Silva in Leites’ Crosshairs
Gleidson Venga Dec 17, 2008
Thales
Leites knows he’s on UFC President Dana White’s radar.
Riding a five-fight winning streak, the 28-year-old Brazilian has been floated as a possible challenger for UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who has beaten the 185-pound cupboard bare since his reign began more than two years ago.
White indicated the UFC was eying Leites as a potential title
contender during a Q&A session on Dec. 9 in North Carolina.
“Coming from Dana White, they’re more than just rumors,” Leites said. “Now I’m expecting that this can really happen. I’ve been training already, but as soon as it comes true, I’m going to intensify my training.”
“Actually, I was caught by surprise,” he said. “Nobody’s talked to me yet. I’m waiting. My trainer, Andre Pederneiras, is contacting them to see when it will be, or if it’s going to happen.”
Leites (14-1) last appeared at UFC 90 in October, though he barely broke a sweat at the event. He needed just 78 seconds to submit Drew McFedries, a striker based at the Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Bettendorf, Iowa. The bout that may have done the most to thrust Leites into title contention, however, was his controversial split decision over former middleweight King of Pancrase Nate Marquardt at UFC 85 last summer. Marquardt -- who recovered from an early knockdown -- was docked two points for illegal blows, and the penalties were enough to carry Leites to victory on two of the three scorecards.
“This has been a good year for me, even though I only had two fights,” Leites said. “Both of them were important for me. I had a problem at the beginning of the year, when I broke my hand and had to have surgery. I keep climbing the ladder toward my goal, and I hope to keep on doing that next year.”
Silva (23-4) presents enormous problems for any fighter. The 33-year-old Brazilian has won nine consecutive bouts -- a run that includes two wins over Rich Franklin and others against Marquardt and Dan Henderson -- and 11 of his past 12. His only stumble during that stretch was a disqualification loss to Yushin Okami, a man also believed to be in the running for a title bout against Silva in 2009.
“Anderson’s a complete fighter; that’s why he’s considered the number one pound-for-pound fighter,” Leites said. “He didn’t get to a point where he thought he didn’t have anything to learn. That’s a mistake many fighters make when they’re ahead of others. He fought against good wrestlers, good boxers and good jiu-jitsu players, and they couldn’t beat him. He’s always ready. That’s the difference between a champion and a normal guy.”
Leites, a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, anticipates a clash of styles against Silva -- arguably the sport’s most lethal striker -- should the two meet inside the Octagon.
“I think that everything can happen during fight,” Leites said. “He’s going to try to fight on his feet, and I’m going to try to fight on the ground. That doesn’t mean I’m going to be able to avoid fighting on my feet or that he’s going to avoid fighting on the ground.”
Despite all the recent attention, Leites does not see himself as the clear-cut number one contender for Silva’s belt.
“There are many tough guys in my division who I haven’t fought yet,” he said. “For me, the champion’s the guy who has the belt, but that doesn’t mean he’s the best in all aspects. I can win the belt, but I may not be the best. Each fight’s a fight. I think I’m prepared, because it all has to do with focus and confidence.”
With that said, Leites thinks he’s ready for a title shot against a man some see as invincible.
“Everybody who’s fighting in MMA, in the UFC, wants to fight for the belt,” he said. “It’s only a matter of thinking you’re really able to do it. If I didn’t think I could, I wouldn’t be fighting there. My aim’s the belt, and I see a very good opportunity. Everybody trains with the goal of fighting for the belt one day.”
Riding a five-fight winning streak, the 28-year-old Brazilian has been floated as a possible challenger for UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who has beaten the 185-pound cupboard bare since his reign began more than two years ago.
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“Coming from Dana White, they’re more than just rumors,” Leites said. “Now I’m expecting that this can really happen. I’ve been training already, but as soon as it comes true, I’m going to intensify my training.”
White’s revelation caught Leites off guard.
“Actually, I was caught by surprise,” he said. “Nobody’s talked to me yet. I’m waiting. My trainer, Andre Pederneiras, is contacting them to see when it will be, or if it’s going to happen.”
Leites (14-1) last appeared at UFC 90 in October, though he barely broke a sweat at the event. He needed just 78 seconds to submit Drew McFedries, a striker based at the Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Bettendorf, Iowa. The bout that may have done the most to thrust Leites into title contention, however, was his controversial split decision over former middleweight King of Pancrase Nate Marquardt at UFC 85 last summer. Marquardt -- who recovered from an early knockdown -- was docked two points for illegal blows, and the penalties were enough to carry Leites to victory on two of the three scorecards.
“This has been a good year for me, even though I only had two fights,” Leites said. “Both of them were important for me. I had a problem at the beginning of the year, when I broke my hand and had to have surgery. I keep climbing the ladder toward my goal, and I hope to keep on doing that next year.”
Silva (23-4) presents enormous problems for any fighter. The 33-year-old Brazilian has won nine consecutive bouts -- a run that includes two wins over Rich Franklin and others against Marquardt and Dan Henderson -- and 11 of his past 12. His only stumble during that stretch was a disqualification loss to Yushin Okami, a man also believed to be in the running for a title bout against Silva in 2009.
“Anderson’s a complete fighter; that’s why he’s considered the number one pound-for-pound fighter,” Leites said. “He didn’t get to a point where he thought he didn’t have anything to learn. That’s a mistake many fighters make when they’re ahead of others. He fought against good wrestlers, good boxers and good jiu-jitsu players, and they couldn’t beat him. He’s always ready. That’s the difference between a champion and a normal guy.”
Leites, a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, anticipates a clash of styles against Silva -- arguably the sport’s most lethal striker -- should the two meet inside the Octagon.
“I think that everything can happen during fight,” Leites said. “He’s going to try to fight on his feet, and I’m going to try to fight on the ground. That doesn’t mean I’m going to be able to avoid fighting on my feet or that he’s going to avoid fighting on the ground.”
Despite all the recent attention, Leites does not see himself as the clear-cut number one contender for Silva’s belt.
“There are many tough guys in my division who I haven’t fought yet,” he said. “For me, the champion’s the guy who has the belt, but that doesn’t mean he’s the best in all aspects. I can win the belt, but I may not be the best. Each fight’s a fight. I think I’m prepared, because it all has to do with focus and confidence.”
With that said, Leites thinks he’s ready for a title shot against a man some see as invincible.
“Everybody who’s fighting in MMA, in the UFC, wants to fight for the belt,” he said. “It’s only a matter of thinking you’re really able to do it. If I didn’t think I could, I wouldn’t be fighting there. My aim’s the belt, and I see a very good opportunity. Everybody trains with the goal of fighting for the belt one day.”
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