Thales Leites :: TATAME

The Nova União black belt talked to TATAME about the Fataliry Arena combats, revealed that he will fight for the MFC belt on April 9, without a chosen opponent yet, and commentes Anderson Silva's fight against Vitor Belfort. Check below the chat.

The battle against Ximú was decided only in the end…

That’s true, man. I knew everyone on my team could win. I work hard since the beginning of the fights. Of course we wanted 5 x 0, but it’s hard, guys are though. It ended the best way it could be, I congratulate my team. I’m a little piece here, I’m just doing my work as leader, there are the trainers, the guys that train for years. You can’t make an athlete in one, two months and I chose tough guys who fight until the end. I want to thank everybody.

How did the idea of this confront came?

In the middle of October Diogo called me and said he wanted to make an event of my team against Ximú’s, that wanted to start slowly. He started to make it happen. We know that people who does MMA events in Brazil do it for love. To pay a decent sponsorship, to rent a ring, a gym, to pay cars, food...

Are you thinking about doing another edition? When?

Diogo knows that. I’ve heard this year, from to half to the end. I hope it happens, it only makes the sport bigger. People have to understand MMA as an usual individual sport, as Tenis. You don’t see Nadal and Federer hiting each other after the game. Is there contact? Yes. But we train it all the time, we know how to protect ourselves.

The fact that you defeated Ximú over the ring and now to win like this... Is there any difference?

Victory is always good. Ximú is an excellent athlete and person, no one’s better or worse. Just on that night was that way. On the team was a nice sportive thing, I respect him from my heart, I know people from his family that I adore, his cousin is a big friend.

Saying like this, let’s talk about your category on UFC, that will have Anderson and Vitor...

I talked to the others, this fight is hard to talk about, because they’re both tops. Anderson is on the high spot of his career, he’s a comet, but fight is fight. Until it starts it’s 50% to each side, and there’s Vitor, he’s though, knocked a lot of people out. A certain we have, it’s going to be a huge fight, because none of them run away from fight. Techniques, speed, heavy hand... I don’t support any of them, I like them both, they’re Brazilians, athletes, so I hope the best wins.

And when will you fight again? It seems it will be for the belt…

Yes, 2009 wasn’t a good year to me, but I ended well. I’ll fight on April 9 on MFC, Canada, and will be for the belt for sure, but I still don’t know who’s going to be my opponent. I have three opponents on my mind, I’m training. I want ten victories there.