Tavares Says His Boxing Has Improved Greatly
Gleidson Venga Jun 5, 2008
As his UFC 85 bout against Matt
Wiman (Pictures) on Saturday approaches, Thiago Tavares (Pictures) feels more prepared than
ever.
He joined the Minotauro Team at the end of last year, which has sparked improvements as well as additional motivation.
"Everything there is first rate," Tavares told Sherdog.com. "We
have an Octagon, ring, excellent teachers, excellent training
partners. It's the best structure possible."
As a result, Tavares said, his game has developed.
The Wiman bout is important because an impressive victory could catapult Tavares toward the top of the division. The Brazilian knows that the fight will not be easy. In Wiman, Tavares believes he has an opponent on the rise who is also fighting for a better spot in the division.
"He is a great fighter," Tavares said. "I believe we have a very similar kind of game, besides our will to improve in the UFC. That's why I think this will be a great fight. I've trained a lot for this fight and I'll be very well prepared."
Tavares admits that he is very critical of his own game. That's why he was upset with his performance at the UFC Fight Night 12, when he defeated Michihiro Omigawa (Pictures) by decision. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt knows that he can do much better in the ring.
"I am a very critical person and I always [critique] myself," he said. "I always want to improve in each training session, in each fight. I always try to be better and better. Of course we are not always as productive as we expect, but we are always training to get 100 percent."
Tavares understands that as a lightweight he is in one of the hardest divisions in the UFC. The balance among the athletes is so good, he doesn't risk saying where he should be in the rankings. But he does say he will fight hard to be counted among the best.
"This division is full of great names," he said. "I only want to give my best and fight against the best. I believe that every fighter likes to test himself, and I want and like to test myself all the time. For this reason I'm always willing to take on a greater challenge. And that's why I promise to do the possible and the impossible to achieve another victory."
He joined the Minotauro Team at the end of last year, which has sparked improvements as well as additional motivation.
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As a result, Tavares said, his game has developed.
"My boxing improved a lot," he said. "With a trainer like Kelson
Pinto, and with high-level sparring with Thiago Gonçalves and
Kevin, I think that my boxing improved 100 percent in the last
months. That's without mentioning that I have the privilege of
training with Anderson
Silva, Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures), Antonio Rogério Nogueira and
Rafael Feijão everyday, among others who are excellent fighters and
help me a lot in my training."
The Wiman bout is important because an impressive victory could catapult Tavares toward the top of the division. The Brazilian knows that the fight will not be easy. In Wiman, Tavares believes he has an opponent on the rise who is also fighting for a better spot in the division.
"He is a great fighter," Tavares said. "I believe we have a very similar kind of game, besides our will to improve in the UFC. That's why I think this will be a great fight. I've trained a lot for this fight and I'll be very well prepared."
Tavares admits that he is very critical of his own game. That's why he was upset with his performance at the UFC Fight Night 12, when he defeated Michihiro Omigawa (Pictures) by decision. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt knows that he can do much better in the ring.
"I am a very critical person and I always [critique] myself," he said. "I always want to improve in each training session, in each fight. I always try to be better and better. Of course we are not always as productive as we expect, but we are always training to get 100 percent."
Tavares understands that as a lightweight he is in one of the hardest divisions in the UFC. The balance among the athletes is so good, he doesn't risk saying where he should be in the rankings. But he does say he will fight hard to be counted among the best.
"This division is full of great names," he said. "I only want to give my best and fight against the best. I believe that every fighter likes to test himself, and I want and like to test myself all the time. For this reason I'm always willing to take on a greater challenge. And that's why I promise to do the possible and the impossible to achieve another victory."
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