EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with MARCUS AURELIO

Interviewed by Ed Preuss for MMA Sports

MMA Sports caught up with Marcus Aurelio to discuss his upcoming fight at UFC 90 with Hermes Franca (click here to read Hermes Franca's response interview) and talk about the tension and dislike between the two fighters.

MMA Sports - How do you feel facing a former teammate inside the Octagon?
Marcus Aurélio - I am a professional fighter, so I don't choose opponents. In natural basis fighting a former teammate would be awkward, but Hermes and I are no friends form a long time and I am ready for this challenge.

MMA Sports - How is your training preparing for the fight?
Marcus Aurélio - It's great! I am doing a great job and I feel good. I am very conditioned and training a lot of Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and Wrestling. I am doing whatever it takes to give the best in the Octagon.

MMA Sports - Your history with Hermes França comes way before then American Top Team... is true that you brought him to American Top Team?
Marcus Aurélio - Hermes learned Jiu-Jitsu with me since he was a blue belt. He stayed with me until graduate black belt. When I brought him to train in United States, he was a brown belt, years before American Top Team was created. We used to train at Silveira Brother's Marcelo...Conan. In that time with Ricardo Libório we gave Hermes his black belt. After that American Top Team was born and then he integrated the team.

MMA Sports - And what happened next?
Marcus Aurélio - Then after a while he did a lot of bullshit in the team and was sent home. Then we gave him second chance and he spoiled it too. At this time he messed up with Ricardo Libório and was banished from the Team. Then he went to Team Armony, but also screwed things up there too.

MMA Sports - So I assume that was the time the friendship got broken…
Marcus Aurélio - Yes. He left the team and moved with a lot of anger. But I can tell you by that time we weren't friends for a while. In my opinion he does not have the quality when the subject is character. So he got several people upset. I am not afraid to tell nobody in the team likes him. To be honest it’s not only at ATT that França collects enemies.

MMA Sports - What do you mean?
Marcus Aurélio - Some people outside the team offered me help when they knew I would fight him. They called me and said. "Marcus, if you need any kind of help, please let me know... I want to see you kicking his ass".

MMA Sports - Who asked for the fight?
Marcus Aurélio - I didn't. And I believe he didn't either. As far I know, he would fight Brazilian Gleison Tibau, but Tibau got his shoulder hurt and needed surgery. And I was fragile due to my loss at UFC. So ATT owner Dan Lambert advised me about this fight with Hermes and I couldn't say no. So I had to accept and I am going to do my best.

MMA Sports - You both trained together and know the game... what can we expect of this fight?
Marcus Aurélio - Besides being a trouble maker, he is a great fighter. Proof of that he already disputed the belt (fought for the lightweight title). But I am ready for all kinds of situation. I will have no surprises. I know his game on the feet, on the ground...I know how he exchanges punches, his head. My mind is focused to do a 15 minutes bout of pure action. But do not be amazed if the fight ends in the first round.

MMA Sports - You came from Pride as the man who submitted Takanori Gomi, but somehow didn't repeat the good phase at UFC. What happened?
Marcus Aurélio - I can't explain for sure...I kind of froze out. US is very different from Japan when the subject is fighting. Over here, fighters like to score, differently from fighters as Gomi or BJ Penn, who do their best all the time looking forward to ending the fight.

MMA Sports - What do you mean? Could you be more specific?
Marcus Aurélio - Well, Tyson Griffin played his game against Tibau and he used this score system against me. In my opinion, those fighters are limited. They have good Boxing skills, three or four take downs and a lame ground game. That's the reason they use the UFC rules to fake attacks on the ground. They don't play loose…they just hit you once in a while. They kick and take you down to score. But I know I lost…and I got defeated by points.

MMA Sports - Talking about the team, how is ATT nowadays?
Marcus Aurélio - I see ATT as a family. It's the backyard of my home. To be honest I spend more time training in here then staying in my house. And I don't even mention the friends I made in here. You look around and you see fighters as Marcelinho Garcia, Gesias Cavalcante, Thiago Silva, Antônio Pezão, Thiago Pitbull Alves, Gleison Tibau. I am not afraid to tell you nowadays here is the best training camp in the world.

MMA Sports - How is the team after André Benkei's leaving?
Marcus Aurélio - Man, I tell you it was a sad moment. Benkei was the heart and soul of American Top Team. He now is a freelancer and my relationship with him didn't change a thing. I see him as an important part of the group. He is more than a trainer, he is like a father for us. All the guys at American Top Team respect him and wishes for his return… who knows?

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with HERMES FRANCA

Interviewed by Ed Preuss for MMA Sports

MMA Sports caught up with Hermes Franca as a reply to Marcus Aurelio's MMA Sports interview (click here to read) to discuss his upcoming fight at UFC 90 with Marcus Aurelio and talk about the tension and dislike between the two fighters.

MMA Sports Mag - It's obvious you and Marcus Aurélio have some unfinished business to deal. What are you expecting of this fight?
Hermes França - I think Aurélio talks too much, but if he is ready as he was against Clay Guida and Tyson Griffin…I think UFC will see the same movie.

MMA Sports Mag - How did you receive the news you would fight Aurélio?
Hermes França - I was very surprised! I also thought about calling UFC's matchmaker Joe Silva trying to find another opponent. I am fighting an unknown fighter in the US and who did horrible fights in the event. I say all my fights in the UFC were exciting and for several times I received prizes for the best KO or submission of the night. Even when I got defeated my fights were exciting. So I think I should have a chance to fight a better phase athlete. But I thought: What the hell? I will fight him and I don't respect him as a person and I will be well paid to kick his ass. Let's do it!

MMA Sports Mag - And he said he was the one who brought you to train in the US, how did that happen?
Hermes França - It's not true. I came to the United States own my own. Marcus has never brought me to the US. I came through UFC's Wilson Gouveia, who is such a friend and I owe him big time. I came to the US to work. I washed cars for several months, until someday Wilson introduced me to Marcelo Silveira and Conan and I started training. Marcus Aurélio reached ATT through me and Wilson. I even waited for him in the airport and placed him in my house. From there we went to Silveira's Brother’s gym and he started training. I feel very upset with the stuff he made it up.

MMA Sports Mag - So, you and Marcus Aurélio have serious personal issues…
Hermes França - He accuses me of a lot of things, but he forgets he left behind his first teacher Sazinho and left his first team Nova União. He abandoned his gym and pupils in Fortaleza... it's a shame.

MMA Sports Mag - So, you join ATT and then you ended up leaving the team. What is your version of the facts?
Hermes França - Differently of what he said. I've never did bullshit at ATT. I've always did good things for the team. I left because I had a little disagreement with Marcelo Silveira, but then we talked privately after that and it's alright.

MMA Sports Mag - So, after this talk you decided to join the team again?
Hermes França - No. I've never asked for a second chance. In fact I received a call from Ricardo Libório and he told me he would like to have me back and to put behind my disagreement with Silveira. I said yes. I moved on.

MMA Sports Mag - But then something new happened, right?
Hermes França - Yes, in the second time I left because I graduated Kurt Pelegrino to black belt… by that time he was my pupil at Team Armory. I thought he deserved it...not only because of the fights, but because he was a good instructor. He is a great fighter and during a submission event, with his blue belt, defeated Marcus Aurélio. So Libório got upset because I gave Pelegrino the black belt. I didn't understand the reason he got upset. I was a black belt for four years and Kurt was training with me over one year. I considered it fair to graduate him and this created a lot of noise. I warned Libório I wasn't able to take it back because it would create an awkward situation. And it was the beginning of the end. Then Kurt and I left to Team, Team Armory and after a while we decided to create our team. That's it.

MMA Sports Mag - I imagine you are hurt with your old team…
Hermes França - I've never left motivated by anger. At Armory, when I only trained with Kurt and my pupils, I did eight fights and won them all by submission and had a title shot. About my character, I've always been loyal to Silveira's Brothers and they were my family. I shared several unforgettable moments until the arrival of the "spoilt oranges".

MMA Sports Mag - Talking about ATT, how is your relationship with the team?
Hermes França - I got really surprised when Aurélio said nobody liked me anymore. Every time I meet somebody from there we talk normally. I ran into Gleison Tibau, who was my opponent and I didn't realize this indifference. I feel very upset with his words.

MMA Sports Mag - Aurélio also said he received phone calls supporting him to fight you. Did you receive calls also?
Hermes França - I bet he received two or three calls. On the other hand I was very supported by several fighters. I also received an invitation from BJ Penn to help him in his training and accepted. I also received invitations from Spencer Fisher, Joe Stevenson and Billy Rush, who trains Jeremy Horn. But I knew Jeremy would fight Wilson Gouveia and I had to refuse. This is my character man!!!

Just to have an idea…Meanwhile Marcus Aurélio is not welcome in any gym of Fortaleza, I have open doors in many teams and fighters in the US. As Pat Miletich, Dan Henderson, Xtreme Couture, Greg Jackson, Chuck Liddell and others. I also talked to Saulo Ribeiro during a submission tournament and he invited me to train at Universidade do Jiu-Jitsu (Jiu-Jitsu's University). This is like going Disneyland for the first time!

MMA Sports Mag - What do you mean?
Hermes França - I mean... can you imagine training with Diego Sanchez, Jeremy Stephens, Ronaldo Jacaré, Xande Ribeiro, Fabrício Morango, André Galvão, Pablo Popovitch, Brandon Vera and Barret Yoshida? It's just awesome!