Wanderlei Silva Reveals He Could Have Died In Hit-And-Run

MMA legend and longtime UFC veteran “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva is lucky to be alive following a hit-and-run incident that took place on Wednesday. Silva was riding his bike after a training session when he was hit by a car. Now, Silva will have to undergo shoulder and knee surgery.

“I’m extreme in everything I do. Everybody says that bicycle was dangerous, and I believed that the right of coming and going was the same for everyone, cars, bikes and people, but I felt that it’s not exactly like that,” Silva posted on his Instagram account.

“I suffered a serious accident, will have to undergo shoulder and left knee surgery. A man that saw (the accident) said ‘you were born again’, and the man that hit me didn’t stop to help! I’m really upset because I could have died. My helmet is broken, and I don’t know what would have happened if I weren’t using it.”

Silva was given a lifetime ban by the NSAC back in May of 2015 because he evaded a drug test in connection with a planned fight against Chael Sonnen at UFC 175 in 2014. However, the ruling was overturned, and the commission voted to lift the ban and instead suspend Silva for three years. He is eligible to apply for a license on May 25, 2017, which is when he will be able to fight again in the United States.

Silva (35-12-1-1) is 3-2-1 in his last six bouts and is coming off a tag team grappling match against Kazushi Sakuraba and Hideo Tokoro in April at Rizin 1. That match ended in a draw.

“I had severe injuries and don’t know what’s going to happen, but I believe in God, and I know everything has a reason,” he wrote. “I will do my best and let it be what God wants. I could have died if I weren’t using a helmet. That made me rethink my life and made me grow a lot. Live well because it’s over soon. God bless you — and if you’re riding a bike, use a helmet because we never know when we’re going to need it.”

Tudo que faço sou extremo 100% , todos me dizendo q bike era perigoso, e eu acreditei q o direito de ir e vir , era igual pra todos , carros , pedestres e bikes, mais senti na pele q não é bem assim, sofri um grave acidente, onde terei q operar meu ombro e meu joelho esquerdo, um cara q viu disse ” vc nasceu de novo” e o cara q me atropelou não parou pra me ajudar!!! Estou muito triste pois poderia ter morrido, pois meu capacete chegou a quebrar, se estivesse sem , não sei o q poderia ter acontecido, aí pensei, em quantos ciclistas morrem todos os dias e ninguém fala, , quantos são atropelados como eu fui e ninguém faz nada! Isso aconteceu em Ctba , ” cidade modelo” temos q melhorar em muito a condição dada aos ciclistas, pois a bike é um veículo como qualquer outro, merece os mesmos direitos ! Estou muito triste com o q aconteceu! Mais vou lutar pra q nos ciclistas possamos ter o mesmo direito de todos ! de ❤️ muito obrigado por todo apoio de tenho recebido de vcs , sem palavras pra agradecer tanta parceria , nessas horas vemos quem realmente está contigo! Tive lesões realmente graves e não sei o q vai acontecer, mais confio em Deus e sei q tudo tem um porque ! Então vou fazer meu melhor e seja o q Deus quiser ! Se estivesse sem capacete poderia ter morrido ! Isso me fez repensar sobre minha vida , e me fez crescer muito ! Então viva bem pois daqui a pouco acaba ! Deus te abençoar e se anda de bike use capacete, pois nunca sabemos quando vamos precisar !

A photo posted by Wanderlei Silva ???????? (@wandfc) on May 12, 2016 at 6:50pm PDT