Silva Says Fight Winning Kick “Perfected” by Seagal

Sunday, February 6, 2011

By Kelsey Mowatt

After Anderson Silva submitted Chael Sonnen with a fifth round, triangle-choke last August, the charismatic fighter was quick to sing the praises of the Nogueira brothers, for teaching him the jiu-jitsu skills that lead to his come from behind win. Last night Silva added another dramatic stoppage to his record, albeit one that was much, much quicker, with a stunning front kick that sent Vitor Belfort to the canvas not even four minutes in. So, who did the middleweight champion have to thank for his UFC 126 victory? Somewhat like the memorable and winning kick, Silva offered another surprise at the event’s post-fight, press conference.

“As far as the kick goes, last time I did my training camp here I was training at Black House with Steve Seagal and he helped me out a lot with that kick,” said Silva as he credited the Aikido Master and Hollywood actor for the win. “He perfected it; I did that kick for a long time and he actually helped me perfect it, along with Pedro Rizzo and “Feijao” Cavalcante. That was a kick we were working on right before I stepped out and Steven kind of corrected me on a few things.”

With the win, Silva not only extended his record to 28-4, but the 35 year-old-fighter has now gone undefeated in 13 UFC bouts. It’s a remarkable streak that the world’s pound-for-pound contender has put together through possessing explosive athletic abilities and awe inspiring techniques.

“This was a kick I trained a lot, not only myself, but all the guys, all my training partners,” said Silva. “One of the benefits of training with everyone is that we look at all the films of the opponent we’re going to face but we’re always looking at the opponents we’re going to potentially face. Vitor was a guy that has very quick hands, great boxing skills, and I practiced this kick a lot and it just happened to work out.”

While although heading into their fight last summer, Sonnen hit Silva with a verbal assault the sport has rarely seen, tensions between Silva and Belfort also hit a fever pitch prior to UFC 126. In addition, Belfort and Silva are two of Brazil’s biggest MMA stars, and as a result, awareness about the fight in the South American nation reportedly was extremely high.

“As far as the pressure goes, I believe the pressure is just part of the deal,” Silva noted. “”As a fighter you’re going to keep having more and more pressure every time you step in; that’s just something you have to deal with.”

With Silva having answered yet another challenge to his belt, speculation will continue as to what the future holds for the champion, and in particular, whether or not an all star bout with welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will finally materialize. Aside from the fact that GSP will have to defeat the highly regarded Jake Shields in April, Silva maintains that he will not be cutting or adding any weight to secure another opponent, no matter who they are.

“I’m not actually planning to move up in weight or moving down in weight. I want to maintain my position at the middleweight division and just prepare myself for the next combat.”