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Wanderlei welcomes rematches with Belfort, Rampage, Henderson

Ethan Miller / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty

Wanderlei Silva is ready to take advantage of Bellator's reputation for hosting "senior circuit" matches.

"The Axe Murderer" told FOX Sports that he'd like to even the score with some of his famous rivals after he settles business with Chael Sonnen at Bellator NYC on June 24 at Madison Square Garden. Bellator has made a habit of featuring veteran stars as headlining acts backed up by their homegrown talent, and the 40-year-old Silva sees plenty of opportunities in his future.

On his bucket list? Rematches with a trio of legendary foes.

"I would like a rematch against Vitor Belfort, Quinton Jackson, and Dan Henderson," Silva said, according to a translation from Portuguese by Bloody Elbow's Lucas Rezende. "There's a lot of classic guys that would make a cool fight against me. That's because there's too many fights going on these days, but no classics where everyone stops to watch them. A cool rivalry, with good marketing. There's been some good fights, obviously, but classics? With big name guys? It just doesn't happen anymore. They're all retiring, quitting.

"We need to bring back those guys so that through those classic fights, we can promote new names and make them become legends and fighting classic fights in the future like us."

Belfort is currently under contract with the UFC, while Henderson retired last October. But it's easy to imagine them considering a last run with Bellator should the right offer come along.

In 1998, Belfort ran through Silva in just 44 seconds and Silva has been looking for a rematch ever since. A June 2012 matchup was derailed by a Belfort injury.

Jackson and Silva have met on three occasions, with Silva winning two thrilling contests by TKO during their days in the PRIDE organization, and Rampage gaining some measure of revenge with a first-round knockout when they met a third time in the UFC.

As for Henderson, the two fought twice in PRIDE. Silva won the first bout by unanimous decision, though that victory was overshadowed by Henderson's knockout win over him in their second go-around, which made Henderson a two-division champion.

Should any of these veterans decide to turn their eye toward the Bellator cage, Silva could be there to welcome them with open arms.

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