No Strategy, No Problem for ‘Bigfoot’ in Kyle Bout

Antonio Silva: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Former EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio Silva hasn’t had time to develop a proper strategy against last-minute opponent Mike Kyle, and “Bigfoot” isn’t exactly stressing over it.

“No, the change of opponent [has not affected my mental preparation]. A fighter has to be ready for anything. [Because of the late change], now there is no strategy,” said Silva at a Friday press conference. “But if someone messed with my wife on the street, I wouldn't have strategy, either.”

Silva was supposed to face Dutch veteran Valentijn Overeem at Strikeforce “Henderson vs. Babalu II” on Dec. 4 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. Five days ago, however, Overeem injured his elbow and had to withdraw from the contest, leaving Strikeforce scrambling for a last-minute replacement.

Enter Kyle, a UFC veteran and the current King of the Cage light heavyweight champion. The 30-year-old American Kickboxing Academy product is riding a four-fight win streak and holds notable victories over James Irvin, Tsuyoshi Kosaka and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Rafael Cavalcante.

“He's a tough guy. He’s a good striker,” said Silva of his opponent. “I’m going to do my best for this fight. I’ve been working on my striking, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. I’m going to try the whole time to knock him out.”

Though Kyle is considered to be more of a threat at light heavyweight, Silva claims that he will issue ample respect to his 11th-hour foe. Though disappointed that one of Strikeforce's more famous heavyweight contenders did not step up to take the fight, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt says that he’s now completely focused on defeating Kyle.

“Every fighter has holes in his game. I’ve observed Mike Kyle’s holes, and I plan on capitalizing on them,” said Silva. “Unfortunately, [Fabricio] Werdum and Fedor [Emelianenko] didn't come to fight, so I’m going to take Mike Kyle. [I’m approaching this fight] like he's one of the best in the world. I take him very seriously.”

The Brazilian, who also holds a black belt in judo, is fresh off a victory over onetime UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski at Strikeforce's last show in St. Louis in May. Coming on the heels of a strong-but-losing effort against top contender Werdum, Silva will now look to capitalize on his recent momentum.

“The [Arlovski victory] was one of the most important fights of my career. I worked very hard for it, and I reaped the fruits of that hard work. God blessed me with that victory,” he said.

Though many intriguing matchups await the Brazilian if he manages to get by Kyle, Silva says that he's not interested in calling anyone out. When pressed regarding potential fights against budding heavyweights Lavar Johnson, Daniel Cormier and Brett Rogers, the 31-year old was dismissive.

“I’m a fighter. I train very hard for my fights. I don’t pick opponents. I will fight anybody that Strikeforce thinks is good for the show.”

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Marquardt Balances Aggression, Strategy for UFC 122

Nate Marquardt | Sherdog.com

Three years ago, Nate Marquardt fell short of becoming the UFC’s middleweight champion. Riding a six-fight winning streak, the former King of Pancrase challenged Anderson Silva for the title at UFC 73, losing by first-round technical knockout. Since then, Marquardt has battled his way back into contention, winning five of his last seven fights.

Marquardt -- who defeated leglock specialist Rousimar Palhares at UFC Fight Night 22 in September -- will face Japanese standout Yushin Okami in a title eliminator at UFC 122 on Saturday at the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany.

“For me, the most important thing is to get a title fight and fight the champion,” Marquardt said during a Nov. 5 teleconference. “That’s my dream -- to become champion. It doesn’t necessarily matter who it is [that I fight], but at the same time, I’d prefer it to be Silva, because he’s been champion for so long and he’s proven to be the top of the division.”

Marquardt claims the 2007 loss to Silva showed he needed to be more aggressive inside the cage. The Grudge Training Center product believes that, although he was winning fights, he was too concerned with making mistakes and overextending himself, which cost him against the champion.

“When I fought Silva, I didn’t use all tools I have, because I was holding back,” said Marquardt. “You can see in all my fights since then, I did a lot of damage. My last four [wins came] by knockout.”

Aside from his loss to Silva, the other significant setback in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s UFC career was his defeat to fellow one-time title challenger Chael Sonnen in February. To this day, the loss does not sit well with Marquardt.

“After I lost to Chael, I realized maybe I’d lost some desire, my focus to be champion. Now I have that back fully, and I feel very prepared and ready,” he said. “It feels the same as when I was a kid. I want to be champ, and I’m one step away. The Chael fight reignited that desire. I feel like I lost to a guy I should have beaten, and it makes me mad at myself. Against Chael, I didn’t follow my game plan. Maybe it’s a balancing act -- following the game plan and going for the finish 100 percent.”

Sonnen holds a win over Okami, but when asked if watching the tape of that matchup was helpful in preparing for the judoka, Marquardt dismissed the notion.

“Chael is a different style of fighter than I am,” he said. “I’m going to be looking for openings to finish the fight. Even if I did see something in [the Sonnen-Okami tape], it’s not going to help me that much. Chael fought him totally different than how I’m going to fight him. There are several of Yushin’s fights that I’ve watched that were much more valuable for me.”

Marquardt was asked if he felt his opponent fought like a “more-disciplined” Sonnen. After all, Okami has been training with the former two-time NCAA national champion in Oregon. Marquardt, however, does not see similarities between the two.

“Yushin has quite a bit different style from Chael,” he said. “He has a different body type, different takedowns and a different ground game.”

Later, Marquardt was pressed on his strategy entering the fight at UFC 122. While the middleweight did not give away any secrets, he did delve into the mental aspect of fighting an opponent like Okami. Although “Thunder” has been more assertive with his strikes in recent outings against Lucio Linhares and Mark Munoz, the memory of his fight with Rich Franklin at UFC 72 still resonates strongly. There, Okami simply could not get off first in stand-up exchanges.

“I fight best when I look for openings and capitalize and go for the finish 100 percent. That’s when I do the most damage,” said Marquardt. “If he's just going to wait on me, that’s going to make my fight a lot easier. If he’s not going to attack me, then he’s going to be in trouble, and he’s going to lose the fight. Waiting for an opening doesn’t necessarily mean countering. I have to fight smartly to create openings and then capitalize.”

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