'Axe Murderer' coach: Wanderlei Silva still has the potential to become champion again

35-years-old, loser of six of his last eight fights, four of them vicious knockouts, and a boss that thinks he needs to call it quits.

Sound like championship material?

Of course not, but that's not stopping Rafael Cordeiro from saying his student, Wanderlei Silva, can once again become a champion in mixed martial arts (MMA).

The leader of Kings MMA out of Huntington Beach, California, believes that with the right mix of activity and timing, "The Axe Murderer" can make his return to greatness, despite his recent UFC skid.

Here's how Cordeiro explained it to Tatame:

"Nobody said it directly to Wanderlei, that he won't fight anymore. Wanderlei is in Brazil now, he'll return to the United States this week, and he's coming to train here. He wants to fight again. He trained his whole life and suffered many injuries as any other athlete, but they're all healed. He's with a good body, stronger than ever. He's Wanderlei, he'll never give up. That's the main thing about him. And there's no reasons for him to do that. He's reached what every athlete wants to. I'm not saying this as his coach, I'm saying this as a guy who watched him growing in the sport. He has the potential to become champion again, it's all about timing."

Leading up to his most recent fight, a 27-second knockout loss at the concrete hands of Chris Leben, Silva claimed his goal to close out his career is two fights a year for the next five years.

For the mathematically challenged, that's 10 fights total.

The loss to Leben would have been number 10, so he's got nine to go, if he gets his way of course. And if Cordeiro is to be believed, the Brazilian can claim gold within that timeframe.

But can he do it if UFC President Dana White isn't keen on letting him back inside the Octagon? Even if he is, does Silva actually have enough left in the tank to win a major title?

Well ... does he?