Shouts and grunts spilled out the doors and windows of the Wand Fight Team Gym on an early morning in November.

Inside, trainer Rafael Alejarra screamed a combination of encouragements and commands toward Wanderlei Silva. Silva, known among Ultimate Fighting Championship fans as the "Axe Murderer," heaved huge tractor tires across the gym floor, then sprinted to the other end of the gym and quickly lifted free weights. Then he grabbed a hanging rope to do pull-ups. Silva ran the stations several times before he finished with a sprint on the treadmill.