Wanderlei Silva is not up for any awards at this year’s World Mixed Martial Arts Awards, the third instalment of the annual ceremony, but he is looking forward to the December 1st event nonetheless.

 

“I think it is a very important event,” Silva says. “They give a voice… You get to hear what everyone thinks. I think it is an important event, very well thought out and the whole martial arts community is buzzing about it.”

 

And while Silva is not up for an award himself, several people close to him are. Among them are Rafael Cordeiro, his former coach at Chute Boxe, and Cordeiro’s student Fabricio Werdum.

 

“I personally think the coaches in the running are the very top ones,” Silva says, revealing he was “excited” to see that Cordeiro was nominated for Coach of the Year 2010.

 

As for Werdum, Silva says the triangle finish of former PRIDE FC champion Fedor Emelianenko cannot be overstated in terms of importance.

 

“Everyone saw him finish Fedor with a wonderful submission. I think that given the importance of the fight and the technique that was used, no doubt it is the submission of the decade,” he says enthusiastically.

 

“It was the first time I ever jumped out of my chair to cheer for a submission. When there is a knockout you jump up, like I did with Shogun – its hard to stir my emotions .”

 

This year’s awards are being hosted by Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture and Molly Querim. The event will be streamed live by Versus and will also air on the Versus TV network shortly afterwards; the date of the TV broadcast is yet to be confirmed.