With his fourth bout against Kazushi Sakuraba coming on December 31 in PRIDE’s Shockwave 2 card, Sherdog's 2004 Fighter of the Year Wanderlei Silva took time from his busy training schedule to give an exclusive interview. The PRIDE middleweight champion spoke to Sherdog's Brazilian correspondent about winning the prestigious award, his accomplishments over the past 12 months, his pending battle against his Japanese nemesis and what his fans can expect in 2005.
SILVA: It’s a big honor for me to be recognized by this American website, which is one of the biggest and most respected MMA communities in the world. So, it’s a really good thing.
SHERDOG: What is the importance of a title like this to you?
SILVA: Thank God I was able to have another great year with great results. Even better is the fact that I’m being recognized by the media, because you know, you see the best fighters [discussed] in the media and being among them is a great thing.
SHERDOG: How do you see this year in your career?
SILVA: This was a really busy year, especially the second half where I already had two fights and will be having another one on New Years Eve. For a fighter, sometimes that is too much; the fights end up taking a toll on us. But above everything, this was a year with excellent wins, all knockouts and all good fights. I hope I can keep up this performance. Only with the help of God we will be able to keep this up.
SHERDOG: Your greatest moment this year has to be your victory over Quinton Jackson, isn’t that so?
SILVA: For sure. But it wasn’t as much because of the victory, it was more because of the whole fight. He is a very good athlete and his fight style ended up matching very well with mine, so I was able to go from a very tough position and end up getting that movie-like knockout. And to get a KO like that over a world-class athlete like Jackson is not easy. I believe that now he will start to get a lot of wins and people will give him more credit; he really is a tough guy, but he still needs to become a complete athlete. But for that he will have to come to Brazil to train with Chute Boxe.
SHERDOG: How’s your preparation going for the fight against Sakuraba?
SILVA: I’m training a lot, because even though I already beat him three times, the man is a very good athlete and I don’t know how long this fight will last. So I have to work on my stamina, because without stamina there is no Wanderlei. I’m working a lot on my stamina -- a lot of punching, a lot of kicking and a lot of jiu-jitsu. I’m training really hard, because next year will be a busy year for me.
SHERDOG: Do you have any strategy to face him?
SILVA: Actually, I never fought with a strategy in mind. I always get well prepared and I go counting only on my training. I already kind of know what he will want to do with me; as most guys who face me, he will probably try to take me down and hold me there. So, I’m working a lot on my sprawl and my jiu-jitsu so I can work from my back. I’m going for the knockout, because it’s New Years Eve and that is what the public wants to see. I’ll be fighting in front of a huge audience and I’m really looking forward to it. I hope I can perform well for them.
SHERDOG: Dan Henderson is being considered the No. 1 contender for your title. What do you think about a rematch?
SILVA: I think that was one of the toughest fights I ever had. I would really like to fight him again because he is an exceptional fighter; he can take punishment really well and recovers very fast and he has been winning all his fights. Since I wasn’t able to knock him out in the first bout, I hope I can fight him again next year. I want to fight him and Couture, beat them both and put an end to Team Quest.
SHERDOG: What do you think about the possibility of Pride getting Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell to fight in next years Middleweight Grand Prix?
SILVA: I think that would be perfect. They are three very good fighters and any one of them would put up a good fight. The deal is fighting good opponents, because beating good fighters will raise your stock.
SHERDOG: And how about Ricardo Arona and Vitor Belfort?
SILVA: I don’t see Vitor beating Ortiz, and Arona is still crawling; he will have to learn before being able to put up a fight. But if he gets in the Grand Prix and he ends up fighting me, then I’ll fight him. But I don’t see him fighting me right now outside of a tournament situation.
SHERDOG: Pride is preparing a huge show for New Years Eve, right?
SILVA: Yes, they have the whole rivalry with K-1 and they are trying to put together the best MMA show of the last few years. I hope we can get the first place in the TV ratings war. I’m going to do everything to make my fight an exciting one; I want to get the first place in the ratings, at least in my fight. I have been able to put up great fights this year and I want to do it again in New Years Eve. Besides, with Sakuraba there are no making mistakes. With him I always fight well. He has a game that matches really well with mine and he, like myself, enjoys to put on a show, so I’m sure it’ll be a great fight.
SHERDOG: How are Chute Boxe’s plans for joining UFC in 2005?
SILVA: We have several names, like Daniel Acácio and Luiz Azeredo. Our athletes are training and fighting a lot here in Brazil, and they are winning everything so we want to have them in the UFC, because it’s the most traditional event out there.
SHERDOG: The title unification is in your plans?
SILVA: I would really like to fight Couture. He is very good, but he is over 40 now so we either fight now or we will never fight. I think he is really good; he beat the top three contenders in UFC’s light-heavyweight division. So I have to fight him now, before he loses to someone or retires.
SHERDOG: Who do you think will win in the heavyweight championship bout between “Minotauro” Nogueira and Fedor Emelianenko?
SILVA: I’m betting on Minotauro. In the last fight he was better even with the Russian on top of him, and he already had fought a 15-minute bout before and he was really well. Something tells me that this time he will get Fedor. It would be silly for him not to train for this fight; this is the most important bout of the last few years and above all the man is a Brazilian. He is one of the most polite fighters out of his team and he deserves our support.
SHERDOG: Leave a message for your fans at Sherdog.
SILVA: I want to tell you guys that I’m really glad with this opportunity. The Sherdog crew is doing a really smart move having a Brazilian journalist on their staff. He will be able to bring a lot of news to you, and we have a lot of news here.
I really want Pride to have a show in the U.S. so you can all watch me fighting live and see what I’m all about. I went there recently and was very well received. The American fans are great and very receptive and I was really happy with them. I was flattered with the treatment that I received there by Dana White, who opened the space in his event to let me make my challenge. If I can’t fight there I’ll make sure to come as a corner for one of our fighters, so I can shake hands with everybody and get to know a bit more about the wonderful people of the USA.