WANDERLEI ON ANDERSON: "I WANT TO FIGHT HIM"

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Wanderlei Silva has another big challenge on his plate when he fights Rich Franklin in the main event of UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany next month. But lately, he’s had his eye on a new, or old, challenge.

There could be another Silva on his horizon; that of former training partner Anderson. The two sweated and bled together at Chute Boxe in their formative years, near the apex of Wanderlei’s time in Pride. Office politics put them on different paths, with Anderson leaving the academy in 2005 over issues on the control of his career. But they stayed friendly, at least until recently.

Anderson reportedly called the move “pretentious,” prompting an immediate response from Wanderlei. The friendship appears to be on hold.

“Before, in his interviews, I don’t have no problem,” Wanderlei told MMAWeekly.com. “I respect him every time, I don’t talk about him, before he talked about me. Because he started it. Why? Because I’m a good friend of him before.”

Recently, Anderson’s career has taken a major hit due to listless performances against Patrick Cote and most recently, Thales Leites at UFC 97. He is due to face Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in August.

Wanderlei is fighting Franklin at a catch-weight of 195 pounds, but his plan is to fight at middleweight, and his list of potential opponents includes Anderson.

“I don’t know why he started talking (expletive) about me,” he continued. “Before he start, I don’t like to fight (at middleweight), but after he start you couldn’t pay me to stop. I love the challenge. I love the guys talking about me, because it gives me more motivation to train. Now, I want to fight with him. I want to have a chance to fight with him. But first, I need to focus for Rich, and I know I need to beat him and have a good performance to have a chance to fight the champion.”

The former Pride champ was not shy about the boo-fest between Anderson and Leites at UFC 97.

“Thales was afraid of him,” he continued. “Thales afraid to punch, he afraid to move. This is the worst situation for a fighter. In the fight, I’m going 'more,' give the punch. For a long time, I was bored. Anderson is a champion, and the other guy needs to give the best. But Anderson would put Thales in the corner, and he would not attack.”

Wanderlei says Anderson’s indecisiveness goes back to their years at Chute Boxe.

“Many times he have this in Chute Boxe, and the fights, too, and I’m staying in his corner, going ‘go, go go!’" continued Wanderlei. “The guy would stay in the corner, and he would not go. This is his fault. He put the guys in the corner, and I don’t know why he doesn’t go. This is bad. The situation is bad. Because the guys want to see the guy beat.”

To Wanderlei, a boring fight is a sin. Though he sympathizes with the pressures of a win-at-all-costs organization, he says it’s no excuse for lack of killer instinct.

“Maybe (Anderson’s) waiting because if he attacks, the guy is going to get the takedown,” he speculated. “And it’s trouble. But you need to have risk. You need to open your guard. Because this sport is hard. Many guys watching just who won. They don’t see the fight, just this guy won, or the other guy won. But I prefer to lose in an emotional fight than I win a boring fight. I’m not fighting for money. I’m fighting for emotion. I know the guys are paying $49 to watch a main event like this. I prefer to lose an exciting fight, because I know I give my best, and my opponent won because he had the best day. You win a boring fight, what is better, win or lose? This is the question. You should put your life more at risk.”

Anything less, he says, is bad for the sport.

“His performance talks about him, no?” he continued. “His last two fights with Cote and with Thales. I don’t know. This is a question, what is better for him? Win or lose? Because this is a new sport. Imagine one guy who never see, and he pay $49 to sit at home and see the fight, what impression is the guy going to have? That it’s fake? It’s possible! They think, yeah, this is fake. It’s like pro wrestling. But you have a lot of guys working hard for this sport. This is no respect for the boss, no respect for the fans. Every fighter needs to know about their responsibility in the ring, not just to win or lose. You have more power, you have more responsibility.”

And as his recent fights show, no one is more willing to live and die by the sword as Wanderlei. It’s the fans that are most important to him.

“I don’t fight just with my technique,” he said. “I fight with my heart. I respect my fans, and for this, my fans respect this. My fans know that every time I stay in the best condition and put my life on the line. For me, no problem.”

In subsequent interviews, Anderson has backed off his comments toward Wanderlei, saying the interviewer misinterpreted his intention. He has defended his performance against Leites, saying he did everything he trained to do during the fight.

But between him and Wanderlei, the line has been drawn in the sand.

Wanderlei’s wish will hinge on a number of factors, not least of which is the fight with Franklin, and whether Anderson can get by Griffin in decisive fashion. A lackluster performance by either could shelve the possibility for good.

Silva says he will lobby for the fight, but after he takes care of business at UFC 99 in Germany.

“I’m not going to fight with the champion the first or second time,” he said. “Of course, no. After four or five fights, it’s possible.”
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