Issue 097

January 2013

Smart training and huge support are driving the red-hot Brazilian light heavy finisher.

As someone who was around when the UFC considered light heavyweight its marquee division, what are your thoughts on the current roster?

“This sport is getting bigger and bigger, but you can’t take away what Randy (Couture) and Chuck (Liddell) did when they were fighting. They helped make this sport what it is today. Obviously, it wasn’t just them, the likes of Wanderlei (Silva), ‘Rampage’ Jackson and ‘Shogun’ Rua made an impact too. But Chuck and Randy were the main guys in the UFC. Tito (Ortiz), too, was good for the sport.”

What did you think, when it was announced, about Chael Sonnen coaching against Jon Jones on TUF 17? 

“Except Chael Sonnen’s team and Chael Sonnen himself, every fighter is going to say that it’s unfair and that he doesn’t deserve the title shot. He got knocked out in the middleweight division and now he’s getting a title shot. But we can’t really say anything because the UFC knows what they’re doing. I personally don’t think it’s a good fight, but who am I to say?”

As someone who has said he’ll fight anybody at any time, what do you think of fighters turning down fights?

“When you’re injured you have to turn down fights. If you’re not in shape and you’re not 100%, you shouldn’t be fighting. This is a professional sport and you can get hurt, this sport is no joke. It’s not like a soccer match where if you have a bad time you can say, ‘Oh, next week I’ll perform better.’ This is a fight and if you don’t come 100% prepared you’re going to get hurt.”

You’re good friends with fellow light heavyweight Lyoto Machida, but what are your thoughts on fighting teammates? Have you and Lyoto ever spoken about it?

“No, not at all. It’s kind of weird as the guy is my friend. I go around to his house and hang out with his family, so it’s difficult. I’ve never imagined myself fighting Lyoto, and I don’t plan on fighting him either. If it happened someday, we would have to discuss it, but I don’t even like to think about it.”

What are your thoughts on the abundance of injuries that have plagued a number of fighters this year? How do you think fighters can prevent it from happening?

“We train so hard all the time that it’s difficult to fight at 100%, but I learned from John (Hackleman) and Chuck that you should always train with a partner you know and trust, and you have to train carefully too. It’s hard to train with two or three fighters who are getting ready to fight at the same time because they’re all going to go very hard, which might cause an injury. When somebody trains with you and just helps you with your fight it’s different because they can step back and not go so hard in training.”

How was the experience of fighting on the main card of the most recent UFC in Brazil? Were you quite an unknown to some of those in attendance?

“It was good to fight back in Brazil. Fabio (Maldonado) is a great guy and he came to fight. The card was great too. It was fantastic to watch ‘Minotauro’ (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira) and Anderson Silva fight on the same card. I can’t even describe how happy and motivated I was to fight that night. It was incredible, man.”

You spent some extra time in Brazil after the fight. Have you noticed the MMA explosion in your home country yourself?

“It’s crazy, man. The day after the fight, I went to the mall and every single person in the mall saw the fight the night before, which was crazy for me. It made me realize how big the sport is in Brazil. The fans love it and I’m so excited to see the sport grow – not only in Brazil – but all over the world.”