19 Questions for Tim Sylvia

Sherdog.com: UFC President Dana White has been vocal about how he’s happy he got rid of you, he’s glad Fedor beat you, etc. How’s your relationship with White and the UFC?

Sylvia: To my face, he’s a great guy, super nice. Then I hear him say those things, so I don’t know. Dana’s just getting wrapped up in the publicity. I don’t know what his deal is [laughs]. He’s always nice to my face. I got no problem with Dana. I know he says stuff in business and stuff like that, but the type of person I am, if you have a problem with someone, say it to their face or don’t say it all. He hasn’t said anything to my face, so …

Sherdog.com: Could Dana White’s attitude deter you from coming back to the UFC?

Sylvia: From a business standpoint, I want to do what’s best for me, and right now, I’m much more appreciated outside of the UFC. I’m gonna do what’s best for me and secure my future. Do I want to be back in the UFC someday? Absolutely. It’s just, right now, there’s money to be made outside of the UFC, and that’s what I’m trying to do.

Sherdog.com: With Randy Couture and Jon Fitch citing lack of respect as an issue in their run-ins with Dana White, will you need to feel respected by him before coming back to the UFC?

Sylvia: I don’t know if Dana’s capable of doing that. He’s a businessman, and he’s all about making the UFC name bigger and lining his pockets. I just signed a video deal, and I got a great deal. The only way I’d ever come back to the UFC is … obviously, they’d have to request me.

I’ll sign a deal with them, and I won’t fight anywhere else, but they won’t be able to put me in a video game and me not get money out of it, you know what I’m saying? It’s cool being in a video game when you’re a rookie and new to the game, but when you’ve been around as much as I have, you know the video games make millions of dollars, and you don’t get any money for it? I don’t think so.

Sherdog.com: You’ve always faced an uphill battle in your relationship with fans. How do you want them to see you?

Sylvia: I’ve always fought the best -- Fedor, [Andrei] Arlovski. I still want to fight guys in the top 10. I’m still in the top 10. I think I am one of the best in the world; it’s just I always lose to one, two and three. I don’t think there’s anybody in the world that’s fought as many top 10 guys as I have.

Sherdog.com: Any last words for your fans?

Sylvia: Thank you for still sticking around [laughs]. I know I’m not in the UFC. I’m not in the highlights right now, but I still have a lot of fans that are sticking around. I’ve seemed to pick up some more fans after the Nogueira and Fedor fights, so I appreciate that. I’m still gonna be fighting for four or five more years. I love it. I’ll always be around the sport, [even] when I’m retired, because I enjoy the sport. It’s given a lot to me, and I want to give back as much as I can.