Silva Looking for 'Fight of the Year' with Leben at UFC 132

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Wanderlei Silva has been out of action for over 16 months, and it's no surprise that “The Axe Murderer” plans on returning to the Octagon in style.

On Saturday, the former Pride Fighting Championships 205-pound king will lock horns with another well-known slugger in Chris Leben in the co-main event of UFC 132. If Silva has his way, both he and his opponent will walk away from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with something extra on July 2: a nomination for ‘Fight of the Year.’

“This fight is really important to me. I’ve been out, and this has been a hard year for me. That why I’ve trained so hard. I’m a competitive guy. I like to be in the Octagon and fight. A lot of guys stand in front of me for a few minutes and then run,” said Silva during the UFC 132 conference call.

“But I think my opponent is really going to come to fight. I think we're going to put on a great show. I asked for this fight, because we can make one of the best fights of the year – maybe the best fight of the year. I want the check for “'Fight of the Night.'”

In Leben, Silva sees a knockout puncher with a similar in-cage demeanor to his own. As evidenced by the Brazilian's request to fight “The Crippler” in his comeback bout, Silva hopes the pair can put on an exciting bout for his fans, on whom he has relied while recovering from knee surgery this past year.

“I talked to the boss, and I asked if I could fight Chris Leben. I said that I had been watching his fights, and he punches very well. He's a tough guy. I like his style. He fights like me,” said Silva. “I had a really tough year with the injury. But I’ve had unbelievable support from my fans. My fans send me messages everyday, and I really want to give them a good show. I want to show the real and the best Wanderlei Silva.”

In preparation for his bout with Leben, Silva has reunited with former Chute Boxe mentor Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, Calif., a decision that the Brazilian believes has left him prepared for anything.

“We have a great camp there. I trained with “Babalu” [Renato Sobral], [Fabricio] Werdum and “Shogun” [Mauricio Rua]. Man, it's so tough,” said Silva. “They kick my ass every day, but it makes me stronger, you know? I’m ready for everything in this next fight -- standup, ground, takedowns. Also, my cardio is really good right now. It was the best camp of my life.”

Looking toward the future, Silva, 34, asserts that although he still has title aspirations, he must first take care of the man looking to spoil his return to the cage.

“Of course I want to try to fight for the belt, but I’ve got a fight with a great fighter right now, and I need to focus on him before talking about [the future].”