Silva confident against Marquardt
Interviews
Written by F. Machado, Photo Courtesy of Cage Rage
Thursday, 05 July 2007

ImageUltimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Anderson Silva will officially be defending his title for the first time July 7th. His opponent will be the fearless Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black belt Nathan Marquardt, who has not lost a single fight for three years. However, the Brazilian fighter from Curitiba is very confident when the subject is retaining the UFC belt. "I've watched some of his fight and I believe the UFC matchmakers did a good job. I say he has great ground skills, but on the feet, he looks very regular in my opinion," evaluates Silva, who has been developing a new system of training.

“At this time I will work on my weak points. I will not allow myself to commit mistakes during the fight and I will improve all the fundamentals of fighting that are not perfect yet” declared Silva. He promises a great show to those who attend UFC 73 at the Arco Arena, in California, to check out the main fight of the night. Still talking about Marquardt, Silva expressed his wonders of the title defense.

“I will keep doing my job ( I am) very serious and concrete. I am training really hard and I am aware of his skills. He is fighting for my title, he has shown he deserves to be there, as a challenger. I respect all my opponents, but I say he will need to be better than me in the octagon to get this title from me. I have plans to keep this belt for at least three more years. This is my goal”, stated Silva. He will be fighting on the same day his personal friend Rodrigo Nogueira Minotauro will debut in the octagon.

"In my opinion, there will be no room for other heavyweights once Rodrigo Minotauro steps inside the octagon. The party is over man! (Laughs). For me he's the heavyweight man. I hope he does in UFC the same he did at Pride. I don't believe the rule differences between two events will bother him", he believes.

Talking about rules, Silva says he will try to explore more elbow moves during his upcoming fight. "I still didn't show UFC fans what I can do. Against Rich Franklin, I tried to use them, but I missed. To be honest, he was the one who threw and thank God I was able to defend myself. I also have been training a lot of Jiu-Jitsu and in Vale-Tudo, ruling this Martial art is such a great deal. If the fight goes to the ground, it's always good to show some hidden secrets", he says.

Silva also adds the information he would like to give a new title shot to Rich Franklin. "He deserves it and I believe he is one the top fighters of the category. He is also the man and it will be nice to fight him once again", concludes Silva.

Hermes França interview

Written by F. Machado, Photo by Josh Hedges courtesy of ufc.com
Sunday, 01 July 2007

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UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk will engage in his first title defense at UFC 73, scheduled to take place on July 7th. MMA Ring Report spoke with the man who will challenge him for the title, Hermes França. Born in Brazil, França says he is ready to fight the champion and get his belt. "I have been training hard and you must be sure I will do my best in the octagon. So, I have no options and I hope I win this belt", states França, who is not concerned about the ring experience of Sherk. "Be sure, I watched his other fights and I know his game. Now I am training to surprise him", he guarantees. França also says the other Brazilians in action at UFC 73 (Rodrigo Minotauro, Anderson Silva, Diego Saraiva and Jorge Gurgel) will give him extra strength to earn the title. Know more about França's wishes during the following interview.

MMARR - Hermes. You are coming off three consecutive wins in the UFC. What are you expecting of this fight against Sean Sherk?

Hermes França - Well, I have been training hard and you must be sure I will do my best in the octagon. So, I have no options and I hope I win this belt.

MMARR - Which strong skills do you point at him? Do you know his game?

Hermes França - I know he is an excellent wrestler and he has been working very well this skill to MMA. Be sure, I watched his other fights and I know his game. Now I am training to surprise him.

MMARR - He has fought over 30 times… very experienced. What must be his concerns about facing you?

Hermes França - He must know I am coming with a lot of submissions and I'm also ready to KO. He must be aware I seek the submission and I have a heavy hand. But I will not say anymore… I will show my value in the octagon.

MMARR - How is your training for this fight?

Hermes França - It's good. I have been training everything... focused to fight Sean Sherk. But I am not putting too much pressure on myself. I just want to be healthy and feel good on the day of the fight. I will be ready to battle!

MMARR - In your opinion, what are the dangerous fighters in your division?

Hermes França - I believe all fighters are differently dangerous. Each one has a different game and there must be over 20 fighters in the lightweight division. I will not be unemployed for a long time if I keep fighting at the UFC (laughs).

MMARR - What is your call when the subject is Anderson Silva vs. Nathan Marquardt?

Hermes França - Anderson wins and retains his belt. He is very experienced and he always has control of his fights. I believe he will win. But I do respect his opponent too. Marquardt is a dangerous fight and he will do his best to get the belt.

MMARR - And about Rodrigo Nogueira Minotauro's UFC debut?

Hermes França - He will fight American Heath Herring, who he has defeated two times, so I guess Herring should be concerned to win this bout. In my opinion, Heath will not last one round with Rodrigo, who will submit him during the early first round.

MMARR - The event will also feature a Brazilian super-fight between Diego Saraiva and Jorge Gurgel. What do you expect of this fight?

Hermes França - Both of the fighters were born in my city Fortaleza (Northeastern city of Brazil) and as me, they are real warriors and I am sure they will give their best to be the last man to stand up. It will be a war.

MMARR - What do you think about the number of Brazilian fighters joining UFC's card in those last editions?

Hermes França - UFC today is a big company. Check it out: there are months we have three UFC events! And there is room for everybody. Not only fighters from Brazil, but Japan and England. This is a great deal for everybody. And it is good for professional fighters. So more important than win, is doing a great fight and please the audience.

MMARR - You fought eight times in 2006. What are your wonders to 2007?

Hermes França - Well, fighting eight times per year is great, but it makes me tired! (laughs). Nowadays I have to run the Armory team with the rest of the crew. I am responsible for training the fighters as well, acting as a promoter and help the students. So It's has been a busy time for me. But I leave 2007 in the hands of God. My year started very will with a KO over Spencer Fisher and I hope I keep doing a nice job.

Nogueira talks UFC...

Written by F. Machado

Monday, 25 June 2007
ImageFormer Pride heavyweight champion, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Rodrigo Minotauro says he is ready for a new challenge. During UFC 69, Dana White surprised the Mixed Martial Arts community announcing the Brazilian had signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. According to Rodrigo Minotauro, the approach with the UFC was possibly due to his friendship with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. "Anderson Silva set me up with Dana White in January. Since then we have been talking, but nothing concrete… Then when I went to the United States to be in Roan Jucão's corner at UFC Fight Night, Dana proposed a deal", tells Rodrigo Nogueira, who will debut in the octagon at UFC 73, against Heath Herring, in California, on July 7.

However, some business issues involving Rodrigo Nogueira and his team, the Brazilian top Team might become a problem. Even though he has been representing BTT for several years, Rodrigo didn't have a chance to consult his trainers about the new UFC deal. "When I was invited by Dana White, I wasn't able to reach any of the BTT leaders. So I still need to talk with my master Murilo Bustamante and clear things up", said Nogueira, who also keeps his mind straight: "I am 30 and I think I am old enough to handle my own decisions. I know what is best for me. Brazilian Top Team is an excellent place to train, but this deal I got on my own and with Silva's support. But I also know that the new deal will be good for me and if they decided to stay with me, it will be great for them too," comments Nogueira about a possible break-up between him and Brazilian Top Team.

Asked about the difference about the rules of Pride and UFC, which has creating a lot of problems to former Pride fighter Mirko Cro Cop, Nogueira states. "I started my life as professional fighter fighting in the octagon. In my opinion, the biggest difference between the octagon and the ring is in the ring, judge restarts the fight once the fight goes off the ring, and in the octagon, it does not happen. So, that is a good deal for who wants to submit or punish the opponent with ground and pound", he said adding: "To be honest with you, I am not a big fan of stomps and kicks on the ground. In my opinion, those moves look like street-fighting", he mused.

Taking about Cro Cop, I have a few things to say about his fight with Gabriel Gonzaga. I've heard some rumors the win over Cro Cop was a lucky move. So, I tell you I know Gabriel Gonzaga and in my opinion he used the perfect strategy and rocked the whole fight. It was not only a single kick… to be honest with you… if he fights Randy Couture like he fought Cro Cop, he has great chance to defeat him and get the UFC title. Napão has proved his value on the mats winning the BJJ Mundials and now he proved he is also a great MMA fighter", Nogueira states, finishing the chat by pointing to the fighters he would like to fight in the octagon. "I'm going to train to get ready to fight anyone. But I've always wanted to fight Randy Couture. I admire him as a fighter and he is one of the fighters I'd like to meet in the octagon", he concluded.