RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — The Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones super fight will likely never happen inside the Octagon, but they shared a ring for the first time at UFC’s headquarters in Las Vegas in November.
During a press conference in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month, “The Spider” recalled his spar session with “Bones”.
“I have a good relationship with him, we’re friends for a long time, since he started his career, but we never had the chance to train together before,” Silva said. “We were both in Las Vegas and it happened.
“It was a normal training, he did a few things, and I did a few things. It was a tough training for both of us. We learned a lot. He taught me a few things I didn’t know, I gave him a few tips. I like him a lot, and it was cool.”
Currently riding an 11-fight winning streak in the UFC, Jones is five victories away from Silva’s all-time record of 16 straight wins inside the Octagon, and the Brazilian thinks Jones could become the best American to ever fight under the UFC banner one day.
“He has his history, he’s building (his career),” Silva said. “He’s young and has everything to become the biggest name of the sport in his country.”
A photo posted by Dana White (@danawhiteufc) on Nov 11, 2014 at 10:20am PST
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — The Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones super fight will likely never happen inside the Octagon, but they shared a ring for the first time at UFC’s headquarters in Las Vegas in November.
During a press conference in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month, “The Spider” recalled his spar session with “Bones”.
“I have a good relationship with him, we’re friends for a long time, since he started his career, but we never had the chance to train together before,” Silva said. “We were both in Las Vegas and it happened.
“It was a normal training, he did a few things, and I did a few things. It was a tough training for both of us. We learned a lot. He taught me a few things I didn’t know, I gave him a few tips. I like him a lot, and it was cool.”
Currently riding an 11-fight winning streak in the UFC, Jones is five victories away from Silva’s all-time record of 16 straight wins inside the Octagon, and the Brazilian thinks Jones could become the best American to ever fight under the UFC banner one day.
“He has his history, he’s building (his career),” Silva said. “He’s young and has everything to become the biggest name of the sport in his country.”
Jose Aldo and Patricio Freire are at the top of the food chain in the UFC and Bellator featherweight divisions, respectively, but what would happen if they fought each other one day?
Aldo and “Pitbull” interviewed each other for Tatame Magazine’s print edition, and shared their thoughts on how would a superfight between 145-pound champions would go.
“It would be a great fight,” Aldo said. “We’re both aggressive fighters, we’re the best featherweights in the world. The champions, the titleholders. It would be a great fight, no doubt about it.”
“I think I’m the only guy that can do a close fight with you,” Freire said. “We know that Chad Mendes also did, but I think I can do better and maybe bring the win to my team. But, of course, I know that you would hurt me a lot, but I will also hurt you [laughs].
“I think that MMA would win a lot with this fight. If this fight doesn’t happen, it would be a huge loss for the sport. It would be like Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao never happening. It’s going to be a war, for sure.”
Aldo successfully defended the UFC 145-pound title for the seventh time against in October, scoring a decision victory over Chad Mendes, and “Pitbull” won the Bellator featherweight gold a month before in a 25-minute fight with Pat Curran.
Freire sees Aldo as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but says he has seen things we would work on against him.
“I know you’re the toughest fighter I would ever fight in my life,” he said. “You’re a complete fighter, with almost no holes in the game, but I can see some small details where I can go in. I know you also see details in my game that you can work on, but it would be an aggressive fight with a lot of heart and soul. The sport is a war to see who wants it more.”
Aldo fought tougher competition in the UFC compared to Freire’s run at Bellator, but the UFC champion doesn’t think the featherweight division inside the Octagon is in a different level than at Bellator’s cage today.
“I see (the featherweights at Bellator) at the same level today. Bellator is the second-biggest promotion in the world today,” Aldo said. “Here in the UFC, we have more names because (the promotion) is older than Bellator. (Bellator) is growing now, but already has tough fighters too. Bellator is not far behind. The different is that the UFC is on the road for a long time.”
Jose Aldo and Patricio Freire are at the top of the food chain in the UFC and Bellator featherweight divisions, respectively, but what would happen if they fought each other one day?
Aldo and “Pitbull” interviewed each other for Tatame Magazine’s print edition, and shared their thoughts on how would a superfight between 145-pound champions would go.
“It would be a great fight,” Aldo said. “We’re both aggressive fighters, we’re the best featherweights in the world. The champions, the titleholders. It would be a great fight, no doubt about it.”
“I think I’m the only guy that can do a close fight with you,” Freire said. “We know that Chad Mendes also did, but I think I can do better and maybe bring the win to my team. But, of course, I know that you would hurt me a lot, but I will also hurt you [laughs].
“I think that MMA would win a lot with this fight. If this fight doesn’t happen, it would be a huge loss for the sport. It would be like Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao never happening. It’s going to be a war, for sure.”
Aldo successfully defended the UFC 145-pound title for the seventh time against in October, scoring a decision victory over Chad Mendes, and “Pitbull” won the Bellator featherweight gold a month before in a 25-minute fight with Pat Curran.
Freire sees Aldo as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but says he has seen things we would work on against him.
“I know you’re the toughest fighter I would ever fight in my life,” he said. “You’re a complete fighter, with almost no holes in the game, but I can see some small details where I can go in. I know you also see details in my game that you can work on, but it would be an aggressive fight with a lot of heart and soul. The sport is a war to see who wants it more.”
Aldo fought tougher competition in the UFC compared to Freire’s run at Bellator, but the UFC champion doesn’t think the featherweight division inside the Octagon is in a different level than at Bellator’s cage today.
“I see (the featherweights at Bellator) at the same level today. Bellator is the second-biggest promotion in the world today,” Aldo said. “Here in the UFC, we have more names because (the promotion) is older than Bellator. (Bellator) is growing now, but already has tough fighters too. Bellator is not far behind. The different is that the UFC is on the road for a long time.”
Jose Aldo has shown he’s quite adept with a soccer ball at his feet in the past, but the UFC featherweight champion saved his best when he went 1-on-1 against Neymar in a charity exhibition match Friday.
Jose Aldo has shown he’s quite adept with a soccer ball at his feet in the past, but the UFC featherweight champion saved his best when he went 1-on-1 against Neymar in a charity exhibition match Friday.
Quinton Jackson has signed a new deal with the UFC after three straight wins at Bellator, and one light heavyweight has offered himself to welcome “Rampage” back to the Octagon.
Fabio Maldonado, who won his past four light heavyweight bouts in the UFC, most recently a TKO victory over Hans Stringer at UFC 179, is hoping to be the first to get in a cage with “Rampage” in 2015.
“I think this fight is interesting not only for me, but for a lot of people. It’s an exciting match-up,” Maldonado told MMAFighting.com. “He has better wrestling and I have a better jiu-jitsu, and we both like to brawl. It would be a fun fight to watch, and you don’t know what to expect. I think it’s a good fight.”
“Rampage” last fought in the UFC in 2013, losing to Glover Teixeira via unanimous decision. In his previous bouts, Jackson lost to Ryan Bader and 205-pound champion Jon Jones.
After leaving the promotion with a 7-5 record, the former UFC champion scored wins over Joey Beltran (TKO), Christian M’Pumbu (KO) and “King Mo” Lawal (decision) under the Bellator banner.
“When I beat Beltran in the UFC, he went to Bellator and got the fight I always dreamed about,” Maldonado said. “I always wanted to fight ‘Rampage’, and the guy I beat got the chance. I want to fight him.”
“I’m sure ‘Rampage’ will stand and trade punches with me,” he continued. “He’s dangerous. He knocked out a guy that I couldn’t finish, a guy that I won a close split decision. I’m sure he’ll stand with me. He won’t shy away from a brawl. His hands can knock anyone out in the UFC.”
Maldonado underwent a knee surgery in late November, and hopes to be back inside the Octagon by March.
“I’m back to training already,” Maldonado said. “It was the meniscus, so it’s a quick recovery. I’m getting better every day, and I want to fight again in March. My manager Alex Davis will talk to the UFC and I hope I have good news soon.”
Quinton Jackson has signed a new deal with the UFC after three straight wins at Bellator, and one light heavyweight has offered himself to welcome “Rampage” back to the Octagon.
Fabio Maldonado, who won his past four light heavyweight bouts in the UFC, most recently a TKO victory over Hans Stringer at UFC 179, is hoping to be the first to get in a cage with “Rampage” in 2015.
“I think this fight is interesting not only for me, but for a lot of people. It’s an exciting match-up,” Maldonado told MMAFighting.com. “He has better wrestling and I have a better jiu-jitsu, and we both like to brawl. It would be a fun fight to watch, and you don’t know what to expect. I think it’s a good fight.”
“Rampage” last fought in the UFC in 2013, losing to Glover Teixeira via unanimous decision. In his previous bouts, Jackson lost to Ryan Bader and 205-pound champion Jon Jones.
After leaving the promotion with a 7-5 record, the former UFC champion scored wins over Joey Beltran (TKO), Christian M’Pumbu (KO) and “King Mo” Lawal (decision) under the Bellator banner.
“When I beat Beltran in the UFC, he went to Bellator and got the fight I always dreamed about,” Maldonado said. “I always wanted to fight ‘Rampage’, and the guy I beat got the chance. I want to fight him.”
“I’m sure ‘Rampage’ will stand and trade punches with me,” he continued. “He’s dangerous. He knocked out a guy that I couldn’t finish, a guy that I won a close split decision. I’m sure he’ll stand with me. He won’t shy away from a brawl. His hands can knock anyone out in the UFC.”
Maldonado underwent a knee surgery in late November, and hopes to be back inside the Octagon by March.
“I’m back to training already,” Maldonado said. “It was the meniscus, so it’s a quick recovery. I’m getting better every day, and I want to fight again in March. My manager Alex Davis will talk to the UFC and I hope I have good news soon.”
BARUERI, Brazil — Marcos Rogerio de Lima was one of the favorite fighters to win The Ultimate: Brazil 3 season, but came up short against season winner Antonio Carlos Junior in the semifinal. With two fights inside the Octagon, he proved his talent.
“Pezao”, who scored a 20-second knockout over Richardson Moreira as a heavyweight in May, cut down to 205 pounds to meet Igor Pokrajac at UFC Fight Night 58 in Barueri, Brazil, on Dec. 20, and again scored a quick TKO victory.
“I came here ready to fight three rounds, but I knew that the fight could be over at any moment if a good punch was landed,” de Lima told MMAFighting.com. “I came ready to fight three rounds, but it was over sooner.”
de Lima dropped Pokrajac with a left hook on the temple, and referee Fernando Yamasaki stopped the bout after the Brazilian landed a couple more punches on the ground. Pokrajac protested, but “Pezao” didn’t see anything wrong with the stoppage.
“I didn’t see the replay yet, but when I connected the punch and he went down, I landed two more punches and I saw his eyes roll back,” de Lima said right after the bout. “If the referee didn’t stop the fight at that moment, he would eventually stop it seconds later. Igor is an athlete, and he didn’t like it, and I wouldn’t either if I was in his position, but Fernando did the right thing.”
At 2-0 inside the Octagon since leaving the UFC’s reality show, “Pezao” believes he’s finally showing what he can do.
“It was great top come back with a win like this,” he said. “I was hoping to win the TUF: Brazil, but it’s a completely different competition. It’s not a real competition, but I think it helped me a lot, and I think I proved it in this fight.”
BARUERI, Brazil — Marcos Rogerio de Lima was one of the favorite fighters to win The Ultimate: Brazil 3 season, but came up short against season winner Antonio Carlos Junior in the semifinal. With two fights inside the Octagon, he proved his talent.
“Pezao”, who scored a 20-second knockout over Richardson Moreira as a heavyweight in May, cut down to 205 pounds to meet Igor Pokrajac at UFC Fight Night 58 in Barueri, Brazil, on Dec. 20, and again scored a quick TKO victory.
“I came here ready to fight three rounds, but I knew that the fight could be over at any moment if a good punch was landed,” de Lima told MMAFighting.com. “I came ready to fight three rounds, but it was over sooner.”
de Lima dropped Pokrajac with a left hook on the temple, and referee Fernando Yamasaki stopped the bout after the Brazilian landed a couple more punches on the ground. Pokrajac protested, but “Pezao” didn’t see anything wrong with the stoppage.
“I didn’t see the replay yet, but when I connected the punch and he went down, I landed two more punches and I saw his eyes roll back,” de Lima said right after the bout. “If the referee didn’t stop the fight at that moment, he would eventually stop it seconds later. Igor is an athlete, and he didn’t like it, and I wouldn’t either if I was in his position, but Fernando did the right thing.”
At 2-0 inside the Octagon since leaving the UFC’s reality show, “Pezao” believes he’s finally showing what he can do.
“It was great top come back with a win like this,” he said. “I was hoping to win the TUF: Brazil, but it’s a completely different competition. It’s not a real competition, but I think it helped me a lot, and I think I proved it in this fight.”
BARUERI, Brazil — Erick Silva scored his fifth first-round win under the UFC banner, and he credits his deviated septum surgery.
The Brazilian welterweight, who needed 75 seconds to put Mike Rhodes to sleep with an arm-triangle choke at UFC Fight Night 58 in Barueri, Brazil, on Dec. 20, told MMAFighting.com he had the best camp of his career after fixing a nose problem earlier this year.
“I didn’t have time to show in the fight, but it was absolutely important during my training camp,” Silva said of his deviated septum surgery. “I was able to do a perfect camp and be well prepared for this fight. I said you would see a new Erick Silva, more calm and confident. It was a quick fight, but I was able to stay calm and confident, and it was the key for my victory.
“We never expect to win so fast, but we plan and work hard to do it,” he added. “Thanks to all the training I had for three months, I was able to win and execute everything I wanted.”
Rhodes tried to survive but went out, but Silva thought he tapped.
“I didn’t know he went out,” Silva said. “I locked the position and waited for the tap. I thought he tapped when the referee told me to let go. In order to submit from that position, you have to put your head on the floor, squeeze and wait. It was a matter of time. He wouldn’t escape from that position.”
The 30-year-old fighter improved to 5-4 inside the Octagon with the quick finish, and he wants to finally build his first win streak in the UFC.
“My coaches, my manager and I are discussing that,” he said. “We want to start a win streak. We will plan my career the best way possible to make it a reality. I want to win consecutive fights to enter the top 10, then the top 5 and then go after the belt.”
In fact, UFN 58 marked the first time Silva fought in the UFC after splitting with his former manager Wallid Ismail.
“My former manager and I get along well, we have a good relationship, but I felt I needed to change,” Silva said. “I did that, and I’m feeling the benefits now. I’m starting a new time in my career, and I will win a lot with it.”
Before his next fight, Silva wants to try something different. The X-Gym fighter will fly to Albuquerque in January to train at Jackson’s MMA, and he’s excited to learn new tricks.
“I think it will be great for me to go there,” he said. “I’m not moving to the United States, I’ll just train there for a while. I need to breathe new airs, evolve and get some experience, and that’s what I’m going to do there. At the same time, I will do everything I can to help them as well.”
BARUERI, Brazil — Erick Silva scored his fifth first-round win under the UFC banner, and he credits his deviated septum surgery.
The Brazilian welterweight, who needed 75 seconds to put Mike Rhodes to sleep with an arm-triangle choke at UFC Fight Night 58 in Barueri, Brazil, on Dec. 20, told MMAFighting.com he had the best camp of his career after fixing a nose problem earlier this year.
“I didn’t have time to show in the fight, but it was absolutely important during my training camp,” Silva said of his deviated septum surgery. “I was able to do a perfect camp and be well prepared for this fight. I said you would see a new Erick Silva, more calm and confident. It was a quick fight, but I was able to stay calm and confident, and it was the key for my victory.
“We never expect to win so fast, but we plan and work hard to do it,” he added. “Thanks to all the training I had for three months, I was able to win and execute everything I wanted.”
Rhodes tried to survive but went out, but Silva thought he tapped.
“I didn’t know he went out,” Silva said. “I locked the position and waited for the tap. I thought he tapped when the referee told me to let go. In order to submit from that position, you have to put your head on the floor, squeeze and wait. It was a matter of time. He wouldn’t escape from that position.”
The 30-year-old fighter improved to 5-4 inside the Octagon with the quick finish, and he wants to finally build his first win streak in the UFC.
“My coaches, my manager and I are discussing that,” he said. “We want to start a win streak. We will plan my career the best way possible to make it a reality. I want to win consecutive fights to enter the top 10, then the top 5 and then go after the belt.”
In fact, UFN 58 marked the first time Silva fought in the UFC after splitting with his former manager Wallid Ismail.
“My former manager and I get along well, we have a good relationship, but I felt I needed to change,” Silva said. “I did that, and I’m feeling the benefits now. I’m starting a new time in my career, and I will win a lot with it.”
Before his next fight, Silva wants to try something different. The X-Gym fighter will fly to Albuquerque in January to train at Jackson’s MMA, and he’s excited to learn new tricks.
“I think it will be great for me to go there,” he said. “I’m not moving to the United States, I’ll just train there for a while. I need to breathe new airs, evolve and get some experience, and that’s what I’m going to do there. At the same time, I will do everything I can to help them as well.”
