Nice profile of Wanderlei Silva by Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole. Not hard to see why Silva has been a favorite of hardcore MMA fans for years:

UFC president Dana White, who for years had been eager to see Chuck Liddell knock Wanderlei Silva unconscious, makes no bones about his feelings toward the man who was the face of the rival PRIDE Fighting Championship.

“He was my enemy,” White says unhesitatingly.

No longer is that true, however. Because on any given day, White will saunter downstairs from his office into the tiny gym located in the bowels of UFC headquarters to find Silva preparing for his fight with Keith Jardine at UFC 84 on May 24.

They greet each other with an embrace and a smile and while away the time discussing their mutual passion for mixed martial arts.

Silva is such a fan of the sport, he said he’s pleading with White to make a match between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who currently are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on the Yahoo! Sports poll of the world’s best fighters.

“If Dana can make that fight, I’ll be in the line to buy a ticket,” Silva said, beaming. “What a great fight. I am a fighter, yes. It is my job, and it is a job I love. But before I’m a fighter, I am a fan. I love this sport.”

Silva both a fighter and a fan @ Yahoo Sports