A new Wanderlei Silva Interview:
http://www.graciemag.com/news/144/AR...007-09-19.html
Wanderlei in straight talk
From Las Vegas, Silva talks to GRACIEMAG.com
The longing hurts, but the greater goal must be reached. With a crazy feeling in his heart, but one full of determination, Wanderlei Silva focuses on training in the city he just adopted: the dazzling city of Las Vegas. At first, the idea was to set up a training structure in Palm Springs, Florida. The desire to completely adapt to the UFC, however, caused Wand to leave Thea and Thor in Disney World's home state for the time being and move with his physical trainer Rafael Alejarra to the fight sport's world capital.
“Training here is different, it is at a higher elevation, with a drier climate. Lots of people fool themselves by thinking they just need to show up and fight. I'm doing my best to grow as a fighter and a person. I'm still getting my life here together, looking for a place to live, and soon my wife and son will be here with me,” said Wanderlei Silva to GRACIEMAG.com.
Questioned about being the next “King of Vegas,” Wand made a point of praising a certain champion. “I will fight to be the prince. The old man is the king,” he said, alluding to Randy Couture, current UFC heavyweight champion.
Wand’s routine didn’t permit that he watch the whole of UFC 75, last August 8th. On the fight between Quinton Jackson and Dan Henderson, worth the light heavyweight belt, he only heard about the outcome. "I had already said I thought Quinton would win by points," recalls Wand, who took the time to watch Mirko Cro Cop's loss to Cheick Kongo.
“Cro Cop fought a lean, 110kg guy, who is good at muay thai. The level of the group fighting has gone up. No one is ignorant anymore. And what is more, Cro Cop broke a rib in the first round. The truth is that only the guy himself knows what happened. It could also be that he is not all that keen, he just wants to play out his contract. Being active for a long time is complicated,” he reflects.
This weekend, Silva will have the opportunity to check out another edition of the UFC up close. Among the attractions, there will be one rival and one friend. “I’m rooting for Chuck big time. I hope he wins and doesn’t hurt himself, so we can face each other in December,” he said, referring to the Iceman's fight against Keith Jardine.
What about Shogun’s debut? “My forecast for Shogun’s fight is the best possible. It is always hard to talk about this, but I don’t believe Forrest Griffin is an adversary at Shogun’s level, and Shogun should finish the fight quickly," he offered, without holding back.
