Interview with Anderson Silva... . . .

The World’s Best Pound-for-Pound MMA Fighter

Not only is Silva the best striker in all of MMA, a lethal trifecta of pinpoint accuracy, speed and knockout power, he may be the most humble fighter in the sport, always gracious in victory and respectful in the Octagon. His combination of other wordly talent, humility and accessibility to fans has made Silva perhaps the most revered and respected Mixed Martial Artist in the world today. Since making his UFC Middleweight debut against Chris Leben in June of 2006 with a KO win 49 seconds in, Silva, a Muay Thai specialist that also holds a Jui-Jitsu black belt from the famed Noguria brothers, Silva has run his UFC record to 7-0 with victories so resounding he’s now considered by many to be the best pound for pound fighter on the planet.

After his destruction of Leben, where he landed an incredible 100% of his strikes, Silva went on to capture the UFC Middlweight belt in October of that year from Rich Franklin, TKOing the former champ inside of 3 minutes. After four defenses at 185 lbs which included another one sided victory over Franklin and a second round victory over Pride champion Dan Henderson, Silva temporarily moved up to Light Heavyweight in July and knocked out James Irvin at 1:01 of the 1st round.

It’s hard to find words to describe Anderson ’Spider’ Silva in the Octagon but perhaps UFC announcer Joe Rogan summed it up best with four simple words: A symphony of violence…

See the Interview with Anderson below....

Growing up did you always know that you wanted to be a fighter, or did you have other plans for a career? Where I grew up, most people were policemen. So naturally, I also wanted to be a policeman. What made you decide to start training in MMA? It just happened; I didn’t plan to start training MMA. I guess it was just the natural evolution of things for me. It started with Tae Kwon Do and progressed through many other disciplines, ending up with MMA. Why do you think so many great fighters come out of Brazil?

There is a lot of history behind Brazilian fighters and off course a lot of hard work and determination involved. Also, having the Gracie family behind everything shows that we have a lot of tradition in fighting.

You made your MMA debut in the Mecca Organization in Brazil against Luiz Azeredo. That fight didn’t go as planned for you, but what did you learn from losing your first fight?

All I can say is that you are never the best.

After that you went on to win nine straight fights, splitting your time between Mecca and Shooto in Japan where you faced an undefeated Hayato Sakurai for the Shooto middleweight belt. That’s a pretty big accomplishment for somebody who had only been fighting professionally for a little over a year. What prepared you for that moment and that fight? What was your mentality going into that fight?

I was very well trained and I had a great team behind me. I was focused on my objective which was beating Hayato Sakurai. He had beaten all the other Brazilians he had fought and had a perfect record in Shooto. My objective was to win the fight. I was focused and I was able to win. I personally think it was one of the best fights of my life.

Do you feel an extra sense of responsibility now that you are a black belt? I think I have more responsibility as a black belt. Being a black belt from the Nogueira brothers, I have the obligation to always defend myself well on the ground. Now I’ve been training with Sylvio Behring who has a lot of knowledge and has helped me improve my skills for the past two years. What does having a solid team mean for a fighter? We are more like a family. The Nogueira brothers, Rafael Feijao, Sylvio Behring, Daniel Valverde, Daniel Woirin, Luiz Alves, Amaury Bitetti, Josuel Distak, Rogerio Camoes, Giorge, Dan Dan, Madson, Dorea, Kelson and I are more than a team - we are there for each other for anything.

Can you paint a picture of what fighting in Brazil is like for Mecca? How is it different from Japan or the UFC?

Fighting in Brazil is cool, even though I haven’t fought here in a long time. The people really enjoy it, even though there is not really any national support for Vale Tudo. I would be very happy to fight for the UFC in Brazil someday.

One of your losses in Pride was to Daiju Takase, who had a pretty average record going into the fight (4-7). Did you take him lightly or was he just under rated. What happened in that fight?

I didn’t underestimate him, he made a move that I wasn’t expecting and it landed. It was actually right on my injured ankle - I had all the tendons ripped in my ankle. I will never fight with an injury again. Takase should get credit for that fight; he dug up an old move that no one expected. He was like a magician.

How would you describe your time in England’s Cage Rage?

Very good. I thank Andy Geer and the rest of the organization for believing in me and taking chances. I really liked fighting there, and I believe it had a lot to do with my move to the UFC after I had some important fights for Cage Rage.

You seem to just keep getting better and better with each fight. What are the areas you feel you could improve on? I have a lot to improve in every area, I just have to train. Your strikes are very accurate. More so than most fighters. What would you say the reason for that is? I’ve been doing this since I was a kid. What’s the best way to finish a fight? If you could plan your highlight real The best way to end a fight is to go home in one piece.

I’ve heard that before fights you are very relaxed, relaxed to the point where you even sleep in the dressing room before fight. Is this true?! And if so, how are you able to stay so calm?

I’m just very concentrated at that point, and yes sometimes I fell asleep.

What does Anderson Silva do when he’s not training, fighting or dancing to Michael Jackson?

I spend time at home with my family and I play video games.

By Jay Swing Translated by: Derek Kronig Lee Photos: Eric Williams ANDERSON SILVA IS SPONSORED BY NUTRABOLICS.

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