Wanderlei Silva announces November boxing debut against Brazilian bodybuilder Felipe Franco

MMA legend Wanderlei Silva will be making his boxing debut against Felipe Franco in November.

‘The Axe Murderer’ has been out of action for nearly five years, last facing Rampage Jackson. That was the fourth fight between the two, taking place at Bellator 206 in September 2018. There, Wanderlei Silva came up short, losing by second-round knockout moving the series to 2-2.

For years, there was no sort of talk about a return or retirement fight from the former PRIDE champion. However, late last year, Wanderlei Silva announced his retirement from MMA. At the time, the former light-heavyweight champion stated that he planned to coach his son, Thor. However, the Brazilian did admit that he was open to any potential boxing offer.

Now almost a year later, Wanderlei Silva is set for his boxing debut in November. On social media, the former PRIDE champion announced that he would head to the ring on November 25th against Felipe Franco. For fans concerned about the former champion’s age, the contest won’t be a professional one, and will instead be an exhibition.

RELATED: JAKE PAUL EYEING MMA FIGHT WITH CONOR MCGREGOR AFTER NATE DIAZ: “I’M NOT AFRAID”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Wanderlei Silva (@wandfc)

For both men, the boxing match will be their first. However, for Felipe Franco, the contest will be his first combat sports appearance period. The Brazilian bodybuilder has never competed in MMA or boxing to this day but will get a chance to upset a former champion in November.

In addition to the announcement of Wanderlei Silva vs. Felipe Franco, the former champion’s son, Thor, will return as well. The young Brazilian has attained a 2-0 record in amateur fights to this point in his career. As of now, his November opponent hasn’t been revealed.

What do you make of this fight announcement? Will you watch Wanderlei Silva vs. Felipe Franco?