be concessions when there were union talks.
Instead, he learned that no matter how much respect or friendship that you show, business decisions are made without those aspects being put into play.
3. Know When You’ve Done Enough
There comes a time in every profession that you have to learn to walk away for good, and it can be hard as an athlete.
Wandelei Silva could have continued fighting in the middleweight division or light heavyweight division, but didn’t want to go through the strain anymore.
He decided to hang it up after a long career and a few losses at the tail end, satisfied with how his time as a professional MMA fighter went.
Summary
Making it as a professional mixed martial artist for two years is hard enough, but Wanderlei Silva was able to stay at the top of the MMA world for 22 years.
Though the back end of his career included a lot of losses, it also brought a lot of big paydays for the former Pride Middleweight Champion.
Now a member of the Hall of Fame, the MMA fighter is able to enjoy retirement in Las Vegas and Brazil knowing that his career was among the best ever.
As of March 2023, Wanderlei Silva’s net worth is estimated to be $18 Million.
