Wanderlei Silva faces toughest fight yet: battling CTE symptoms post-UFC career

Former UFC and Pride FC star, Wanderlei Silva has revealed as part of a declaration amid the ongoing Zuffa vs. Le antitrust lawsuit, how he is battling likely CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) symptoms from his time in mixed martial arts.

Silva, a former mixed martial arts superstar who competed professionally from 1996 until his most recent fight against Quinton Jackson back in 2018, has competed 51 separate times during his lengthy career in professional mixed martial arts.

Boasting a 35-14-1(1) professional record at the time of publication, Wanderlei Silva, a former Pride FC middleweight champion and middleweight Grand Prix victor, also competed in the UFC on multiple occasions, facing off with Tito Ortiz for the light heavyweight crown during an initial tenure before his second stint began back in 2007.

Wanderlei Silva reveals battle with CTE and TBI symptoms after UFC tenure

And as part of a declaration obtained following the striking of a new $375,000,000 settlement in the Zuffa vs. Le antitrust lawsuit, Silva, amongst a slew of other professional fighters including former interim UFC heavyweight champion, Shane Carwin has revealed their current issues — with the Brazilian revealing battles with depression and other CTE-related symptoms.

“While fighting for the UFC, I suffered many significant injuries, including concussions,” Wanderlei Silva’s declaration revealed, as obtained by John S. Nash. “I fear that during my career I have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI) and am noticing symptoms common with TBI and CTE including depression, mood swings, and irritability. To date, no treatment for CTE has been found. I suffer from sleep apnea and have difficulty sleeping and breathing. That I can recall, I have had four surgeries on my nose, 1 on my face, 2 on my left knee, 1 on my right knee and 1 on my elbow.”

During his tenure in mixed martial arts, Silva, 48, has landed a slew of notable victories — with the Curitiba native besting the likes of Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakaraba, Quinton Jackson, Yuki Kondo, Ricardo Arona, Kazuyuki Fujita, Michael Bisping, Cung Le, and Brian Stann to name a few.