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TIM SYLVIA Casting a Spell
Page 1 - part 1 - 5 © Marc Wickert
Weighing in at 255 lbs and bearing a striking resemblance to a 6’8" sledgehammer, Sylvia intends putting Russian Andre Arlovski away with one of his bone-crushing bunch of fives. Born in Ellsworth, Maine, in 1976, Tim took up karate during his pre-teens and wrestled in high school. He also played American football for the EFL, representing Maine State Storm, but it was the fighting arts that won him over with a passion. "I was always into martial arts. At 12 years old I took up karate and it’s something I’ve really enjoyed. As soon as I got out of high school I pursued Jiu Jitsu and I’ve always been a fan of UFC, and I just started doing the training," says Sylvia. After entering and winning a number of amateur MMA fights, Tim Sylvia moved from Maine to Iowa, where he has trained with Pat Miletich for the past two years. Tim believes having such top-notch MMA names as Miletich, Jeremy Horn, Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler and Steve Rusk as training partners gives him the edge in entering any fight. "The rest of my teammates and I feel there’s nothing we’re going to see in the ring that we don’t face in training every day. I think Arlovski is going to be a tough fight – we’ll see on April 2nd – but so far the training we do has made it pretty easy stepping into the ring." One of Pat Miletich’s mottos is: "Life’s all about testing yourself. If you’re not testing yourself and trying to achieve goals in life, then you’re just wasting oxygen." And Tim Sylvia has nothing but admiration for his mentor, as he explains on the Zuffa video Team Miletich.
"Pat is a wonderful guy to me. Pat is like another father to me. You know there were times…I came out here two years ago…I just wanted to pack up and leave. I’d break down and cry… What am I doing here? Do I have what it takes? Pat would just come over and pick me back up and say, ‘You know, you start taking your beatings now and sooner or later you’re going to start handing them out.’ And he was right. It took about a year or so, and I started handing my own beatings out and making other people cry and say, ‘What am I doing here?’" says Sylvia. But there’s more to training out of Team Miletich than the workouts and Pat’s coaching. There’s also the teammate atmosphere and camaraderie, with fighters supporting each other through thick and thin, through the losses and the wins, that helps them to travel the gladiator’s path. "We’re all out here giving up what we had back home to pursue a dream. To live a life that everyone else wants, but they just don’t do it," says Tim. On August 9, 2002, Tim won his Octagon debut in UFC 39 against popular Hawaiian, Wesley "Cabbage" Correira, when the referee stopped the bout in round two. "That fight was fun. I’m a better striker than he is, but Cabbage had no problem taking all the punishment I was giving him. I wondered when he was going to go down. I think if I’d have had thirty more seconds we would have seen him fall down. Maybe some day we’ll see a rematch. I think we might fight again, as long as I stay on top and he keeps winning."
At UFC 41 on February 2, 2003, Tim had another Octagon win, this time against Ricco Rodriguez. The first round victory also brought Sylvia the UFC Heavyweight belt. Tim, who has a reputation for being able to defend against takedowns, won by knockout. "Rodriguez tried to take me down several times, but it didn’t work. In the end he had no choice but to stand up with me." Tim’s third Octagon appearance was at UFC 44 on August 26, 2003, and proved to be a battle of the giants between Sylvia (6’8") and Gan McGee (6’10"). Again Tim won by knockout with his concrete fists in the first round. "That one went to the ground because I rocked him and he didn’t know where he was. I dropped him with a straight right and jumped on top of him and capitalized. If I see a guy hurt, I smell the blood, and I move in for the finish." For his match-up with Andrei Arlovski in the ’Gon on April 2nd, Sylvia does see strengths and weaknesses in the Russian’s armour. "He’s definitely a very good takedown fighter and a very good kickboxer. His weakness, I think, is going to be my height advantage. Unfortunately he’s quite a bit shorter than I am, and we’ve picked out a few weaknesses in his stand-up game and we’re going to capitalize on them." The Miletich Fighting Systems do include Russian Sambo techniques, such as leg and ankle locks, so Arlovski’s grappling skills do not intimidate Tim. "Pat hits every angle of the sport: Sambo, Brazilian-style Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai kickboxing, boxing, regular kickboxing. He incorporates it all." Andrei’s defeat of Vladimir Matyushenko doesn’t phase Sylvia either. "Well you know, Vladi has no stand-up skills, so it was basically just a field day for Arlovski in that kind of fight. Vladi’s a good wrestler, but Arlovski is a much stronger guy, and Vladi is a much smaller guy than Arlovski. When Arlovski faces a smaller guy he tends to just bully them. He’s not going to bully me. I’m going to be the big brother this time."
Tim is totally focused on his UFC fight against Andrei and isn’t interested in what other heavyweights might be waiting to challenge him down the road. And he doesn’t want to advertise what his game plan is going to be against Andrei, but Sylvia does have this prediction for MMA fans: "I’m definitely going to knock him out!" Can we get Tim Sylvia’s prediction for the Liddell/Ortiz fight? "No you can’t because I don’t know," laughs Tim. "It’s going to be a great fight, and we’ve been waiting for it for a long time, but I really don’t know what’s going to happen." For more on Tim Sylvia and UFC 47: It’s On! www.ufc.tv Tim will soon have his own website at
www.timsylvia.net
Stay tuned.
BIG DOG IS BACK
© Marc Wickert All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa
LLC Former American President John F Kennedy once said, "Don’t work in the kitchen if you can’t stand the heat." Well, that being the case, UFC heavyweight Tim Sylvia is itchin’ for the kitchen, and he wants the heat turned up. Tim last fought in the Octagon on August 26, 2003, when he defeated Gan McGee at UFC 44:Undisputed, and after having his return to the Octagon postponed a number of times, Tim can’t wait to fight again. "I am very anxious to get back in there," says Sylvia between workouts at Team Miletich Gym in Iowa. Tim had to sit out the match between the man he had been scheduled to fight, Andrei Arlovski, and Wesley "Cabbage" Correira at UFC 47: It’s On! "I think Arlovski put up a hell of a fight. Cabbage is no slouch, and Arlovski took it to him, and he dropped him – something I couldn’t do." Both Sylvia and Arlovski put on impressive displays at UFC 44 and both men won by first round KOs. Sylvia defeated McGee and Arlovski stopped Vladmir Matyushenko. Now Andrei is expected to be challenging the winner of the Tim Sylvia v Frank Mir match. "That’s what I’ve heard. I feel fine about fighting Arlovski, so long as I beat Mir," laughs Tim. On June 19, 2004, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Sylvia will be facing Mir for the UFC World Heavyweight Title in a bout that is scheduled for five five-minute rounds. Prior to many of the fights, competitors often travel to other gyms to hone their skills in areas that their opponents are renowned for. In this case Frank Mir is known as a BJJ specialist. But Tim intends continuing his training at Pat Miletich’s gym. "I’ll stay right here in Iowa. I’ll probably have Jeremy Horn come here to train with us. Jeremy is just a great jiu jitsu guy, and he can bring any fighter down so well. And I believe Jeremy is a better grappler than Frank Mir, so it will be good to have Jeremy here just to point things out and stuff."
Mir has said he will be aiming to take Sylvia to the canvas and he expects Tim to want to stand and slug it out. Tim has trained extensively in grappling, but due to his fights generally ending quickly by knockout, MMA spectators are yet to see Sylvia’s ground skills. "If Mir can get me down, they’ll see my grappling skills. I’ll leave that up to him. But it’s always my strategy to keep the fight standing up. It’s more exciting for the crowd and more exciting for me if I pull off a knockout." With UFC title bouts being scheduled for 25 minutes (five 5-minute rounds), stamina could also be a deciding factor, and Tim is confident his fitness level will not let him down. "You know, I always come in in great shape. I’m always ready to go five five-minute rounds if needed, so I think my cardio any day is going to be in better shape than Frank’s. His cardio has always been suspect. No one’s ever really seen mine, but ah, I have no problem putting out there and showing everybody what I’ve got." Team Miletich has produced some exceptional athletes including Matt Hughes, Tony Fryklund, Robbie Lawler, Steve Rusk and Jens Pulver. And Pat Miletich’s fraternity of fighters is known for being well rounded in striking, takedowns and submission techniques. Because Tim believes Miletich training prepares them for any situation or competitor, he has not changed his routine for the Mir fight. "I haven’t changed my training at all. We always prepare for the worst and train to fight our way out of the worst positions. And my workouts are all pretty much evened out. I do as much sparring as I do grappling and wrestling. As I say, we try to cover every element of the sport. I try to be very well rounded, so if something happens in the fight, I want to be ready for it no matter what it is. You know if Frank Mir does get me down, we want to be ready for it. If he keeps me down, we want to be ready for that. And if he comes out and decides to fight standing up, well we want to be ready for that too. I think that’s the way you have to train nowadays." Because Tim was prepared to do battle in the last few UFCs, and then had his appearance postponed, he believes being at fight readiness for so long means he is in exceptional shape for UFC 48. "I was ready to fight in the last UFC (#47: It’s On!), and due to circumstances I couldn’t control, it didn’t happen. So I really didn’t take any time off. I just came back in the gym and got ready again. I didn’t want to get out of shape and I just kept plugging away." Sylvia says he also took heart from Frank Mir’s inability to defeat Wes Sims by submission. "That actually made me feel better about my fight with Mir. If Frank Mir can’t submit Wes Sims, who can he submit? I’m a much better fighter than Wes Sims."
Tim Sylvia’s Prediction for Ken Shamrock v Kimo Leopoldo: "Ah, well you know, I’m really surprised they are both able to get out of their wheelchairs. So basically whichever guy loses his crutch first is going to win that fight. I’m guessing it’s going to be Shamrock." Tim Sylvia’s Prediction for Phil Baroni v Evan Tanner: "I think Baroni is pissed off at what happened last time. He’s not going to let it happen again, and Baroni’s going to take out Tanner. And my teammate Tony Fryklund told me to tell you, if Baroni can beat Tanner, Tony wants a piece of Baroni. Tony Fryklund’s a freak and he wants a piece of Phil Baroni real bad." Tim, will you be going for the knockout against Frank Mir? "Always." For more on Tim Sylvia and UFC 48: Payback www.ufc.tv TIM SYLVIA The X-Caliber
©
Marc Wickert All photos copyright
2004 Zuffa LLC When Tim Sylvia goes to battle against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 51: Super Saturday, he expects to be a caliber of fighter who’s a cut above anybody Arlovski has ever fought before. And while the Russian heavyweight Andrei did look impressive against Ian Freeman and Vladimir Matyushenko, Vladimir was a much smaller opponent, having just moved up from the light-heavyweight division; and Freeman, at 5’11", was easily dwarfed by the 6’3" Arlovski, whose reach advantage was a determining factor in the bout’s outcome. "Arlovski hasn’t fought anybody big and tough. Ian’s a tough kid, but he’s just too small for Arlovski," says Sylvia. In contrast, Tim has competed against, and defeated, such heavyweights as 6’10" Gan McGee, and more recently, 6’10" Wes Sims, at Rumble on the Rock in Hawaii, in a match that went as Tim had envisaged. "I knew Sims was going to be scared of me, and didn’t want to stand the distance, so he tried to grab on and get in the clinch to fight me from there. I could see it was going to be a quick fight once I got a few shots off. I knew I was going to TKO him, knock him out, or whatever. I ended up getting him with a barrage of punches and the referee had to stop it." For Andrei’s match against Tim, Arlovski will be wearing the shoe on the other foot. And he is likely to involuntarily experience a neck crank when staring up at Sylvia, who at 6’8" and weighing around 255 lbs, is a true heavyweight. As part of Sylvia’s preparation for the fight, Tim has been sparring against fellow Team-Miletich fighter Justin Eilers. "Justin fights a lot like Arlovski: moves like him and everything." Interestingly, Eilers will also be competing at UFC 51: his opponent being Arizona Combat Sports fighter Paul Buentello. Tim predicts Justin will win this meeting by knockout in the first round. With an MMA record of 20-1-0, Sylvia is looking forward to the match on February 5, and has trained since the Sims fight, right through the holiday period, only stopping his workouts for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Tim is unaware of Andrei’s having competed in any tournaments since his bout with Wesley "Cabbage" Correira at UFC 47: It’s On (April 2, 2004). "From what I understand, he hasn’t fought in any other events. He had a problem with his broken hand after fighting Cabbage. He was taking time off over in Russia, visiting his family and training – from what I’ve heard." Sylvia has also defeated Cabbage (UFC 39), and sees his bout against Correira as being more aggressive than when Arlovski fought Cabbage. "He fought Cabbage very cautiously. He kept going in and out on Cabbage. I don’t think Cabbage hit him once. I stood right in front of Cabbage. That’s just the type of fighter I am: I stand right in front of a guy, and I like to get punched too. Andrei Arlovski doesn’t like to get hit. So I’m definitely going to capitalize on that when I fight him. "As stand-up fighters, I think we are at the same level, but I do have a longer reach than he has. And I’ve heard he’s a Sambo national champ, so he’s got to be pretty good on the ground. But I think my ground game is pretty good. I work with some of the best guys in the world – Jeremy Horn being one of them. It’s just that you don’t see my ground game much because I like to stand up and fight." Tim, it seems a lot of the Sambo comprises ankle and leg locks though, doesn’t it? "Sure, but they’re still part of the ground game, you know." Yeah, but you’re from Team Miletich, and I know Pat says to only go for those submissions when all else is failing. "Yes." "I think he’s going to fight me the same way he fought Cabbage: I think he’s going to come in and out, try to get some punches off, and get the hell out of my reach." As opposed to trying to take you to the ground? "You know, I think that’s everyone’s last, desperate move. And he didn’t do that against Pedro, and he didn’t try it against Ricco…He likes to stand up and fight, but he hasn’t been tagged like I’m going to tag him. So he might actually resort to wanting to take it to the ground. But we’re leaving all options open: like he’s going to try to take me down, or like he’s going to try to stand up with me. We’ll be very well prepared." How will you win the fight? "Knockout." As a team Miletich fighter, your fitness is guaranteed. "Definitely." What about Andrei’s fitness? "I think he always comes in shape to fight." So his fitness is not to be underestimated? "Absolutely not. He’s a tough guy and a great fighter. He’s going to come in shape." Will you be the fittest opponent he’s ever fought? "I think that’s safe to say. Vladi (Matyushenko) always comes in shape, but he’s just too small for Arlovski. In the past, Vladi could compete with the heavyweights, but now we’re so much bigger and stronger. And we’re talented. We’re not just big guys who don’t know how to fight. The big guys now know how to fight." In the Ultimate Knockouts 3 DVD, you’re featured in two of the fights. What do you regard as your best ever KO? "Definitely the Ricco Rodrigues knockout. I was the huge underdog, and I went there and knocked him out in the first round. He was supposed to roll over me…I was just a tomato can for him, and you saw what happened." Tim, before you have to go, is there anything you’d like to add? "I’d definitely like to thank my sponsors: Full Contact Fighter, KTFO, Rock Hard Nutrition Centers, Sport Kilt, Quad City Acceleration, Big Daddy, Mark Schmall Chiropractic, and Rich’s Tire Barn."
For more on Tim
Sylvia and UFC 51: Super Saturday – www.ufc.tv
TIM SYLVIA
Part 4
"I’ll Be Doing the Hit and
Running."
© Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges At the time of this interview – just three hours before UFC 55: Fury is about to start, heavyweight Tim Sylvia graciously takes time out to talk with knucklepit.com. He is in Connecticut helping prepare former-heavyweight, former-middleweight, and now welterweight, Joe Riggs, for his match against Chris Lytle. Tim says it was through mutual trainers that the pair linked up: "Basically, it was Joe’s being up at Utah with Alex Stibling. Alex brought Joe up to train with Jeremy Horn. And I was training with Jeremy for my last fight. Then Joe got hurt leading up to his fight (against David Loiseau), so he got sidelined for that show. We became pretty good friends, and Joe said when he gets ready for his next fight, he’d like to work out with me. Then he went to Cincinnati, and so did I, to work out with Billy Rush. We’ve been training together since then," says Sylvia. For UFC 54, it appeared MMA fans were being treated to a Tim Sylvia - phase II, with the new model on display being much more agile, flexible and coordinated. Tim credits his overnight transformation to Billy Rush. "Billy just had me doing a lot of speed drills, footwork … I’ve known Billy Rush for years. He’s one of Rich Franklin’s trainers, and he’s come back to Iowa a few times and worked out with us. I met him probably four or five years ago, and I’ve worked out with Rich Franklin. I’m good friends with Rich and he kinda turned me on to Billy, who told me he could help improve my fight game. So I said, ‘Well, do whatcha gotta do, man. I’m willing.’" Like most successful MMA fighters today, Sylvia travels to a number of training camps in order to sharpen all his skills and to remain well rounded as the hybrid sport continues to evolve. But Tim’s loyalty remains with his base camp – Team Miletich. "I’ll be there until the day I die," adds Sylvia.
Tim, when you fought Andrei Arlovski at UFC 51, you didn’t have this new mobility, and he was able to adopt a hit-and-run policy. Will you be able to counter that strategy next time? "I’ll be doing the hit and running. We’ll see how he likes it." On the same card at UFC 51, Paul Buentello put Justin Eilers away more quickly and more conclusively than Andrei did to Justin at UFC 53. But in your predictions for tonight, you picked Andrei over Paul, why is that? "I think Andrei is a better athlete, and he’s going to come in with a great game plan and in better shape. Justin’s the type of guy who just stands in front of you, and Buentello got that lucky punch. Hands down, Eilers would beat Buentello nine out of ten times, but I think Buentello got lucky that fight and landed that punch." Are you likely to fight Paul Buentello next? "I don’t know. I’m scheduled to fight on November 19 at UFC 56 against Assuerio Silva. Other than that, I don’t know what’s going on. But whoever UFC wants me to fight, I’ll fight." How has your training been going since you defeated Tra Telligman? "It’s been going really well. I’ve been working out with Billy Rush and going back to work with the Iowa boys – just trying to be a better fighter and staying well rounded." So the fans haven’t seen the best of you yet? "No. Definitely not." Are you going to get the title back? "That’s my plan." How’s Joe looking for tonight? "Joe’s already up to 189lbs. He’s looking phenomenal. He put on 19 pounds since yesterday and he’s going to be a monster in welterweight, man – a monster." Tim, is there anything you’d like to add to this? "I’d like to thank my sponsors: Warrior Wear, and Joe Gold Full Contact Fighter. I’d like to ask the fans to keep watching on p-p-v and to keep supporting us while this media ban is being sorted out."
For more on Tim Sylvia and UFC 56 – www.ufc.tv.
TIM SYLVIA "I’m Going To Be Upsetting a Lot of Critics on April 15"
© Marc Wickert All photos copyright
2004 Zuffa LLC On the morning after this interview, Tim Sylvia will be leaving for Aneheim, to compete at UFC’s first event in California since MMA was sanctioned in that state. "Right now, I’m sitting at home in Iowa. I played with my dog - a chocolate labrador. I’ve just had a nap after training this morning, and I’m ready to go to the gym again and put some more work in," says Sylvia. Although Tim’s recent match against Assurio Silva may not have gone exactly as Tim planned, he says he’s glad for the victory nonetheless. "I was happy with the win, but I wasn’t really happy with my performance. I always want to win with a flashy knockout and it didn’t happen, so… Other than that, I’m happy." And because the bout went for three rounds, Sylvia agrees it was a good session for the lead up to his title match against Andrei Arlovski on April 15. "Definitely. That’s the good thing about it, I think. Now Arlovski knows that I can go three hard rounds. He may think that’s all I can go, but I can definitely go five." Sylvia also demonstrated against Assurio Silva and Tra Telligman that he can unload high and low kicks, knees, powerful jabs and overhand rights… And he believes the variety in his game may be one of his greatest assets against Andrei. "I think so. You know, I’ve become a better fighter. You have to in this sport, or you sit down and don’t perform any more. And I’m very happy with the way I’m going." It seems with Tim’s two only losses (against Frank Mir and Andrei Arlovski), that Sylvia didn’t stick to his game plan. But more recently against Silva, Tim showed great control and he did adhere to his plan. "Yeah. I think that comes with experience. And as you get older and wiser in the fight game, you realise game plans are developed for a reason. We go out there to beat the other guy, and we know what it takes to achieve our objective. So let’s just do it. I was a little too overexcited with Mir, and with Arlovski - the first time." Tim, will you be looking to dictate the play at UFC 59? "Absolutely. I think with Andrei you have to. That’s the type of fighter he is." Are you still training with your regular guys at Team Miletich? "Yeah, everybody at Team Miletich. We have the IFL (International Fight League – see knucklepit NEWS) coming up, so all the guys are getting ready for that. And the guys getting ready for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) night. April is a huge month for the sport and for our team. We’re all getting ready together and it’s a good atmosphere. Some big things can happen for Team Miletich this year."
How did you originally meet Pat Miletich? "It was funny because I’m a huge fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and my buddies and I arrived at UFC 26 to have a look at the Octagon way earlier than any of the fans. One of the security guards said, ‘Oh, it’s you. Go ahead and go in.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s me.’ I had a few fights before this, but nothing at UFC level. We knew straight away they thought I was Gan McGee. I thought, ‘Whatever.’ "We went in there and we were in complete awe because we walked up to the ring and Kevin Randleman was in there warming up. It was like, ‘Oh, my God – that’s Kevin Randleman.’ Tito was there and we got his autograph and took pictures. Then we saw Frank Shamrock, and he kinda gave us the cold shoulder actually. Tito was real cool, but Shamrock wasn’t. "And then Pat (Miletich) was sitting down with all the boys – Mat Hughes and some of the other Iowa clan. We walked up and said, ‘Mr Miletich, Mr Hughes, could we get some pictures?’ Pat stood up and said, ‘Man, you’re a big son of a bitch. You fight?’ ‘Matter of fact, I do,’ I said. ‘I have a tough time getting fights, I’m so big. And I have no training partners.’ Pat said, ‘Come to Iowa if you want to get some work in.’ "I’m like, ‘Are you serious?’ He says, ‘Sure. Come on to Iowa. I’ll tell you what: I’ll give you my cell phone. You give me a call and then we’ll set it up.’ So I got back, made some arrangements, and went to Iowa." Gan McGee wasn’t at that event, was he? "Yeah, he fought Josh Barnett." So they thought there were two Gan McGees out there? "Possibly." Against Andrei, will you be capitalising on your height and jab to upset his momentum? "Absolutely." People say you won’t want it to go to the ground. Do they know what your ground game is like? "No, they have no clue. And I might shock the world in round three or four if it goes that long." Is it possible anyone could train at Team Miletich for as long as you have and not be skilled on the ground? "No. It’s not possible at all. I can’t believe people actually think that. People out there underestimate me on the ground. I’ve been submitted a couple of times. The only two losses in my career have been when I’ve been submitted, so…" Do you expect to be upsetting some critics on April 15? "I’m going to be upsetting a lot of critics on April 15." Tim, is there anything you’d like to add? "I’d like to thank all my team mates, sponsors, and friends who’ve helped me get this far…family members, fans… I really appreciate it."
For more on UFC 59: www.ufc.tv.
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