One on One with Wanderlei Silva

Sherdog: Looking back, how important was Chute Boxe to your career?
Silva: Chute Boxe is a champion maker, an exceptional team. Master Rudimar (Fedrigo) is a born leader. He has the power of finding the best of each fighter. Unfortunately for the team, he has a political career now, and I’m sure that he’s doing a great job in Curitiba, helping all the martial arts, not only MMA. Rudimar was always a very busy man and did not always have time to lead the training, so Master Rafael (Cordeiro) used to do it for him. Rafael taught us a lot, formed “Shogun.” If you ask anyone there, everybody will say that Rafael is their master. Rafael is an exceptional guy, and he was formed by Rudimar, and that’s why we had some problems.

Sherdog: How does it happen?
Silva: At that time, we had a rivalry between athletes, but today the sport is more professional and we realized that we have to do partnerships. … This rivalry between martial arts and athletes doesn’t exist anymore. I’m welcomed in any gym I go to, from muay Thai to jiu-jitsu. Some years ago I went to Royler’s gym, and he treated me very well. I trained with the guys there, and they were very good. It was an honor to go there. He was a visionary guy.

Sherdog: When you started fighting, who did you see as an idol?
Silva: Master Rafael. He’s two or three years older than me, and when I started, he was already a black belt. He’s very ugly, but he was famous and had a beautiful girlfriend, so it gave me hope that I could do well one day too. He was very good in fights and muay Thai, then he started in jiu-jitsu and did great too, then in Karate too. He’s very talented. I never saw a guy more talented in training or leading the training. Rafael was unbelievable. On the other hand, Pelé also inspired me. He was the baddest man I every met. I never met a guy as bad as he is. We had no way of training with him. He beat you up in training and didn’t care.

Sherdog: You two got black belts together?
Silva: Yes, we got them with Nilson de Castro. Nilson is a great guy too, and I asked to train with him too because he’s a great teacher. At the time we got the black belts, we didn’t have gloves in the gyms. We slapped each other. He almost knocked me out at the black belt graduation. He kicked very fast, just like Rafael. I reacted and kicked him some times, made him scream, but he was great, just like Pelé.

Sherdog: Talk about this new Wanderlei, in the new stage of your career. What’s the difference?
Silva: I think it’s the new training mode, more focused, having to readapt with everything again. A fighter has to be recycling, being in a constant evolution. There are a lot of new guys, so you have to develop a lot to continue at the top. I will be back, for sure. I’ll show everybody that I can overcome this, that I don’t do it for the money, that I do it because I love it. I have a lot of other business, but what I do is fighting. I love to fight. That adrenaline that you feel when you’re going to fight is unique. Fighting is in my blood. Of course I also do it for the money -- it’s my job -- but thank God (that’s) not the most important thing today. I do it to make MMA bigger around the world. It’s a slow job. I go from gym to gym doing seminars.

Sherdog: Talk about your Web site for those who want to come and train with you.
Silva: My American Web site is wandfc.com, and now I’m going to create an Orkut, which is the biggest network in Brazil. I also have a MySpace here. Some guys created a profile for me, but I want to create my own and talk directly with my fans. If you’re here in the U.S. and need some help, come here and talk with me. I’ll help in anything I can do. I can find you a cheaper house because I know how hard it is to go to a place without knowing anyone. I know guys who own nightclubs and bars, where you can find a job. I’m here to help.

Sherdog: Something you said to me one day is that the place where you sign the least autographs is Curitiba.
Silva: Yeah, almost everybody there has it already (laughs). The people from Curitiba are very shy. Do you know what the guys from Curitiba do when they catch their wives in bed with another man? Nothing. Because they don’t talk to strangers (laughs). But I’m well recognized there because I have a lot of friends and people that I know there because I lived in Curitiba my whole life. There are a lot of places in the world that I can’t even walk on the street.

Sherdog: Where do you think you’re most recognized?
Silva: In the first place, Japan. Now here in Las Vegas too. Canada is impressive. In Toronto and Montreal it’s something crazy. That’s a huge market for MMA, and I’m going to open branches there, but I want to do exactly what I have here. I also think about Brazil because I want to help the guys here.

Sherdog: Talking about the globalization of MMA, Belfort was training with Minotauro and Anderson, and now he wants Anderson’s belt. How do you see that?
Silva: I think that it depends on the way the teacher does. … About fighting each other, that’s something that is happening now, and it’s complicated.

Sherdog: Who do you think can beat Brock Lesnar?
Silva: I think Minotauro. Minotauro is the man to beat Lesnar because he won’t fear him. He doesn’t fear anyone, and he’ll punish him standing.

Sherdog: Lyoto trained with you in the past. At that time, did you realize he had something different?
Silva: He’s lucky to be born is a house of fighters. He has his brothers, and he is, undoubtedly, a great fighter. He’s a cool guy, and I think he’s a great fighter.

Sherdog: What do you think about his next fight, against Shogun?
Silva: I still think Shogun is one of the best fighters in this division. I think this fight is tough. Lyoto has great timing and works well, so I think whoever hits first will win. We’re gonna see if it’s the lottery or not. I think it’s gonna be one of the best fights in the UFC.

Sherdog: A lot of people are saying that he is unbeatable.
Silva: No, no. Nobody is unbeatable. There are a lot of great fighters fighting around the world, and I don’t believe the best fighter in the world exists.

Sherdog: What do you expect for your career now? For how long will the fans watch Wanderlei fight?
Silva: I want to fight the best, and I know I’ll be fighting the best. Even because with how much they pay me, they won’t put me against (just) anyone. I want to fight the best, teach my training method, help the Brazilian fighters who need to come to the U.S. I want to welcome them here. I want to create champions. I want to make my team bigger. Thank God in MMA we still have a lot of areas to explore, but I don’t want this job to mess with my career inside the Octagon. No, I’m gonna get my camp together to start training for my next fight. … I’ll see what UFC wants from me, but I want to keep giving a show to my fans. That’s what motivates me. I’ve seen around the world what the UFC has become. It’s like the World Cup final, and it motivates me even more.