The life and career of UFC middleweight
champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva in his own words...
Despite his recent outburst on the UFC 148 media conference call earlier this week, in a war of words, soft-spoken middleweight champion Anderson Silva would likely be on the losing end to his July 7th challenger, the always loquacious Chael Sonnen. But fights are won and lost in the Octagon, and not in the press, and that’s where Silva has reigned over the 185-pound division since late-2006.
Despite this, “The Spider” has had plenty to say over the years about his style, his upbringing, and his place in the MMA history books, and here’s a sampling from the pound for pound king.
On entering the UFC (2006)
“I have fought in Japan, England, and all over Brazil, and I’ve always wanted to fight in the US. I felt the UFC was the most well-known organization in the world and has some of the best middleweights. So I want to fight the best.”
On the secret of his striking - post-Chris Leben (2006)
“It’s training. Everyone has their own talents and their own skills, and this just comes with hard work and training.”
(Seconds Later)
“I’m one of the X-Men (Laughs).”
On the first fight with Rich Franklin (2006)
“That fight was a huge turning point in my career. It fulfilled a lifetime dream of mine and has changed my life in many ways. It has also given me a lot more responsibility having the belt.”
On the Finish of the first Franklin Fight (2007)
“I wasn’t really surprised by anything. I try to be prepared for anything, and I was able to take advantage of some of his mistakes. Like I have said before, it's like a chess game - you move the wrong piece, and it's over.”
On Pre-Fight Jitters (2007)
“No nerves. At that moment there’s nowhere to run. If you trained, you trained; if you didn’t, you’re screwed.”
A Moment in Time (2007)
“Basically, having the belt right now is just a moment in time, and you’ve got to stay hungry, stay motivated, and stay humble. I take every fight as just another fight because a lot of times, when you stop fighting, people forget about you. So I know that this is just a moment in time and I’m staying focused on keeping the belt as long as I can.”
On Bruce Lee (2007)
“He (Lee) made you believe in what he was able to do.”
On Family (2007)
“I came from very humble beginnings, but I received a lot of love and support from my family. At first they didn’t want me to become a fighter, but eventually they realized that it was something that I loved to do, and that I was actually pretty good. My upbringing has made me appreciate, and not take for granted, everything that is happening to me.”
On Spider Man (2007)
“I love comic books and I have every Spider Man comic book series since 1984. I listed him as my hero because he was the only Superhero that had bills to pay. Batman was rich, and Superman was from another planet.”
On Practical Jokes (2007)
“The best joke I pulled on someone was when I hid my cousin’s tuxedo on his wedding day and made him stress out and show up late. It’s just the way that I am. I enjoy making people laugh.”
His Biggest Influence (2007)
“Nosredna was the biggest influence in my life (Nosredna is Anderson spelled backwards). He always believed in me.”
On fighting in the UFC (2007)
“Ever since I watched Royce fight in UFC 1, it was a dream of mine to compete in the UFC.”
His Toughest Loss (2007)
“My loss to Okami was the toughest to deal with, because they really didn’t explain to me the rules of the event. I guess it was lost in translation.”
On his unorthodox striking (2007)
“That’s what makes a difference. I don’t think I’m better than anyone; I just like to prove to myself that things I imagine can be done. Expect the unexpected.”
The Ultimate Goal (2007)
“My ultimate goal is to go down in history as the most efficient and technical fighter that has ever fought.”
Don’t Mess with The Spider (2007)
“To be honest with you, I really don’t like to hurt my opponents; this just happens to be our job. But if somebody disrespects me they will pay for it. I promise.”
On Who Wins a Fight between Silva and His Clone (2008)
“That’s a very difficult question and I can’t even imagine the outcome of the fight. It’s better just to imagine it in my head since it’s not reality and I wouldn’t know how to beat myself.”
On being the best (2008)
“I don’t think I am the best. I’m far from being the best in the world. People can say what they want, but I don’t believe I am yet. I can only say that when I stop fighting, I still have a lot to go through, and there are still many great fighters out there. There is no world-best. And no one is unbeatable. We all want perfection but it’s almost impossible and I am after it at every moment. I always try to improve but it’s very difficult. I think that there is still a lot to be done, a lot to be lived and improvements to make. It’s a big responsibility and I try not to think of it.”
His Personal Highlight (2008)
“I don’t think I’ve had my highlight yet. I am still a small star in the constellation, and I think I’m still far from the UFC hall of stars. But I am getting there slowly.”
On the Cote and Leites Fights (2009)
“I went up there to do my job to defend the title, and I can’t really control what the other fighter’s going to do. I have to be prepared for every situation, and it’s just unfortunate that those guys came in with that strategy.”
On Booing (2009)
“Sometimes when you’re standing outside of the Octagon it’s a lot different than when you're inside the Octagon. You know what I went in there to do – to do my job, and I’ve got my strategy. At the end of the day, yes, I’m there for the fans, but I’m the one that’s putting my body and my life in danger every time I step into the Octagon. So a lot of times, when people aren’t as educated in this sport, it’s really hard for them to understand. But I feel I went in there and did my job, and if people are booing, it’s from a lack of understanding of the sport because I went out there and executed a good game plan. It was just unfortunate that my opponents didn’t fight back.”
His Motivation (2010)
“My motivation is to be one of the best mixed martial arts fighters of all-time. Everyone is always mentioning that I’m the best pound for pound here or there, and having that type of label on me makes me very motivated. So I plan to come out here and show to my coaches and to the world everything that I’ve trained to do in the fight.”
On the Sonnen fight (2011)
“I was thinking of what I had to do to finish the fight, defend my title and go home healthy.”
On MMA in Brazil (2011)
“The sport has grown and matured a lot. A lot of things that needed to change have changed and it created a true sport that has a huge fanbase all over the world and has grown immensely in Brazil in the past few years. I am grateful to make a living from what I love to do.”
On the future (2011)
“I want to keep defending my belt and writing my history in MMA.”
Special thanks to Ed Soares and Derek Kronig Lee for their translation help.
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