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TIM SYLVIA
Part 6
"I’m Dedicating This
Fight to
Ryan Bennett."
Page 2 - part 6 - 9
© Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges On July 8, 2006, UFC World Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia will be facing off against the former champion, Andrei Arlovski, for the decider of this thunderstruck trilogy. With just 12 days to go before this big showdown, Tim is taking time out from his hectic training schedule to chill out for a while: "We’re actually getting ready to have a cookout at Pat Miletich’s house – Matt, some of the boys, and me. We just got done working out for a couple of hours, so I’m going to have some quality time with the boys," says Sylvia. At UFC 51: Super Saturday, Andrei defeated Tim with a foot-lock submission, 47 seconds into the first round, for the interim heavyweight title. At their second encounter, UFC 59: Reality Check, Tim defeated Andrei by TKO, 2.43 minutes into the first round. Sylvia says getting the belt back was very satisfying. "The most amazing thing in the world. I’ve never been so joyous and happy before in my life. It was better than the first time." Being the underdog is something Tim has become quite comfortable with, despite having an incredible 21-2-0 MMA record. With 16 of those victories being by either KO or TKO, when Sylvia does line up an opponent for the king hit, he’s probably also picturing a few of his knockers. Tim, before UFC 59, do you believe most of the critics thought you couldn’t do it? "All the critics thought I couldn’t do it." When Andrei put you down, did you think you were in trouble? "No. I was pissed off. And I said this is not happening. No way am I going out this way again." You had a really good guard; is that why Andrei targeted your body – to get you to drop your hands? "I think so – several times. And we think he started throwing the right to get me to drop my hands so he could throw his overhand right." Was it with the jab and the right that he put you down? "The overhand right again. I threw my jab, and he came over the top with his overhand right." There didn’t seem to be too much on your uppercut. Was it pinpoint accuracy, and the fact that he was committed to the offensive, that did the job for you? "That’s what I feel, yes." "I think he did, and so did Arlovski. Arlovski was asked that question several times. At the after-fight press conference and in the ring he said: ‘It was a good stoppage, I was hurt.’ So…" At the time, Andrei had his hand up to his face, but his body wasn’t moving at all. He wasn’t trying to get out of there. "When I hit him with that uppercut, I saw the look on his face, and his reaction was to put the hand up to try to stop me from dropping big bombs. But I felt the killer instinct at that moment, and I was dropping big bombs." He was a good sport about it? "Absolutely. He’s a great sportsman. And a great fighter, but I am going to beat him again." Could it be that you underestimated Andrei the first time, and that he underestimated you the second time? "I believe so." Do you think he’ll want to take it straight down at your next meeting? "We’re ready for it if it happens. We thought about that, but he’s not going to change his game plan a lot. The turnaround for this fight is happening very quickly, so… It takes a lot of time to change something like that. We think he’s probably going to go to his bread-and-butter, and he’s a good stand-up fighter, so that’s what he’s going to try to do – bang with me." Who will be favorite this time? "I don’t know. I’ve heard a lot of people say Arlovski is going to beat me. So maybe it will be even, or maybe he’ll be slight favorite, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll be slight favorite because I’m the champ now. I don’t know and I don’t care. I’m taking it that I’m the underdog, and either way, he’s going to lose again." Tim, is there anything you’d like to add? "Yeah, I want to thank everybody who’s supported me throughout my career. And I’m definitely dedicating this fight to Ryan Bennett."
For more on Tim Sylvia: www.tim-sylvia.com. For more on Ryan Bennett: www.mmaweekly.com For more on UFC 61: www.ufc.tv.
TIM
SYLVIA A Lot of Guts and True Grit
©
Marc Wickert All
photos copyright 2004 Zuffa
LLC Tim Sylvia is at home checking his emails on the net, when he takes time out to chat about his previous Heavyweight Title defenses against Andrei Arlovski and Jeff Monson, and his upcoming bout with Randy Couture. Also
present for the interview is Tim’s faithful labrador. “His
name is Broc – he’s a chocolate lab and we have Broc Chocolates
here in America,” says Sylvia. In
the same way MMA fans will always remember the Liddell vs. Couture
fights, they will also remember the Sylvia vs. Arlovski duels.
Interestingly, in both cases the fighter who lost the first bout of
each trilogy came back to win bouts two and three of their encounters.
So
are the
Sylvia vs. Arlovski files closed now? Well, according to Tim they
probably are: “I think so, but he’s on a roll and has started
putting wins together…” Understandably,
Tim doesn’t look back on their first clash with fond memories. And
after Andrei’s victory in that match, many thought it would be the
end of Sylvia’s campaign for the title. But Tim showed incredible
guts and true grit, rolling out of the Miletich workshop 14 months
later as the nitromethane-smokin’ Tim Sylvia Phase II. The
poised Heavyweight Champion now looks back on the trilogy with more
pride in his voice. “The second one I was happy with. And we had a
good fight the third time, but I would have liked to have finished him
– put him away.” Tim,
is being UFC Heavyweight Champion the best feeling there is? “One
of – yeah.” You’re
not going to say what the other ones are? “We
probably shouldn’t, should we!” No
we better not.
Did you and Ben Rothwell spar together for your title defense
against Jeff Monson? “Yeah,
we did a little bit.” Did
you also spar with guys more around Jeff’s height to prepare for
that bout? “I
worked with good wrestlers who were trying to take me down all the
time: Steve Rusk, Mike Ciesnolevicz…” More
Jeff’s height? “They
were a little taller than Jeff, but it’s hard to find heavyweights
as short as Jeff.” Can
you give a brief rundown of how the fight went? “He tried to take me down the whole fight, and then he scored a good takedown in the third round and I felt real comfortable on the ground, so I went for a few submissions and reversals. He tried a guillotine and I pulled out of it… The fourth round came around and I think he might have got another takedown about halfway through it. I threw a few strikes, and I had him in a triangle… He was in trouble a little bit. In the fifth round, he didn’t want to engage with me.”
Were
you focusing on defending against the takedowns in your preparation? “Yeah,
I was.” Was his main strategy to rush in and get under your jabs - to move in and counter your approach with a shoot? “Yes, exactly.”
Did
you get to use your elbows much? “From
the bottom a little bit. I rocked him with an elbow from my back and
cut his eye open real bad.” Were
you surprised it went five 5-minute rounds? “Yeah,
I was. If he had engaged in the fifth round, I believe I would have
knocked him out because he was looking tired and battered, but…” What
was the crowd response like? “They
were booing.” It’s easy to boo from the outside. “Yes,
it sure is.” How
did you celebrate the victory? “There
really wasn’t much to celebrate because Matt (Hughes) fought after
me and he lost his title, so…” How’s
Matt going? “He’s
doing good: He’s fighting the same night I am – March 3rd.” Who are you fighting? “Randy
Couture.” Really? I can’t picture your coming down to light heavyweight, so I guess Randy is going back up to heavyweight. “Yes,
he is.” You’ve been King of the Castle for some time now. Do you still have a healthy number of critics? “Oh,
yes. That’s what makes the world go round, right?” You
must be very successful then – they seem to go hand-in-hand, don’t
they? “They
do.” Tim,
is there anything you’d like to add? “No
– that’s cool, man.” Your
sponsors? “Warriorwear and Full Contact Fighter.”
For
more on Tim Sylvia: www.tim-sylvia.com.
TIM SYLVIA Part
8 Ready to Hit More Homers
© Marc Wickert November
5, 2007 All
photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC An
interview with Tim ‘The Maine-iac’ Sylvia is always a lot of fun
and full of witty comments from this 6’8”, 265-pound MMA star. The
patience and cool thinking this ultimate fighter displays in the
Octagon are also present during interviews, when Tim gives his time to
answer each question thoughtfully, despite his being in such high
demand for stories from a variety of publications. And
although he has to tend to the everyday duties and mundane chores that
we all face, and has to meet the ultra-busy training schedule that
mounting a challenge for the UFC World Heavyweight Title requires an
athlete to do, Sylvia still manages to find time for one more chat. At
present, Tim has just left a bank in Iowa when he’s interrupted.
“I bought another house, and I had to do a little banking. My other
house is in Iowa too, so my dad’s moving here from Maine. I’m
going to move to the bigger house and give my dad the other one,”
says Sylvia. Fortunately
Tim did not wear the same attire to the bank that he dressed in to
celebrate Halloween, when he went to a local bar with a bunch of
friends. “I dressed up
as a SWAT team member, with air popguns and handcuffs, and I shot a
few friends in the ass with the air popguns, and just hung out. It was
fun.” [Tim swears he wasn’t dressing up as tactical response
instructor, Big John McCarthy.] Tim,
how’s Broc (Sylvia’s chocolate labrador)? “He’s
doing great, thank you for asking. He has a brother now: Bogy. I
inherited him because Broc and Bogy got along so well together –
they’re like peas in a pod.” You
had back surgery prior to your last bout. What brought that on? “I
sustained some injury just through so many years of training and then
I got hurt a little bit during the Monson fight. I felt it but it
didn’t seem to be too bad, and then when I kicked into high-notch
training for the Randy fight, it got hurt. Then in the fight it just
got trashed. Afterwards I had to sleep on the floor with my feet up on
the couch: It was the only way I could relieve the pressure.” Everything’s
right now? “Everything’s
great now, I feel awesome, and I believe my performance showed in the
last fight: how much better I was, the way I moved forward, and my
hand speed…” Why
were you wearing an Xtreme Couture shirt for that bout? “They’re a sponsor. Affliction does a clothing line with Randy now, and they’re just trying to pump that name. They actually came to me with the offer first and I declined just because I had something else in the works with another company at the time. After Randy beat me they snatched him up, but it was going to be Xtreme Sylvia and now it’s Xtreme Couture. But I’ve always been good friends with Randy and I have no problem supporting him, especially if someone’s going to pay me to support him, so…”
You’re
still very much with Team Miletich and with Pat then? “Oh,
absolutely. I’ll never leave Team Miletich.” Were
you happy with your performance against Brandon? “I
wasn’t happy with the style of fighting he chose. He kept grabbing
me and holding on to me, and I really wanted to break loose and try to
knock him out. I was speaking to him during the fight, saying ‘Come
on, Brandon, let’s fight.’ I said to the ref, ‘He keeps holding
me and holding me.’ “I’m
not going to try to break away and put myself in that position,
because the best way to break is to push away, and he could have
launched a knee or an elbow. But if the referee separates us, or if
Brandon didn’t want to hold, I believe I could have knocked him out.
I had him hurt a couple of times in the third round, but I just
couldn’t capitalize on it. It’s tough being at this level:
Everyone’s good and it’s hard knocking people out because
everyone’s gotten so good.” Did
you know something was wrong with him early in the fight – that he
broke his hand? “No,
I didn’t notice it. I don’t know how he did it; he didn’t hit me
at all. But I know he was scared – he wasn’t the Brandon Vera
we’ve seen in the past.” You
and Brandon are both known to have full gas tanks. Do you feel you had
better cardio in that bout? “Absolutely,
yeah: I really put it on in the third round. I went after him and he
was running, trying to hold on… I think if it had been a five-round
fight, he would have been nightcapping.” Jeff
Monson, Randy Couture and Brandon Vera were all unable to submit you.
Do you think people are now realizing you possess strong ground
skills? “Um…
I don’t know. To this day I think people doubt my ground skills.” The
more they underestimate you the better, I guess – particularly your
opponents. “Sure.” Because
you have proven yourself on the ground against the best grapplers in
the business, will you be more likely to dispatch some of your big
kicks against upcoming opponents as you did against Tra Telligman,
knowing that you are pretty safe on the ground? “If
the opportunity… I mean I don’t go out there with the plan to do
kicks. It’s just if the opportunity comes about: I feel the fight
and deal with the situation.” Were
you surprised when Brandon elected to tie you up straight away? “Absolutely.
I was really surprised to see that.” Is
that because it was said he intended standing with you? “I thought he was going to try to knock me out like he said he was going to. In all his interviews he said ‘In the first round I’m going to match Tim with hands; the second round I’m going to come out with my legs; and in the third round I’m going to knee him in the face and knock him out.’ He didn’t do any of that.”
Do
you believe a defeated champion should be first in line to challenge
the new champion? “I
think so. I believe I deserve a shot.” Are
you disappointed you probably won’t get a chance to have a rematch
with Randy? “Oh,
you never know: I might get a chance to fight him.” So
you know something you’re not saying? [Tim
laughs.] What
is happening with the heavyweight belt now? “I
think I’m going to be fighting for it in February or March.” Are
you back in training, fulltime, after UFC 77? “No,
I did cardio last week, I’ll do a little sparring tonight, but I’m
having a week off. When I get back I’ll start doing cardio and
working out.” Are
there plans for you to fight Gabriel Gonzaga? “No.” What
are your thoughts on Minotauro Nogueira? “I’ll
let you know when we fight. I think that’s who I’m fighting
next.” Do
you have any thoughts on Brock Lesnar? “No,
not at all.” Why
were you calling for Cheick Kongo? “I
just think he’s a bully and he’s gone around bullying people, and
he’s the second biggest guy in the division so I think we need to
fight and we’ll see who the real ‘Big Dog’ is.” Tim,
is there anything you’d like to add? “If
you can thank the fans for supporting me – other than that, I’m
good.” Your
sponsors? “Warriorwear, Full Contact Fighter, and Affliction.”
For
more on Tim Sylvia: www.tim-sylvia.com. For
more on UFC: www.ufc.tv.
TIM
SYLVIA The
Power and the Passion
©
Marc Wickert. It’s
two o’clock in Bettendorf, Iowa, on this warm summer’s day.
The thermometer has just reached 85 degrees and the radio says
there’s a chance of thunderstorms later on. But the weather
doesn’t mean much to this former two-time world heavyweight champion
who is chilling out at home between workouts. “I’m
just hanging out after getting home from the gym. I did a
four-mile run this morning and then I hit the focus pads with Pat for
five 5-minute rounds,” says Tim Sylvia. “Tonight,
we’re doing up/down drills for five-minute rounds. Ben
Rothwell and I will be doing them. One minute we’ll be
standing up sparring, then another minute we’ll be in bad positions
where we have to either work our way back up to standing or take a
beating for a minute. We’ll follow that by doing stand-up
style for a minute, then back down for a minute on the ground, and the
last minute doing stand-up again. The next round we’ll start
off on the ground. It’s one of the tougher workouts we do.” There’s
no more passionate an advocate for MMA than Sylvia, who displays
extreme loyalty to his fans and the sport, and who is always happy to
assist other fighters at the Team Miletich gym. Standing
6’8” and usually weighing in at around 260 pounds, Tim also has a
huge heart to go with his massive frame, and is constantly looking to
evolve and improve as an elite athlete. With
the ‘Maine-iac’ and fellow Team Miletich fighter Ben ‘War’
Rothwell working together to prepare for their prospective bouts at
Affliction’s debut on July 19, the pair has forged one of the most
formidable partnerships in mixed martial arts. And although Tim
and Ben fought each other at Extreme Challenge 42 in 2001, and have
since worked out together, this is the first time they have been
training partners whilst preparing for the same event. For
Affliction Banned, Sylvia will be facing Fedor Emelianenko, and
Rothwell will be taking on Andrei Arlovski, with both matches
guaranteed to be action packed. Knucklepit.com was fortunate to
catch up with ‘Big Tim’ prior to the bout. Tim,
what have you been doing since your bout with Antonio Nogueira in
February? “I’ve
just been training slowly and helping some guys out in the gym.
A lot of people are paying attention to this fight: It’s one of the
biggest fights in MMA history, so I wanna give them a show no matter
what happens.” Are
you excited about this one? “Yeah,
this show is stacked. Right now Affliction has, I think, under
contract seven of the top ten heavyweights in the world, so even after
this fight there are some great fights to look forward to in the
future.” Do
you know of some other fights coming up that you can’t reveal? “We
won’t know anything until the event is over, but I’m assuming
after that night that there are still the top ten guys who want to
fight.” What’s
it like being in the main event for Affliction’s debut show? “I’ve
been in main events so many times, so there’s no real pressure that
way.” Have
you been helping Ben with his strategy for Andrei? “They’re
going through the strategies. He and I are just working hard,
pushing each other. We are big stand-up fighters, and we have
our battles in the gym, trying to impose our wills on each other and
beat each other up.” But
you’ve fought Andrei three times and won your last two encounters,
so you’d have a few tips for Ben, wouldn’t you? “Oh,
yeah. We’ve talked about that and put our thoughts together
for Ben to beat Arlovski.” What’s
the mood like at Team Miletich leading up to Affliction Banned? “It’s intense. Pat’s really pushing us hard. He wants us to make sure we’re ready for these fights, no matter what.”
When
did you find out you were going to be fighting Fedor? “I
don’t know. Right after I got out of my contract with the UFC,
I signed with Adrenaline, then Monte (Cox) said, ‘Well, Affliction
wants you to fight on their show and I think they want you to fight
Fedor,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely.’ ” Are
you preparing for Fedor in a similar way to Antonio Nogueira? “I
am, actually – the same respect on the ground, the same respect
standing up. They’re both great fighters, and the fight (with
Antonio Nogueira) was going my way and I made a stupid mistake and got
caught, so I’ll try not to make those dumb mistakes in this fight
and things are going to go my way.” They
have similar styles. “Yeah,
I think Fedor is a little stronger and a little bit of a better
athlete – he moves a little differently, but the same style.” Strength
is not a problem for you though. “No,
I’ve never been outmatched with strength in any of my fights.
I don’t think Fedor is going to do it.” Have
you watched many of Fedor’s fights? “I’ve
been a fan of Fedor so I’ve seen him fight a lot.” When
you and Fedor met for the Affliction Banned launch, what feeling did
you get about him? “He’s
a really nice guy. We hit it off pretty good and we actually kinda
became friends. We’ll put that aside on the 19th
for 25 minutes and then shake hands and give each other a hug
afterwards.” Do
you think the experience you got from fighting Antonio will help you
against Fedor? “I
think it will be an advantage because I was winning the whole fight
and then I made a stupid mistake. I just got a little impatient.
No matter how this fight goes, if it’s going my way for the first
three or four rounds, I’ll know: Don’t lighten up and don’t be
impatient – just stick to the game plan. Go out there and do
what I do best, and that’s beat guys up.” How
many fights have you signed on for with Affliction? “I
signed a three-fight deal with those guys – a non-exclusive fight
deal.” Non-exclusive? “Yeah,
that’s just the way it is with me from here on out. I’m a free
agent: I’m going to fight whoever, whenever I want, for anybody I
want. So if the UFC approach me, and they say, ‘Tim, we want
you to fight so-and-so’, I’m going to be like, ‘Yeah,
absolutely, but not exclusive.’ “That’s
what we’re all doing now. It’s a new trend that we’re all
starting to do and all the other organizations are cool with it, so
that’s what we’re going to do from here on out.” Would
that make it better for the fans if certain match-ups between top
fighters weren’t prevented due to contracts? “That’s
exactly why we’re doing it, and we’re kinda looking out for the
fighters because no one’s looking out for us, so we’re going to
look out for ourselves.” Good
on you. Fedor has won many of his fights by arm bars and kimuras.
Are you working a lot on your defense against those submissions? “Just
working on my jiu jitsu; period. I’ve actually been practicing
with a lot of guys on kimuras and arm bars so I can do them.
I’m not really worried about what he does: I’m more focused on
becoming a better fighter – a better jiu jitsu guy myself. I
think if I do that, it will make me a better fighter and more
knowledgeable when things come around if he does try to submit me.” Focusing
on what you’re going to do rather than what your opponent is going
to do? “Exactly.
I can spend all day worrying about what he’s going to do, but why do
that when I can focus on what I do best, and become a better
fighter.” Do
you expect to be the underdog for this fight? Of
course. (Laughs). Does
that give you more determination? “Being
the underdog always puts me in a better spirit and a better frame of
mind. Going out there when you have nothing to lose makes you
put it all on the line. Sometimes when I wasn’t the underdog,
I didn’t really fight the way I should have fought. I just
floated by and secured a win. I think in this case it doesn’t matter
if I lose, so I can just go out there and put it all on the line.
Whatever happens, happens.” And
that’s when we get to see the real Tim Sylvia in action. “I
agree.” Tim,
is there anything you’d like to add? “Fans: Thanks for your support, thanks for following me out of the UFC, and for still following my career. I appreciate it. And try to at least rent the fight or show up. It will be a good show.”
For
more on Tim Sylvia: www.tim-sylvia.com. For
more on Affliction Banned: www.afflictionbanned.com. Tim’s
Sponsors: Affliction
Clothing, Warrior wear, Silvermax, Labrada Nutrition, Full Contact
Fighter, Toyo Tires, Rage Broadheads, Quad City Suzuki, Mossy Oak,
Bowtech, Lone Wolf Treestands, Medalist Clothing, Ripcord Arrow Rests,
Gold Tip Arrows, Double Bull Blinds, Bad Boy Buggy, Cage Fighter,
Paddlewheel Bar and Grill, Oakley, MMA Warehouse, Fairtex, Combat
Sports, EVS Protective Gear, DPMS Panther Arms, CYTO Sport, MG
Supplements, Dixon Ford, and Carbon Ammo.
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