Wanderlei Siva awaits the continuation of his fight at UFC 147 in Belo Horizonte. Photo: Victor Gruzman/GRACIEMAG.
At the TUF Brazil house, boxing and MMA coach Luis Carlos Dórea sported the green jersey of Vitor Belfort’s team. At heart, though, Dórea has proved himself to be a great fan of Brazilian MMA. And of Wanderlei Silva, Vitor’s rival on the reality show.
“I’m a huge fan of Wanderlei Silva, one of the legends of the sport alongside Royce Gracie, Rodrigo Minotauro and other aces who carried Brazilian MMA to the level it’s at today. He’s fearless like few others are, has a huge heart and absurd power behind his fists. I feel he still has it in him, can still take out opponents and put on a show,” said Dórea in a conversation with GRACIEMAG.com.
But after the undesirable outcome of his last encounter with Rich Franklin, at the June UFC show in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, shouldn’t Wand rework his style of fighting? Perhaps add some new technique to catch his opponents by surprise, go easy on the gas to wear out less? The trainer categorically disagrees.
“To me anyone who spares his energy in an MMA fight doesn’t want to win. That’s not the way to go. Wanderlei was always aggressive in his fights, and I wouldn’t try changing anything at this point in the game. Rafael Cordeiro is a great trainer and knows like no one else what’s best for Wand. I’d work on a few different things, some minor methodological details in training and positioning in the octagon. But it would just be a few details. It’s like making a stew or some meal—each master will use different seasoning. Rafa Cordeiro is great too,” he remarked.
What about you, what do you feel Wanderlei Silva should incorporate into his game in the two fights that are missing for the star to make it to the 50-career-fight mark? Share your thoughts with us in the comments field below.
