He strolled the halls of an Ellsworth, Maine, high school as an average 6-foot junior 16 years ago, giving little hint he might one day grow into one of the most accomplished heavyweights in mixed martial arts history. But grow he did.
"I had a lot of health problems with my ankles and feet," Sylvia says. "My arches collapsed on me, and I became flatfooted. There were excruciating pains. I had to wear air casts and use crutches the summer before my senior year. I couldn't drive or work."
Time slowed to a crawl. He grew two inches as a senior, two more after he graduated. In a matter of a few years, he had risen more than half a foot. Sylvia filled out his 6-foot-8 frame and soon developed into a mountain of a man whose sheer size quieted the rooms he entered. Much has changed in the decade-plus since Sylvia went from kid to brute. He took up boxing and grappling, plugged into the legendary Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Bettendorf, Iowa, and surfaced as one of the dominant heavyweights of his generation.
Twice a UFC champion, Sylvia, now 32, will face the most significant test of his career when he meets Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) for the vacant World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts heavyweight title at Affliction: Banned on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
"I don't look at this as a great opportunity," Sylvia says. "I look at it as just another big fight and a chance to shut some of my critics up."
Sylvia's detractors have been many since he roared out to a 15-0 start as a professional and captured the UFC heavyweight championship for the first time against Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures) in 2003. Maligned for a plodding approach that resulted in forgettable bouts with Andrei Arlovski (Pictures), Assuerio Silva (Pictures), Jeff Monson (Pictures) and Brandon Vera (Pictures), Sylvia has emerged as one of the sport's resident heels, a man the masses love to hate. Boos are a constant companion.
"I don't think a lot of people know me," Sylvia says. "I'm from the East Coast, and I speak off the cuff. I'm definitely misunderstood. I run into people all the time who say, ‘Man, I thought you were an asshole. You're actually a nice guy.' I get that a lot."
Love him or hate him, Sylvia's resume speaks for itself. At 24-4, he has lost only to Arlovski, Frank Mir (Pictures), Randy Couture (Pictures) and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) -- all four of them current or former titleholders. In addition, Sylvia has finished 18 of his 24 victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Win or lose, fighting Emelianenko will only strengthen his credibility.
"I've fought the best," Sylvia says. "After this fight, I'll be able to say, ‘Look at three of my last four fights. I will have fought one, two and three [in the heavyweight division].' There really isn't anybody else out there who can say that."
In Emelianenko (27-1), he confronts a foe who has not been defeated in almost eight years and a man many still believe to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He has stopped 16 of his last 24 opponents inside one round, his style a lethal brew of competent striking, devastating ground-and-pound and world-class submissions.
"There are a lot of challenges with him," Sylvia says. "He's a great striker. He has a great ground game. The list goes on and on. Obviously, I have to dictate the fight. I want to control where the fight goes. I don't want to be defensive in this fight. I need to big brother him."
The stoic 31-year-old Russian has twice defeated Nogueira and also holds high-profile wins against 2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix champion Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, one-time Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland (Pictures) and former UFC heavyweight champions Mark Coleman (Pictures) and Kevin Randleman (Pictures). Even so, Sylvia sees chinks in the Emelianenko armor.
"I've seen holes in his game," Sylvia says, "and he's definitely beatable."
The main event with Emelianenko has roots in Sylvia's decision last March to leave the UFC and sign with Adrenaline MMA -- the upstart promotion run by his longtime agent, Monte Cox. He has not competed outside the Octagon in almost three years, but his walking away from the world's most successful MMA company was based more on opportunity than personal comfort. Signing with Adrenaline MMA opened doors to the possibility of competing within other organizations, and when Affliction representatives called to gauge his interest in appearing at their debut show, he was ready, willing and able to answer.
"I came to a crossroads," Sylvia says. "Monte said he could use me as the main guy for Adrenaline MMA. Instead of one out of 10, I'll be one out of one. We came to a mutual agreement [with the UFC]. All of a sudden, Affliction was there, and they wanted me."
Still, the decision to move away from the UFC was not an easy one to make.
"It's been my home for the last five years," Sylvia says. "My goal my first 15 fights was to get into the UFC. It's kind of like family. There are times when I have to remind myself, ‘S--t, I don't fight in the UFC anymore.'"
With four or five productive years left in him, Sylvia views the match with Emelianenko as a chance to answer those who continue to question his credentials. Their doubt drives him.
"I'm focusing on my legacy," he says. "I definitely want to win this fight and prove a lot of people wrong. I want people to say, ‘Win or lose, Tim put it on the line. He had the balls to fight this guy when a lot of other people wouldn't.'"