SILVA HEADS HOME, LOOKS TO REFOCUS TRAINING

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SILVA HEADS HOME, LOOKS TO REFOCUS TRAINING
Tuesday, January 08, 2008 - MMAWeekly.com

After an epic fight at UFC 79, Wanderlei Silva is rededicating himself to being a better fighter. He is hoping to add former Chute Boxe friends to his next camp, as well as possibly working alongside K-1 legend Ernesto Hoost before stepping back into the Octagon.

The match-up between Silva and Chuck Liddell took years to finally happen and the two legendary light heavyweights didn’t disappoint, going three rounds while keeping every fan in attendance on their feet for the duration.

At the end of the night, Silva found himself on the losing end of a unanimous decision. Now he is taking some time off to travel home to Brazil and may possibly take a trip to Holland in the near future as well.

“My fight with Chuck showed me that I need to practice more wrestling and
Muay Thai,” he said via his official online blog. “I’ve been thinking of spending some time in Holland. I have met Ernest Hoost here in Vegas and he seemed a very nice man, I think I will try that."

Also, Silva is planning a trip back home to Brazil where he looks to meet up with many of his old friends and training partners from his former Chute Boxe camp and ask for their assistance in preparation for his next Ultimate Fighting Championship bout.

"I am going to Brazil in the next days to see my parents and my daughter (from another marriage) and I hope to meet Shogun (Mauricio Rua), Ninja (Murilo Rua), Andre “Dida” (Amade), Luiz Azeredo, Daniel Acácio and Evangelista “Cyborg” (Santos) to ask them to help me to my next fight,” Silva said.

“They are great athletes and great friends also, my last preparation would be better with them and I hope that in 2008 they can be next to me in my training sessions."

While he is looking to add more partners to his training regimen, he stayed steadfast that his current team of trainers did a great job getting him ready for the fight with Liddell.

"I am very glad to have the opportunity to work with my new team for the past three months, but unfortunately I have some weaknesses that I bring for many years and it’s hard to change that,” he stated in his blog. “I will do my best to change those mistakes and I am sure that I will be able to change! I was very well prepared and I made a good UFC debut."

No time table has been set for Silva’s return to the Octagon, but despite the loss, he is still going to be a major commodity to the UFC’s growing light heavyweight division and there are a number of match-ups that could await the former Pride 205-pound divisional champion.