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By Eduardo Alonso
Heating Up for PRIDE.23:
Vanderlei Silva Sharpens His Axe to Bring Back the Belt!

Undefeated in PRIDE and doing his fourth fight this year, Brazilian fighter Vanderlei Silva has been known to bring fear to his opponents ever since he began his fighting career. With a vicious and fearless style, Silva probably has one of the highest percentages of knockout victories in high-level competition and has been continuing to boost this percentage over Japanese opponents ever since he defeated Japanese hero Kazushi Sakuraba for the first time at PRIDE 13. Vanderlei Silva This time he wants things to be no different, as experienced veteran Hiromitsu Kanehara will stand in his way at the Tokyo Dome ring trying to take away his belt. Of course, "The Axe Murderer" has no plans to leave his belt in the land of the rising sun, and intends to deliver yet another knockout and bring the belt back to Brazil. As PRIDE 23 is getting closer and Vanderlei brings his axe as sharp as ever, Full Contact Fighter opens the microphone to the champion and let he heat increases even more!

FCF:   Your last fight was at Shockwave, facing the Japanese fighter Iwasaki. What did you think of the event as a whole, and what did you think of your fight in particular?
VS:     The even was a spectacle, the biggest event ever. In terms of production it didn't disappoint at all. As for my fight, it was quick but I managed to turn it into a good fight, so it was nice. If they send the guy in my path, I'll knock him out for sure.

FCF:   Once again you'll be facing a Japanese fighter, and this has been generating some criticism from the public. How do you see this? Would you like to face American fighters like Quinton Jackson or Brazilians like Ricardo Arona?
VS:     I don't chose opponents in fact, so for me the nationality of my opponent doesn't matter. But this thing happens due to the media in Japan. It's like when Sakuraba, as an example, was beating Brazilian fighters this would give a good media for PRIDE. So now they want to se a Japanese beat me, so they're matching me up against Japanese fighters so all the fans there will go to see if this time Silva will lose to a Japanese. This is excellent in terms of media in Japan for the event. But for me it doesn't matter, I don't pick opponents and I'll brawl with anyone. It can be black, white, Asian, I'm not a racist! [Laughs] Whomever they put in the ring with me will be treated in the same gentle way [Laughs]

FCF:   This time your title defense will be against Hiromitsu Kanehara, who is a very experienced fighter. What do you know about him as a fighter?
VS:     I know his name! [Laughs] I don't know a thing about him, I don't know who he is, and this is the way I like it.

FCF:   This is your second title defense in PRIDE as their Middleweight champion, but you fought in a number of non-title matches since you became the champion. Do you have a different feeling when your belt is on the line?
VS:     It's different for sure. It's gives you a different feeling 'cause you know you can't make any mistakes. I'm taking this fight very seriously, I'm very well prepared and the guys can expect a great performance 'cause I'm well prepared both physically and technically.

FCF:   Will the belt come back with you on your luggage?
VS:     Sure! If God helps I'll retire wearing this belt.

FCF:   How was your training for this fight against Kanehara? What did you emphasize the most during the training?
VS:     To be honest I emphasized the most on the cardio condition and in the Muay Thai. I'm expecting a lot of trading standing up 'cause this is what the public wants to see.

FCF:   Do you expect him to go out to strike with you?
VS:     I think he may try, but after he eats my first punch or knee I believe he'll try to grab me. I think it's unlikely that he'll really go out to brawl. Vanderlei Silva FCF:   I know is tough to say something before the fight happens, but how do you see the fight unfolding? Do you expect to score a knockout?
VS:     I think it would be great if I could score a sequel of quick knockouts, but it's very tough to say things beforehand. I expect to be able to show my potential, show my Muay Thai and score some kicks to the face, knees to the face, some punches and stuff. I want what the fans want, and that's what they're going to get!

FCF:   You took some well-deserved time to go on vacation after Shockwave. Do you think this period of rest helped you as a fighter? Do you feel better now?
VS:     I'm better now for sure. I was training a lot for the events and sometimes we all need to relax [Laughs] The life of an athlete isn't easy, you work with your body and this is very demanding, so it was great to relax a bit and now I'm feeling fresh again and ready to fight in five more events in a row if God helps.

FCF:   Where are you showing better cardio, with your wife or in the ring? [Laughs]
VS:     Man, to be honest I think it's in the ring [Laughs] you know how it goes [Laughs]

FCF:   Do you have to stay "retired from activities" before a fight for too long [Laughs]?
VS:     Well, I'm forced to stay quiet for a week since I'm in Japan [Laughs] but until I get on the plane for Japan there's no way to stay quiet! If you don't change the oil the engine won't work as well as it should [Laughs] you have to keep training in all fighting styles [Laughs].

FCF:   Recently at MECA 7 you started your own brand of clothes and products. What are your plans in this field and how did this idea appear?
VS:     In fact they are products related to fighting. I'm a fighter so I know what is cool and what the fighting public wants. They want t-shirts that reflects the fighting spirit, not only from me but also from fighting in general. I have plans to release my brand abroad as well, in Japan, USA and Europe, take it to the whole world. I also want to start sponsoring some athletes. But I'll not sponsor well-known fighters, I'll sponsor the guys that really need it. I'll sponsor some guys that I have faith on and that I believe they have a great future ahead and just need some help to start out. Not only from Muay Thai, but also from Jiu-Jitsu, Kung-fu, and NHB of course, as long as the athlete that has heart and deserves it, 'cause I'll not put my name in anyone. It has to be a fighter with guts, which identifies himself with my style.

FCF:   What exactly does your brand have? What products will you be selling?
VS:     Every sort of clothes, like t-shirts, pants, tank tops, shorts, hats, caps, everything that is related to fighting and that fighting fans like to wear. I'm working with a very interesting project on this 'cause I want to do products with great quality, like I have some tank tops and t-shirts that use the same material as Nike uses, and stuff like that. But it's different 'cause it has my brand and the design we're doing, always fighting related. For the future I'm also working on making fighting equipment, more Muay Thai related. Like gloves, helmets, shin pads and the likes. This is another plan I have that will also carry the "Wand fight company" name. Right now we're already selling the clothes in Curitiba and about to start selling in Sao Paulo and Rio, and soon it'll make more noise than people imagine.

FCF:   What are Vanderlei Silva's plans for after this fight? Do you also expect to fight in the December PRIDE event?
VS:     If God helps I want to close the year with two fights, now and in December. After this fight I want to continue my training to fight in December and if I can I'll fight in January as well. As long as I'm healthy I'll be fighting.

FCF:   I know this may be a delicate subject, but how did you see your friend Pele leaving the Chute Boxe team?
VS:     It was a big loss for us. Before being a great athlete he is our friend, and he continues to be a great friend. He decided to have his own team and fight for his own name, what is understandable. I wish all the luck in the world to him 'cause he is truly a show! I like him a lot both as a person and as an athlete. Our doors are always open to him.

FCF:   You finally became the number one light heavyweight on the MMA media rankings. What did you think of that, and do you plan to stay there for a long time?
VS:     I plan to stay there for a long time with the help of God. For me it's an honor to be voted by the specialized media. Sometimes it's different to earn the respect from the fans and earn the respect from the experts, so for me it's a big honor and I expect to be able to continue to appear in the top of the rankings.

FCF:   One of the most interesting fights of the PRIDE 23 card will feature your training partner Murilo Ninja facing the contender Ricardo Arona. What do you think of this fight?
VS:     Man, Ninja will give him a beating! Ninja is very strong now and with great cardio. I ran with him today and he is in great shape, he ran a lot under some serious sun and some hot weather. He run for more than 15 km in a very fast pace. His Jiu-Jitsu is very good and we're trading toe to toe in the Muay Thai sparring. He hits very hard 'cause he used to weight more than 100kg, so he didn't lost his punching power despite dropping some weight. So I think that as soon as he touches Arona with a punch Arona will chicken out. If Ricardo can handle the first five minutes of the fight I think it'll be a lot for him. If the fight goes on for more than five minutes I think Ninja will crush him. If you stop to think about it, no one that face Ninja left the ring untouched, so this won't be the first time. Arona can be sure he will get hit a lot 'cause Ninja hates him.

Vanderlei Silva FCF:   Do you have any picks on the UFC 40 bout between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock?
VS:     I think it'll be a good fight! In fact, everybody knows Tito's fight style. Even my brother was watching one of his fights the other day and told me he thought it was ridiculous how he would just take the guy down and stay hitting him from that position. I think anyone can do it. I think that I he would accept the stand up trading... well, but he doesn't have a good Muay Thai, I even knocked him down and I ran from me. When he felt my strikes he ran from me and he doesn't like to get hit in the face. So I think that if he tries to trade and brawl with Ken he will lose the fight, 'cause I believe Ken has more guts for it than him.

FCF:   What did you think of Mauricio Shogun's debut at MECA, and the performance of your friend Nilson de Castro?
VS:     I think both guys did the two best fights of the event. Nilson is a more experienced fighter and he showed he is still in great shape. He is very strong. In fact, both Nilson and Shogun would love to go the UFC. They both would do great fights against Bustamante, and they both would be able to take Bustamante belt from him in my opinion. Even with only one NHB fight we could see that Shogun will crush a lot of guys in his division! He scored a knockout in Muay Thai and now scored a knockout in NHB, and he has a similar style from Ninja with a lot of cardio and great ground skills, always walking forward and pressing the fight! His style will make a lot of noise in the NHB world. Nilson on the other hand is more than ready! Whoever crosses his way under 90kg will have a lot of trouble. I'm training a lot with him and he is great shape! The event promoters should open their eyes 'cause someone will end up signing him, and who does it will not regret it!

FCF:   Any final message for your fans?
VS:     I want to thank all the guys who voted for me in the rankings, and I want to thank a lot to all the guys that are cheering for me. Vanderlei Silva is all about heart, guts and faith! So I wish that all the guys would have those elements in their personal lives, 'cause I'll be always fighting to deliver the best possible action for you guys to watch at home. I want to deliver always exciting and tense fights, so the fans will always be sweating like "Oh, will he win, he is crazy! How will he recover now! How will he win?" and in the end I win and please the fans. I will continue to mess with everybody's emotions a lot. And for you guys that want to use my clothes, I'm even preparing a slogan like "It's the true brand of the fighter!" Most brands are all owned by businessmen and the likes, and those guys don't know what it takes to fight. My brand is made by fighters to people who likes the sport and wants to be in touch with what goes on in the fighting world. It's made from fighters to fighters and the people who are fans of the sport.

FCF:   Thanks! The best of luck in your fight!
VS:     Thanks Eduardo!
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