5. GRAND VICTORY
Often included in the conversation as one of the strongest tournaments Pride Fighting Championships ever staged, the 2003 middleweight grand prix featured an eight-man field consisting of names like Alistair Overeem, Chuck Liddell, Quinton Jackson and Kazushi Sakuraba. Of course, Wanderlei Silva was there, too.
After defeating Sakuraba in their August quarterfinal, Silva began the grueling portion of the tournament by defeating Hidehiko Yoshida via unanimous decision on Nov. 9, 2003. In the final later that same day, Silva completed his march to the tournament title by stopping Jackson in the first round. It resulted in one of the most brutal beatings “Rampage” would ever endure. Jackson managed to take down Silva, but after a controversial referee restart, the Brazilian juggernaut finished the Memphis, Tenn., native with a series of roughly 20 standing knee strikes to the head.
The victory only added to the near-mythic status Silva had attained in Pride.
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