The following is an exclusive pre-UFC 61 "Bitter Rivals" interview with Miletich fighting specialist and UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia. The interview was conducted by J.C. Weyand of WWW.MMAFURY.TV on July 5, 2006.

Tim Sylvia

To listen to the interview, CLICK HERE


MMAFURY.TV: How's it going today?

Tim Sylvia: Good. Busy, Everyone's calling me. (laughs)

MMAFURY.TV: You're fighting in the main event of UFC in a rubber match against Andrei Arlovski for the UFC Heavyweight title. How are you preparing for this fight?

Tim Sylvia: The same way prepared last time, to go out there and knock him out.

MMAFURY.TV: How does this fight differ from the last two times you've fought Arlovski?

Tim Sylvia: It doesn't differ anything from the second time we fought. It's a rubber match, obviously. He's won one - I've won one. This one's gonna settle all scores.

MMAFURY.TV: How's your preparation evolved from the first time you fought him to the 2nd time and now to the rubber match?

Tim Sylvia: The first time we fought, I wasn't ready to fight him. You know I just went out there and didn't give him a lot of respect, and I paid the price for it. We're doing the same thing we did to prepare for the last fight - training stand-up real hard, takedown defense, working on the ground. We plan to go out there and knock him out.

MMAFURY.TV: How have you changed as a fighter since the last time you guys met?

Tim Sylvia: I guess my hands have gotten even better since the last time we fought.

MMAFURY.TV: Some people, not me specifically, have called your win at UFC 59 a fluke. How do you respond to that?

Tim Sylvia: Tell them to fuck off and watch the fight.

MMAFURY.TV: (laughs) And watch UFC 61. Right on. After UFC 61, whom are you looking to fight?

Tim Sylvia: Um…I don't know. I don't talk about that until after this fight. Andrei's a tough guy and it's going to take a lot to get by him. Once I get by him, we can talk about that later.

MMAFURY.TV: Jeff Monson has been rumored to get a shot at the title at UFC 65. Is there any truth to that rumor?

Tim Sylvia: I have no idea.

MMAFURY.TV: Fair Enough. Brandon Vera also has been making some noise at Heavyweight with a recent win over Assuerio Silva. Do you see him as a potential upcoming fight?

Tim Sylvia: Well, once again, I'd be looking by people if I did. I see him as a Heavyweight contender, yes. If I keep winning, him and I will fight some day.

MMAFURY.TV: Do you think he's for real?

Tim Sylvia: Um…we'll see.

MMAFURY.TV: (laughs) What would you like to accomplish in the next year?

Tim Sylvia: I'd like to defend the belt probably three more times, three or four more times, and be known as the best Heavyweight the UFC has ever seen.

MMAFURY.TV: If you could fight one person from the UFC, PRIDE, or anywhere else, who would it be? A dream fight.

Tim Sylvia: A dream fight?

MMAFURY.TV: Yeah, a dream fight, for lack of a better term.

Tim Sylvia: I would like to fight Shamrock, just cause I think it'd be fun.

MMAFURY.TV: (laughs)

Tim Sylvia: I'd like to fight Nogueira to see how that'd go, maybe get it on with Cro-Cop and some of the other guys over there in PRIDE as well.

MMAFURY.TV: Is there anything else you'd like to say to your fans before we wrap up?

Tim Sylvia: Thanks to everyone who thinks the second fight wasn't a fluke. I want to thank them for being supportive and backing me up, of course.

MMAFURY.TV: Thank you for taking time to talk to MMAFURY.TV and good luck this Saturday.

Tim Sylvia: Thanks.





Be sure to check out the MMAFURY.TV Store for the lowest prices on UFC and PRIDE DVDs














just a counter