A. Silva (photo) thought about stopping fighting after leaving PRIDE. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Have you ever imagined the UFC, or even Brazilian MMA, without Anderson Silva? Well, that almost happened. The middleweight champion, commercial star and sporting idol in Brazil revealed, in an interview with the “UFC Tonight” program, that he almost retired before stepping into the octagon for the first time and credited his success to the Nogueira brothers.
“The Nogueira brothers are part of my family. I love these guys because they helped me stick to my dream. Because one day I talked to Rogério and Rodrigo and said: 'No more fights'. At the time, they came to talk to me. I had nothing, my dream was lost”, declared the UFC record holder for consecutive victories.
Anderson also spoke about how the Nogueira brothers helped him. “Rodrigo spoke to me and said, 'Hey, let's go to my house, I'll help you. Don't worry, we'll train together'”, recalled the champion. Spider also commented that, as he had just left PRIDE, it was Rogério and Rodrigo who helped him get better fights and, consequently, his contract with Ultimate.
Undefeated for 16 fights in the world's leading MMA organization and with an established record of ten consecutive title defenses, Anderson Silva puts his title on the line for the eleventh time on July 6th. The Brazilian's opponent is the North American Chris Weidman, in the main fight of UFC 162, in Las Vegas (USA).
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