With a rematch now set with nemesis Chael Sonnen, current UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva seems to be going back to his roots.
Appearing on the Brazilian network TV Globo’s Esporte Espetacular, Silva visited the Kamayurá Tribe in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, north of the Xingu River, to learn their indigenous style of wrestling. He also taught the natives some mixed martial arts moves of his own.
Known as Uka-Uka by the Kamayurá, this native tribe has passed this style down for generations, painting themselves before matches to outwardly express their warrior spirit.
In the video above, Silva can be seen donning the paint himself prior to a small wrestling match with one of the Kamayurá tribesmen.
After the match, Silva shows off his black belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills. He impresses the natives with moves they’ve likely never seen before, utilizing the kimura submission as well as some controlling techniques, such as the knee on belly.
At one point, one of the tribesmen was so impressed with his skills that he asked him to break it down for him. Silva quickly obliged and showed him a take down technique which is common in MMA.
It will be interesting to see if Silva uses some of these Uka-Uka moves in his next matchup against Sonnen which will coincidentally be in Brazil, likely this coming June.
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