The Four Seasons hotel gym comes alive around midnight when Anderson Silva walks in with his crew. The UFC middleweight had just arrived in New York City, the third stop of a seven-day, seven-city press tour. Jet lag? No. Silva, 38, pushes weight machines against the wall to clear space in the brightly lit, eucalyptus-scented gym. For the next two hours, he sweats through rounds with his coach, Edelson Silva (no relation), and trainer, Guto Demeski.
At 1 a.m, the whap of leather against leather is so loud that a few hotel employees come in to investigate. Just grown men, fighting in the middle of the night. They leave confused while Edelson, who 10 years ago could beat Silva in the ring, pushes his athlete for a total of 14 five-minute rounds. (In case you forgot, a typical fight runs only five rounds.) The spar session wraps up at 2 a.m., and the guys grab a slice of pizza across the street and fall into bed at 3:30.
This is what you do when you want something. Silva wants to reclaim his title from Chris Weidman, 29, the fighter who last July knocked him off his six-year reign as the middleweight champion. Their rematch is on Saturday, December 28.
Just over five hours after falling asleep, Silva is up for his first interview. He's prone to lean, straightforward responses, so when asked what it feels like to punch a man in the face, the Brazilian softly replies, "Happy...normal work." Dressed in a fitted flannel shirt and black plastic-framed glasses, he looks more like a buff tech whiz than a gladiator. His team flanks him. Demeski and Edelson sports "Anderson Knows" T-shirts while his manager, Ed Soares, translates his Portuguese into English.
For Silva, working out in the middle of the night is a necessary step toward success. Hours after last year's stunning defeat against Weidman, reporters questioned Silva for showboating. They said he didn't take his opponent seriously. So the day after the fight, Silva told his team that he wanted another shot. "Anderson wants to show everyone it was a fluke and Chris wants to prove that his win was not," says UFC president, Dana White. "We all saw Anderson lose, but he is so good we have to see it twice to believe it."
The loss, Silva insists, was ultimately a good thing. It has forced him to address weaknesses he'd overlooked during his UFC record 10 consecutive title defenses. After watching the tape twice, he spotted his downfall: He came in too close to the underdog in the second round. He was toying with him. And when Weidman threw a triumphant left hook, Silva's parallel feet were stuck on the floor. "I should have moved," says Silva. "Not only in the Octagon, but also in life, sometimes I have to take two steps back to take one step forward."
Silva's applying that perspective to Weidman Part II. Although the goal is domination, he won't rush brashly toward his opponent again. "We're working on Anderson's hand reach so Weidman can't touch him," says Edelson. By showing more respect for Weidman's striking and keeping a safe distance between them, Silva hopes Weidman will come after him and make the mistake this time.
He's also approaching the rematch with a new attitude. The fury that once fueled Silva has given way to inspiration and joy, much like what he felt watching Bruce Lee movies as a teenager. "Last time he was worried and angry," says his trainer, Guto Demeski. "But now he feels happy about the next fight, the belt, everything. He has good energy." The fear of blemishing an impeccable 33-5 career record, including 22 knockouts, no longer grips him. "I have less pressure because the UFC has a new champion," says Silva. And in his gentle tone: "I am going to give Chris back what he gave me."
This fall, Silva packed 11 workouts into every week. Monday through Friday, he works on a different MMA discipline--jujitsu, muay Thai, wrestling, karate, and boxing--followed by an hour of weightlifting, and conditioning in the afternoon. He spars on Saturday and rests on Sunday. To build up resistance to blunt force, he holds a blocking dummy against his stomach and lets teammates pummel him square in his foam gut. Whop! Whop! Whop!
The training took place mostly in Curitiba, a city in southern Brazil where he lives with his wife and five children, so he could block out the distractions that cut into his practice and took his mind out of his last fight. On training for his last fight against Weidman--the one he lost--Silva says, "I lost my focus a little bit. I had a lot of sponsor and UFC obligations outside the Octagon, which made preparing hard."
At a meet-and-greet in New York, more than 200 people line up outside a UFC gym downtown. Weidman is there, too, and he's telling a story about his three-year-old daughter. She saw a fight poster with him and Silva squared off and remarked, "Look, Daddy and his friend."
"Yeah," says Weidman, rolling his eyes. "We're friends."
When the gym doors open, fans swarm inside for autographs. One man who claims to have been waiting 10 hours walks in carrying a painting he made. It shows Silva delivering a high kick to Weidman's cheek. The man unabashedly asks Weidman to sign it. Weidman frowns, but obliges. Then he carries the painting over to Silva, who smiles. "Wow," he says, inspecting his likeness. "I want it."
That's not all he wants. Soon after you read this, you'll know whether Silva managed to reclaim his title from his opponent who's nearly 10 years his junior. But as of now, Silva's optimistic. He's sure he has figured out what went wrong, and has worked overtime to fix it. "I am now a more complete fighter than I was before the fight," he says. Losing reminded him that he's not immune to failure, and that he'll have to work hard to get back on top. Even if that means strapping on the gloves at midnight, 8,000 miles from home.
Build Your Battle Plan
Silva is very particular about his prefight ritual. You might want to follow his lead before your own big event--a half marathon, say, or a presentation. Michael Gervais, Ph.D., a Los Angeles--based sports psychologist, explains.
He goes shopping. To pass time before a nighttime fight, Silva hits the mall. Why it works: Anything you do to take your mind off the battle can help prime you for success. "Just enjoy the present moment," says Gervais. "This releases dopamine and serotonin and helps prime your mind for optimism and calm."
He imagines the worst. As the fight nears, Silva asks questions like, What if I get excited and burn out too fast? What if I can't land a punch? Why it works: Visualizing problems helps you plan solutions. "You'll react better if you can decrease the element of surprise and panic," Gervais says.
He reflects on past victories. Almost meditating, Silva closes his eyes to think back on his triumphs and best training sessions. Why it works: He's activating the same neural pathways he used when he was at his best, says Gervais. "If you create your own highlight reel, you reinforce your performance."
He spars and wrestles. By the time he enters the Octagon, he's already sweating and ready for battle. Why it works: "It's important to take that proverbial hit before the fight so when the bell rings, you're mentally awake and don't need to take a punch to get going," says Gervais.
Powered by WPeMatico
No comments:
Post a Comment