Wanderlei Silva
My second bout with Cro Cop was the hardest. I had a serious injury in my eye during the fight and he knocked me out in the second round. I think it was the closest I've been to death.
My Hall of Fame are my fans.
I've made it very clear to you all that I will never again fight for this promotion, the U.F. Circus. Fixed fights, and I can prove it!
In 20 years of career and 50 professional fights, I never refused to test or failed to apply for a license to fight.
It's normal to be under pressure. I'm fighting professionally for 15 years, and it's always been like that.
My return was interesting because Bellator gave me a stage that was worthy of the return of Wanderlei Silva. I was the main event, sold out.
People talk, talk, but when it's time to fight me, they all wanna hug me.
Bellator is indirectly creating the stars division - I'm 42 now - where stars fight each other.
I like taking on the tough guys.
I would like to fight in Brazil, but we can fight in Japan or even in the United States. But if it really is against Dan Henderson, I would like it to be in a soccer stadium in Brazil.
There are two guys that I think are underrated - Thiago Tavarres and Tyson Griffin.
I like the octagon because there are no corners; there is nowhere for my opponent to go.
I don't think about my losses. I only think about winning my next fight and preparing for my next fight.
How can someone who has never been slapped in the face talk about the greatest fighter of all times?
The power from the punches come from your legs.
You have to be able to take a punch. A strong neck is really important.
Try to find a good gym, have a schedule or take a class every day, and make it a habit.
My career is over because I don't have the stage to perform where athletes get the proper respect.
But I was born in the real world, I'm from the streets.
I am a beloved athlete all over the world.
That stadium, Saitama, has given me some of the best moments in my career.
I've had a couple knockouts, but I feel good.
Sometimes, people say, 'You need to fight smart.' After a fight gets started I don't know what happens with me. I feel crazy. A lot of times my coach says, 'Calm down. Calm.'
No more corrupt politicians stealing from us.
I just opened a free, public MMA gym in Paraiba, so why can't Curitiba or Sao Paulo have one? No money? Someone needs to do this.
Like people say, it's very hard for a good professional to retire.
I lost six months of work due to throwing open punches and took a punch on the chin.
Sometimes I fight with my heart, then I open myself way too much.
Of course we always want to win, and train for it, but I also care about the quality of my performance. I want to provide a great spectacle for those who are at home.
I want to be tested until my limit.
I don't even drink.
If it wasn't for us fighters, who have carried the sport on our backs since the very beginning... without fighters there is no fight, there's no event, and no show.
If you own an event, it's your job to make sure the athletes are satisfied when they fight.
The active fighters can't speak up or they will be fired. Because this monopoly doesn't allow for a free market. We have to free the fighters so they can fight wherever they want.
Shogun vs. Lyoto is a fight that no one can miss. It's hard for me to say anything because I'm great friends with Shogun. I'm cheering for Shogun. I'm friends with Lyoto as well. I like him and I respect him and admire him as a fighter, and outside the ring, he is a great example to all of us.
Lyoto makes it very difficult to knock him out, he escapes well and moves very well.
If you go out and make a show and put your heart on the line every time, the people will respond to that and the promoter won't be able to say anything.
I talk to my guys and I tell them, 'You have to fight in a way that you don't give the promoter a choice but to bring you back.'
You can't fight like a machine, like you are worried about what the promoter is going to think.
It's not news that I want to face Vitor Belfort or Chael Sonnen.
The UFC are promoting a lot of cards and there are a lot of fights that people even don't know that will happen. But Wanderlei Silva vs. Dan Henderson would sell very well.
A bout between champions has to be considered a big show.
I don't like jokes.
I'm a professional; I'd never fight against Mirko or anyone else not being prepared.
But what astonished me is that this Croatian, this Mirko Cro Cop guy, called me the best in the world, a legend in front of me, but behind the computer he's talking a bunch of crap. What kind of man are you to say this crap online and not to my face?
I won't fight just to fight, I'm fighting to win.
For many athletes, an injury can mean the end of a relationship with a sponsor. XYIENCE stood behind me in my time of victory and they continued to do so when I became injured. This means a great deal to me.
XYIENCE is a great brand, and they've also worked to help inspire my team of amateur fighters.
A player who conjugates a verb in the first-person singular cannot be part of the squad. He has to conjugate the verb in the first-person plural. We.Collection: Sports