8 Most Notorious Gym Fights In MMA
4. Wanderlei Silva Vs. Michael Costa
Brazil has been a hotbed for MMA talent since even before the inception of UFC in 1993. Not only is the country the birthplace of the Gracie family and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Vale Tudo fighting, which literally translates to 'anything goes', is a bare-knuckle precursor to modern MMA that also originates from there.
As a result, gyms such as Chute Boxe Academy sprung up in Brazil and became some of the premier locations for learning MMA worldwide. Legends such as Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua all trained at Chute Boxe during their careers.
Chute Boxe fighters earned a reputation for their extremely aggressive fighting styles and judging by how they sparred it was clear these were learned behaviours.
Despite leaving the team in 2007, Wanderlei retained his hyper-aggressive sparring tendencies and brought them with him to his own gym, Wand Fight Team.
In this video we see Wanderlei engaging in some actually quite restrained striking with fellow fighter Michael Costa. However, when Costa throws an axe-kick, Wanderlei is enraged and blitzes Costa, following him with punches as he retreats across the gym.
Eventually, Costa is cornered against a cage wall and eats a barrage of ground and pound from Silva.