That violence check Wanderlei Silva wrote in the cage for years is now being cashed by his brain.
Apparently, the legendary Brazilian striker – beloved for his ferocity and reckless abandon in fights – let it be known that he’s showing all the signs of sustained brain trauma.
This is sad, but inevitable, news. I mean, we loved the dude because he had a warm personality outside of the cage, but a killer, killer instinct in the cage. And ultimately, all those punches and kicks to the head come at a cost.
Here’s MMAJunkie:
The California State Athletic Commission is taking “very, very seriously” a recent interview from Wanderlei Silva, who on Tuesday said he suffers from concussion symptoms.
“We’re going to have to make sure he’s neurologically fit to go,” CSAC Executive Director Andy Foster today told MMAjunkie. “If fighters say things like this in the press, we have to follow up. He’s welcome to fight here if he’s medically cleared.”
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Silva, 42, told Portal Vale Tudo he self-identified eight of the 10 symptoms of head trauma while at a lecture on the topic of concussions. He cited difficulties with mood swings, memory lapses and sleeping.
“In our time … I believed that the more punches you took, the more you could bear it,” Silva said (via Google translate). “And it’s the other way around: The more punches you take, the less you can handle at the time of the fight.”