Silva Revamps Training, Takes Aim at Jardine
Gleidson Venga May 23, 2008
Wanderlei Silva
(Pictures) might be in a must-win
situation Saturday when he meets Keith Jardine (Pictures) at UFC 84 in Las Vegas. "The Axe
Murderer" has lost three fights in a row, though he remains one of
the most dangerous light heavyweights in the game.
Sherdog.com spoke with the 31-year-old Brazilian on his new training style, his bout against Jardine and his thoughts on UFC 84.
Sherdog.com: How was training for the
fight?
Silva: I'm still adapting because for my whole life I used to train the same way, with the same people, and now I'm adapting to a new kind of training, to a new teacher, new sparring. I'm adapting more and more, and I feel more prepared this time. What I didn't do in the last fight, I'm doing now for this one. Like training more with sparring, doing more wrestling, more jiu-jitsu. The other time, I called André Galvão to train with me, but training only with him is not good because all I got was to be beaten up. He is very [tough]. This time I had more [sparring], and I'm trying to adapt to be better and better in my way of fighting.
Sherdog.com: What is the structure? With whom did you train?
Silva: I've trained a lot with Forrest Griffin (Pictures), who is a tall guy, about the same height as my opponent. I've trained with Goran Reljic also, the Croatian who will fight against Wilson Gouveia (Pictures). I didn't know who he was. The guy came by surprise at the gym, but he is a big guy and I've trained with him too. There are fighters from other weights as well, people from boxing and from muay Thai.
Sherdog.com: In the past you didn't like to have any relationship with guys who could be your opponents in the future. Nowadays you are training with fighters in your own division, like Griffin, Reljic, etc. What made you change in relation to this fact?
Silva: Chute Boxe is a very reserved gym. With the kind of structure we had, there were very good fighters, so we didn't need anyone from the outside. Now I'm alone, which is a tendency in MMA, and you look for what is best. Today you train with someone, but tomorrow you have to confront him. It's becoming more professional. There are athletes who train jiu-jitsu somewhere, wrestling somewhere else and go to another gym to do sparring. This is something that is happening, and I'm adapting to it too. Actually I've always had my coaches thinking for me. It was a great structure, and I felt really complete. Now I have to run my own training. It's a new phase, but I think that sooner or later, every athlete will feel that too.
Sherdog.com: What do you think about Keith Jardine's way of fighting?
Silva: I have to confess that until my fight against Chuck Liddell (Pictures), I did not know him. I watched some of his fights to study his game, and I found him harder than I've imagined. He has already faced good guys. He's a dangerous guy. I think it's going to be a very hard fight. It won't be easy. That's why I've trained everyday. I'm prepared for all circumstances, either to fight on the feet or on the floor. I want to knock him out. If he wants to strike with me, I will knock him down. He deserves all my respect for being a tough guy, and I'm sure that we are going to make a great performance for the public. The ticket will be worthwhile.
Sherdog.com: Dana White praised you last week about your style of fighting and so on. What do you think of that?
Silva: MMA is growing a lot, and very good athletes are arising. Of course winning is fundamental. The fighter lives on his victories, but also with each show, you have to think about your performance, the quality of your presentation. You know when you're doing a good fight or not. I'm worth the same as the show I make and the emotion I cause among my fans. We are always performing as the public likes.
Sherdog.com: And what are you expecting at UFC 84?
Silva: The event will be sensational! I've written in my blog about the fight between Lyoto Machida (Pictures) and Tito Ortiz (Pictures), which is anticipated by the public. Tito is a hard guy, with a history -- he is Tito Ortiz. Lyoto is coming from a series of great victories, so this is going to be a very interesting fight. I think it's going to be a very good fight. I think Lyoto has great chances of winning and to be an acclaimed champion at once here. His name has a very good reputation; everybody talks very well about him. He is a guy that is growing a lot. I think that the moment is not favorable for Ortiz because he is leaving the event. Lyoto is full of motivation. I think he will be [showing] his game and will finish Ortiz. But Ortiz is a very good guy, professional, who trains, so it will be a great battle.
The event will also include Rousimar Palhares' debut fight. That is a guy to whom I've never spoke personally. I only see him during the interviews. But I noticed that he is a simple guy, the kind I admire. He is a guy that gets what he wants whatever the cost is. He won the hardest competition we had in Brazil in his weight recently, the Fury FC, beating Fabio Negão and Daniel Acácio. Those are two of the best athletes in Brazil. His debut is something that leaves us yearning for watching how he is going to be. He is a very strong guy for his category. He has very good wrestling, and his jiu-jitsu is fantastic. He is coming here with a great name and, for his being a very simple guy, I wish him all the luck in the world. I hope he will be the winner of his fight and also that he will be able to make his life here.
Sherdog.com spoke with the 31-year-old Brazilian on his new training style, his bout against Jardine and his thoughts on UFC 84.
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Silva: I'm still adapting because for my whole life I used to train the same way, with the same people, and now I'm adapting to a new kind of training, to a new teacher, new sparring. I'm adapting more and more, and I feel more prepared this time. What I didn't do in the last fight, I'm doing now for this one. Like training more with sparring, doing more wrestling, more jiu-jitsu. The other time, I called André Galvão to train with me, but training only with him is not good because all I got was to be beaten up. He is very [tough]. This time I had more [sparring], and I'm trying to adapt to be better and better in my way of fighting.
Sherdog.com: What is the structure? With whom did you train?
Silva: I've trained a lot with Forrest Griffin (Pictures), who is a tall guy, about the same height as my opponent. I've trained with Goran Reljic also, the Croatian who will fight against Wilson Gouveia (Pictures). I didn't know who he was. The guy came by surprise at the gym, but he is a big guy and I've trained with him too. There are fighters from other weights as well, people from boxing and from muay Thai.
Sherdog.com: In the past you didn't like to have any relationship with guys who could be your opponents in the future. Nowadays you are training with fighters in your own division, like Griffin, Reljic, etc. What made you change in relation to this fact?
Silva: Chute Boxe is a very reserved gym. With the kind of structure we had, there were very good fighters, so we didn't need anyone from the outside. Now I'm alone, which is a tendency in MMA, and you look for what is best. Today you train with someone, but tomorrow you have to confront him. It's becoming more professional. There are athletes who train jiu-jitsu somewhere, wrestling somewhere else and go to another gym to do sparring. This is something that is happening, and I'm adapting to it too. Actually I've always had my coaches thinking for me. It was a great structure, and I felt really complete. Now I have to run my own training. It's a new phase, but I think that sooner or later, every athlete will feel that too.
Sherdog.com: What do you think about Keith Jardine's way of fighting?
Silva: I have to confess that until my fight against Chuck Liddell (Pictures), I did not know him. I watched some of his fights to study his game, and I found him harder than I've imagined. He has already faced good guys. He's a dangerous guy. I think it's going to be a very hard fight. It won't be easy. That's why I've trained everyday. I'm prepared for all circumstances, either to fight on the feet or on the floor. I want to knock him out. If he wants to strike with me, I will knock him down. He deserves all my respect for being a tough guy, and I'm sure that we are going to make a great performance for the public. The ticket will be worthwhile.
Sherdog.com: Dana White praised you last week about your style of fighting and so on. What do you think of that?
Silva: MMA is growing a lot, and very good athletes are arising. Of course winning is fundamental. The fighter lives on his victories, but also with each show, you have to think about your performance, the quality of your presentation. You know when you're doing a good fight or not. I'm worth the same as the show I make and the emotion I cause among my fans. We are always performing as the public likes.
Sherdog.com: And what are you expecting at UFC 84?
Silva: The event will be sensational! I've written in my blog about the fight between Lyoto Machida (Pictures) and Tito Ortiz (Pictures), which is anticipated by the public. Tito is a hard guy, with a history -- he is Tito Ortiz. Lyoto is coming from a series of great victories, so this is going to be a very interesting fight. I think it's going to be a very good fight. I think Lyoto has great chances of winning and to be an acclaimed champion at once here. His name has a very good reputation; everybody talks very well about him. He is a guy that is growing a lot. I think that the moment is not favorable for Ortiz because he is leaving the event. Lyoto is full of motivation. I think he will be [showing] his game and will finish Ortiz. But Ortiz is a very good guy, professional, who trains, so it will be a great battle.
The event will also include Rousimar Palhares' debut fight. That is a guy to whom I've never spoke personally. I only see him during the interviews. But I noticed that he is a simple guy, the kind I admire. He is a guy that gets what he wants whatever the cost is. He won the hardest competition we had in Brazil in his weight recently, the Fury FC, beating Fabio Negão and Daniel Acácio. Those are two of the best athletes in Brazil. His debut is something that leaves us yearning for watching how he is going to be. He is a very strong guy for his category. He has very good wrestling, and his jiu-jitsu is fantastic. He is coming here with a great name and, for his being a very simple guy, I wish him all the luck in the world. I hope he will be the winner of his fight and also that he will be able to make his life here.
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