NEWS: Wanderlei Silva interview (GREAT)!

Freikorp · 07:07 PM

* EDITED: I did some fix and corrections, I think it's better now

IMO, this is the best SILVA interview so far... Enjoy!
(sorry about my english)

How did you trained striking for the fight?

My injury in the ribs gave me some trouble, I hurt myself training. SHOGUN helped me a lot. Yesterday, he KO me with a kick in my nose! It wasn't fair! But he's backing to the trainning routine very well, it seems that nothing wrong ever happened (he's talking about his injury against COLEMAN). I think the next year will be SHOGUN's year and I hope this year end as my year.

What is the difference between your trainning to the OWGP and your regular trainning?

I gave a lot of attention to physical preparation (fitness). I made a gym on my own house, and brought in my physical instructor. We worked with a new kind of equipment attempting to incorporate the mobility of the fight, increase my muscular quality and explosion in order to fight as long as possible -- and keeping the quality from the beginning to the end. I'm 99kg now. I'm training a lot of wrestling and jiu-jitsu too.

Talking about your strategy: what did you planned to this GP?

Well, I'll face Mirko, a very strong guy who is one of the biggest idols of the GP. If I can beat him or even KO him, it will be damn good for me. I'm going with that on my mind: "KO or TKO Mirko"...

I think I did a good job at our first encounter, and now I'm so much strong and more experienced, so I believe I can make it. I think this is the beginning of the prime of my career...

But talking about his skills, I think CC is much more wise today. He learned JJ with WERDUM, who is very good on the ground. But in my opinion, if I can put Mirko on the ground, the things will be easier to me. But this is the B-plan, my preparation is to fight stand 'cos it's what I love to do. The biggest thing about a grand-prix is that you have to come in with everything you have, and at the same time, you have to take a lot of care... I think it could be the biggest challenge of my career. CC is 110kg, he have a very powerful kick, so I have to paid attention all the time and fight smart.

What do you think about the relationship between Pride and UFC?

It's great. It will result in good matches to the audience. My opinion is: the bigger is the challenge, more respectful became the fighter and more fans he will have. This is the old story of courage and the one who have guts, you know what I mean? If you train really hard, you know that you can face anyone, doesn't matter how great is your opponent. You don't know if you'll win or lose but you need enough guts to give a try. Several times I fought with doubts about my performance, people who said "you won't win, you aren't in a good shape"... But you have to try. I'm still here. And I'm still Alive. And still working more than ever!...

What give you the motivation to keep trainning that hard?

Did you watched "Na Luta pela Esperança"? (AKA "Cinderella man") This is all about another kind of fight, the fight to change the condition of your life. You know, I already had that kind of life... Today it's like heaven comparing to the old times. I used to live with the minimal in the past, but today it's different and I want to keep it in this way. I'm not a lazy guy, I will work very hard 'cos I want to give the best to my children, so I look at it (MMA) in a very serious way.

What about the possibility to face FEDOR? It's possible that you'll face CC and NOG or BARNETT at the same very night. Then, you will face FEDOR after three months...

If it happens... My god! It will be very very good! THIS IS a challenge! I think we have to do everything possible -- and sometimes, the impossible -- everytime. I know that I will face him, this time or in the future. He is the guy yet to be beaten, he is the #1 of the world.

'Til the day I retire, I will challenge everyone and search for the best fighters in the world.

CC said he'll beat you fast, then he'll face BARNETT at the finals. What do you think about that?

"It's like a fish, who dies from his mouth" (brazilian popular expression). He knows that he had a bad time against both of us (Silva and Nogueira). But it's ok, 'cos we have to think that we always gonna win and everything will be just fine in the time of the fight.

Do you think the heart is the differential of the brazilian fighters?

The heart is always the biggest differential... When a fighter is able to became well known in Brazil, he have great chances to became the champion at any place in the world. You know, our training routine sometimes is much harder and exciting than the real fight. There's some people who already recorded these trainnings and will get a lot of money...

Who'll be the HW fighter from Chute-Boxe?

SHOGUN. He is too big and too strong. He lost a lot of weight and he's 101kg now.

SAKURABA just come back to another trainning with CB. What about the possibility of a fight between SAKU and RICKSON? Who do you think that will get it?

SAKURABA is the kind of fighter who can do everything: ground fight, fight on his feet. He have a great heart, so if he train hard, RICKSON will have a lot of trouble. RICKSON is too old, so if he isn't in a good shape, "the legend will fall"... (my quotes)

But PAULO FILHO trained with RICKSON, and he was shocked with his ground game...

So the guy must be very good on the ground, 'cos PAULO FILHO is an awesome BJJ fighter. But BJJ is not a brawl. MMA is not BJJ, in MMA you have to punch and kick, and SAKURABA is great on it. RICKSON must work "the technical aspect of MMA". (my quotes - it looks like a sarcasm)

***

source: TATAME MAGAZINE (tatamemag.com.br)