Jeru
14-09-2004, 20:22
By: Gleidson Venga
After knocking out Yuki Kondo and stopping in the USA to watch UFC 49, Wanderlei Silva is back in Brazil. For more on his next challenge, his enemies and much more, read ahead.
If I´m not wrong, you seemed more calm than usual when you replied to the challenge made by Randy Couture at UFC? Actually, he is very smart, he is a polite guy, so when he saw me, and we made eye contact, he gave me his hand smilling. I took it and greeted him. But that is not the type of challenge I like, I appreciate intimidation!
Talk about your fight against Yuki Kondo. I played my game in that fight, because I wanted to play standing. In the beginning, I was studying him, I was wondering what would happen. He was able to hit me with some blows during the fight, a strike and a jab. I hit him with a right cross. By the time of the
stomps, the referee had come to stop the fight.
Did you get surprised when he accepted to exchange punches with you? Actually he´s a tough man, very courageous, brave, and he´s a skillful guy, with many matches. So I think he was brave, he didn´t try to hold me or anything, he agreed to fighting standing, he has his own merits.
And how about your next fight which will be against Quinton Jackson... Well, he´s a flabby ass. :lol: I´ve been getting prepared to face the way he fights, I know he will play a very tight game with me, he will give his best. I´ve been getting prepared for his game and he will get surprised with me. Surprises are coming, and if he misses out I will submit him.
After defeating Kondo at Pride you went to the USA. How was your trip there? I was there to watch the Ultimate and I was really surprised, because
since 1999 I hadn´t been to the USA, so I didn´t know people would recognize me
there. I was glad that I have as many fans there as I have in Brazil! Everywhere there were people that recognized me, came to talk to me, they knew about the fight game. And at the tournament was real fun since people were coming over to me more than the American fighters. I got really happy with the reception from my fans in United States.
What did you think about the fight between Couture and Vitor Belfort? Actually, Couture did his game which is the only one he knows how to do. And
Belfort, tried to defend himself in the first, in the second and third he gave up, his spirit left. Some guys were teasing me saying “Damn, Wanderlei was saying he was going to yellow�?, and he did it, he didn´t do anything, he was there grabbing the entire fight and after that he came to say he had gotten a headbutt. I, particularly, didn´t see any headbutt, that´s a weak excuse.
And what did you think about the result of the fight between Minotauro and Fedor? That fight had lots of nuances. The Russian seemed like a madman, he was rolling his head the whole time. The headbutt occurred, I saw that, but I don´t agree with the NO CONTEST stuff. He was winning that fight, but he was the one who couldn´t keep going, so they should have given the victory to Minotauro.
By the end of the year, could we watch you facing Cro Cop again? I´m crazy as hell to face that guy. This time there won´t be any special rules, and I will drive him crazy. I´ve been focusing on an intensive preparation to face Quinton Jackson and at the end of the year anyone can come, I don´t even want to know who it is.
How are plans for Chute Boxe for the end of the year? I think Shogun and Daniel Acácio may be fighting in Pride Bushido, for October. We´re looking to introduce one of them to the Ultimate since Dana White came to talk to me and
asked us to put an athlete of ours there. Maybe we may put more than one, perhaps, Luiz Azeredo, we want to put our athletes in the main events worldwide. I hope these new guys will bring belts for our academy.
After knocking out Yuki Kondo and stopping in the USA to watch UFC 49, Wanderlei Silva is back in Brazil. For more on his next challenge, his enemies and much more, read ahead.
If I´m not wrong, you seemed more calm than usual when you replied to the challenge made by Randy Couture at UFC? Actually, he is very smart, he is a polite guy, so when he saw me, and we made eye contact, he gave me his hand smilling. I took it and greeted him. But that is not the type of challenge I like, I appreciate intimidation!
Talk about your fight against Yuki Kondo. I played my game in that fight, because I wanted to play standing. In the beginning, I was studying him, I was wondering what would happen. He was able to hit me with some blows during the fight, a strike and a jab. I hit him with a right cross. By the time of the
stomps, the referee had come to stop the fight.
Did you get surprised when he accepted to exchange punches with you? Actually he´s a tough man, very courageous, brave, and he´s a skillful guy, with many matches. So I think he was brave, he didn´t try to hold me or anything, he agreed to fighting standing, he has his own merits.
And how about your next fight which will be against Quinton Jackson... Well, he´s a flabby ass. :lol: I´ve been getting prepared to face the way he fights, I know he will play a very tight game with me, he will give his best. I´ve been getting prepared for his game and he will get surprised with me. Surprises are coming, and if he misses out I will submit him.
After defeating Kondo at Pride you went to the USA. How was your trip there? I was there to watch the Ultimate and I was really surprised, because
since 1999 I hadn´t been to the USA, so I didn´t know people would recognize me
there. I was glad that I have as many fans there as I have in Brazil! Everywhere there were people that recognized me, came to talk to me, they knew about the fight game. And at the tournament was real fun since people were coming over to me more than the American fighters. I got really happy with the reception from my fans in United States.
What did you think about the fight between Couture and Vitor Belfort? Actually, Couture did his game which is the only one he knows how to do. And
Belfort, tried to defend himself in the first, in the second and third he gave up, his spirit left. Some guys were teasing me saying “Damn, Wanderlei was saying he was going to yellow�?, and he did it, he didn´t do anything, he was there grabbing the entire fight and after that he came to say he had gotten a headbutt. I, particularly, didn´t see any headbutt, that´s a weak excuse.
And what did you think about the result of the fight between Minotauro and Fedor? That fight had lots of nuances. The Russian seemed like a madman, he was rolling his head the whole time. The headbutt occurred, I saw that, but I don´t agree with the NO CONTEST stuff. He was winning that fight, but he was the one who couldn´t keep going, so they should have given the victory to Minotauro.
By the end of the year, could we watch you facing Cro Cop again? I´m crazy as hell to face that guy. This time there won´t be any special rules, and I will drive him crazy. I´ve been focusing on an intensive preparation to face Quinton Jackson and at the end of the year anyone can come, I don´t even want to know who it is.
How are plans for Chute Boxe for the end of the year? I think Shogun and Daniel Acácio may be fighting in Pride Bushido, for October. We´re looking to introduce one of them to the Ultimate since Dana White came to talk to me and
asked us to put an athlete of ours there. Maybe we may put more than one, perhaps, Luiz Azeredo, we want to put our athletes in the main events worldwide. I hope these new guys will bring belts for our academy.