UFC 139 Fight Card: Could This Be Wanderlei Silva's Final Match?

It was November 1st, 1996, when Wanderlei Silva strapped on his gloves for the first mixed martial arts fight of his career.

It didn't take long for Silva to capture his first win, as he defeated Dilson Fiho via knockout by elbows at just 3:35 of the very first round.

Now, nearly 15 years later, Silva is still strapping on the same gloves and stepping into the Octagon.

Over the course of his early career, Silva was considered one of the best fighters on the planet. At one point, Silva was 27-3-1 (1) and stood alone at the top of the MMA world. Along the way he was declared the IVC Light Heavyweight Champion and won the Pride Middleweight Championship.

Silva also defeated Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in arguably the biggest win of his career at Pride Final Conflict 2003 to win the Middleweight Grand Prix. The "Axe Murderer" continued his success that led him to a bout against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic at Pride Final Conflict Absolute in September of 2006. Filipovic connected on a head kick that sent Silva to the ground at 5:26 in the very first round.

Some believe that Silva never fully recovered, as he went on to lose his next two fights against Dan Henderson and Chuck Liddell, respectively. While Silva bounced back with a knockout victory over Keith Jardine at UFC 84, he went on to lose three of his next four fights.

Silva, who many considered the world's greatest fighter at one point, has now lost six of his last eight bouts. Despite his recent fall from the top, Silva continues to enter the Octagon, as he will take on Cung Le at UFC 139.

But Silva's career is rapidly coming to an end.

Will UFC 139 be the last time we see Wanderlei Silva enter the Octagon?