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Wanderlei Silva’s history of violence will be chronicled forever in the UFC Hall of Fame.

During Saturday’s UFC 298 broadcast, Silva was announced as the latest inductee to the hall’s Pioneer Wing. “The Axe Murderer” will officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer during International Fight Week.

Watch the video package honoring Silva below.

Silva is the second name to be confirmed as a 2024 inductee, following former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Edgar joins the hall’s Modern Wing.

Over the course of a 51-fight career that began back in 1996, Silva earned a reputation as one of MMA’s most intimidating figures and one of its most lethal finishers. Of his 35 wins, 27 came by way of knockout. He also amassed an incredible 20-fight unbeaten streak during his run with the legendary PRIDE organization.

It was in Japan that Silva’s fame skyrocketed as he scored unforgettable knockouts of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Shungo Oyama, among others. He competed for the UFC light heavyweight title early in his career and though he saw mixed results in his second run with the promotion, finishes of Brian Stann, Cung Le, and Keith Jardine, and an all-time classic brawl with Chuck Liddell assured his place as an all-time great.

Silva last competed in 2018, wrapping up his career with a 35-14-1 (1 NC) record. He joins such luminaries as Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, and Sakuraba in the Pioneer Wing.

See more from Silva reaction below.

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Following tonight’s UFC 298 event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, the big winners will field questions from the media during the event’s post-fight press conference.  

The event was headlined by a featherweight title bout between champion Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated challenger Ilia Topuria.  Topuria knocked Volkanovski out in the second round to become the new featherweight champion.  Hear what the fighters have to say.

UFC 298 Post-Fight Press Conference

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Costa was moments away from earning a KO win over Whittaker at UFC 298. Instead, he left Anaheim with a decision loss, his third defeat in four fights.

After a year and a half filled with false starts and fight cancellations, Paulo Costa finally stepped back into the cage at UFC 298 against Robert Whittaker. And while “Borrachinha” lost a competitive decision to “The Reaper” (check out the scorecards here), he did well enough to prove he still belonged at the top of the middleweight division.

In a new statement released on X (formerly Twitter), Costa discussed the loss and what he think went wrong for him in the cage.

“Yeah I’m not happy, these sort of feelings always sucks because I was so close!” Costa said. “So so so f—ing close! Almost. Everybody saw the very end of the first round. If I had a couple of seconds it would be different. But not only that! If I had pressured just a little bit more in the second and third round, connect more punch and kicks, it’d be different.”

“He did a very good job,” he continued. “Congrats Rob on your victory and you did a really nice job. I just feel I damaged him very well. Only jabs, but I should have connected more hands on him. Pressure a bit more. But that’s it. After 18 months out the cage, bro, I feel great. You guys make me feel great. Thanks for all the support, I love you so much. You guys treat me very, very well.”

“I feel in my prime. I don’t feel worse, but maybe a lack of competitive [instinct] inside the cage. My fight mindset was not accurate. I thought I was winning the third round but I wasn’t. So yeah, I will pressure more, but these are small details, I will fix all these details and be back and not make the same mistakes again.”

As for the future? Costa is hoping for a quick turnaround of about three months.

“I want to fight in May so I can fight in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I’m very excited for the future. This year, guys, 2024, is the year for gold, I still believe in that. I will learn from it, I will face whoever I need to face, I will get my victories, and I’ll go for the belt, okay? This is my promise to you, I feel in my prime, I feel very well, in good shape. Better than ever. And this is the first fight of the year and I’ll be back very soon.”

The defeat drops Paulo Costa to 1-3 over his last four, but “Borrachinha” is currently sitting at No. 6 in the middleweight rankings and will still be in striking distance of the Top 5 once things are updated on Monday. Could he manage to rocket into No. 1 contendership in 2024 like he’s hoping? It’d take a pretty hectic schedule to make that happen.

Forget championship gold, we’d just be happy to see Costa in the cage three times this year.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Even though current WWE star CM Punk was unable to pick up a victory inside of the octagon during his short fighting career, he has no regrets giving it a go.

Punk was in attendance for Saturday’s UFC 298 event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Speaking with UFC broadcast partner Sportsnet following the pay-per-view card, Punk was asked about returning to the world of pro-wrestling after a headline-making exit from WWE several years ago.

“You never say never [in the wrestling business],” Punk said. “Who thought I would’ve ever fought in the UFC? I was afforded an opportunity by Lorenzo [Fertitta] and Dana [White], and I would be kicking myself to this day if I said no.

“I’m not a guy who lives with regret. I will seize opportunities whether people believe I deserve the opportunities or not. I work hard for my dreams, and I will always chase them.

“I think a lot of clouds parted, and time heals all wounds, so when it came back to wrestling, it was the right time.”

The 45-year-old Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, had two UFC bouts. He was stopped by Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September 2016, and he later dropped a unanimous decision to Mike Jackson a little less than two years later at UFC 225; the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation overturned the result to a no-contest after Jackson tested positive for marijuana.

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Conor McGregor finally responded to Ilia Topuria’s callout, and his answer didn’t do much to enlighten the fans about his next move.

Ilia Topuria made history at UFC 298 and handed Alexander Volkanovski his first loss in a UFC featherweight title fight. Volkanovski had been riding a six-fight winning streak as a featherweight champion but finally met his match in Topuria, who knocked him out cold in the second round.

After the fight, Topuria had a message for the Irishman, saying: “…And Conor McGregor, if you still have some balls, I will be waiting for you in Spain!”

Conor McGregor would eventually reply with what could be considered a “Dad joke” (pun intended), by saying: “I have huge balls. I have four kids.”

Conor McGregor’s UFC return is still up in the air

While rumor after rumor has hit the MMA mill, nothing has really truly stuck. In fact, as far as McGregor’s return goes, there’s nothing well and truly concrete about it at all.

His next opponent is supposed to be Michael Chandler, but no official proof that this fight will happen has surfaced, despite both agreeing online about a half dozen times about it. The return date has also been bantered around many times, with many hoping to see the Irishman return at UFC 300. Others, however, have said he’s likely to headline International Fight Week later this year in the summertime.

Regardless, fans can only hope to see the world’s largest MMA star finally make his long-awaited return sometime in 2024.

Who do you think McGregor will actually fight when he makes his return to the UFC octagon?

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts