Top 5 Stories of the Week

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Wanderlei Silva spent the better part of a decade in Japan turning himself into one of MMA’s most beloved superstars. The 36-year-old Brazilian will return to the Land of the Rising Sun for the first time since 2006 on March 3, when he meets former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Brian Stann in the UFC on Fuel TV 8 headliner at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Silva authored many of his greatest moments in the island nation, as he captured the Pride Fighting Championships middleweight crown with a technical knockout against Kazushi Sakuraba in 2003 and scored a pair of violent knockouts against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in 2003 and 2004. “The Axe Murderer” last appeared at UFC 147 in June, when he dropped a unanimous decision to former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder Rich Franklin.

Stann, an American war hero, has posted a 5-4 record since joining the UFC as part of the WEC merger in 2009. The 32-year-old has been knocked out only once in 17 professional appearances.

The stories of interest on Sherdog.com this week:

Overdue Return

Farewell to ‘The Machine’

Foxy Figures

Spike Debut

Best of the Best

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