by Ron Merrill

I contacted Tim Sylvia in Salt Lake City Utah, as he was on his way to support Team Miletich teammate Jeremy Horn at the IFC rules meeting.

InsideFighting: You were just on the Tom Green Show. Tell me a little about that.
Tim Sylvia: Ah, it was a pretty good time. We had fun. Hes a little bit crazy and out there. He really didnt give me the chance to speak on what I wanted to and he was steering it in the wrong direction by calling it [mixed martial arts] human cock fighting and a fight to the death and all that s**t. I was kind of upset with it but the UFC said I did good and thats his audience. So if all the MTV audience just tunes in to watch what Tom Green says, then theyre gonna be hooked [on MMA] after they watch it once, so I guess it turned out all right.

IF: What do you think you might have said differently if you had a chance to do it again?
TS: Well I really wanted to explain the fighting and the rules, but Tom is just so outspoken and loud. Hes like, fight to the death and human cockfighting, right? I was like, wow, no! He just interrupted me when I tried to talk. I really didnt get a word in edgewise.

IF: Did you happen to catch the comments that were made on Pardon The Interruption, about our sport?
TS: No. I dont even know what that is.

IF: PTI is an ESPN broadcast that basically takes the same position that MMA is human cockfighting. So had you been on a TV show before?
TS: No, nothing like that. That was the first.

IF: Tell me about the time period since last you were in the Octagon. Whats been going on for you? What sort of reaction have you gotten from the public?
TS: Ive been training right along and my popularity has definitely picked up. It seems like everywhere I go somebody recognizes me. Ill tell you, its kind of good that as this sport starts to broaden, more and more people are watching it. Ill be in places like Wal-Mart and the grocery store, or at Disney World and theyre like, hey, I know you! and Im like do ya? and theyre like, yeah! Youre Tim Sylvia! and so on and so forth.

IF: Now Tim, is that with or without the belt over your shoulder?
TS: [Laughs] That is definitely without!

IF: I had to give you a hard time in response to something I read in Fight Sport Magazine about the guys in Matts [Hughes] locker room giving you a hard time before his fight [against Sean Sherk] about carrying your belt everywhere.
TS: Oh yeah! Definitely. Yeah, we always shoot the s**t. We always rip on each other.

IF: How would you describe your relationship with your other Miletich teammates?
TS: Well, theyre funny. Were really hard on each other. We rip on each other. But you dont want to be part of the outside circle and do it because if you do youll have a pack of wild dogs on you. You know? Its kind of like a whole brotherhood. Brothers can pick on each brother, but if you mess with one and youre not part of that brotherhood, youre in trouble.

IF: How do you think your fight game has changed since Ricco Rodriguez?
TS: It hasnt. Im going to go in there and do the same thing. Im going to go in there and try and knock him out and stop the takedown.

IF: Now, youre being matched with Gan McGee and a lot of people think that you guys have similar styles. What do you think about that?
TS: Okay. Yeah, I think we do. I think my standup is a little bit better than his but he might have more of a solid wrestling background than I do. But my takedown defense is real good and I dont think hes gonna take me down.

IF: Have you had a chance to demonstrate your ground skills much in the smaller shows that you participated in?
TS: Nope, not at all.

IF: Are you confident in your ground game?
TS: Very.

IF: Going up against a tall guy a big guy who can mimic a Gan McGee within Team Miletich?
TS: Ah, we got guys like Mark Hansen that I know are stronger than Gan McGee. Better athletes like guys like Justin Eilers, and we have better wrestlers. Guys like Steve Rusk that, you know, are just phenomenal. And the Jiu-Jitsu is always Jeremy Horn. Hes a Jiu-Jitsu god. Hes got my ground game going real well.

IF: How do you prepare for the reach of Gan McGee?
TS: Ah? Im just willing to take punches to give punches really.

IF: Are you at all worried about taking shots after getting staggered a little bit by Cabbage [Wesley Correira]?
TS: Cabbage hits real hard. You know, I dont see Gan hitting as hard as Cabbage does. I think I have a real good chin. Cabbage knocks everybody out when he gets a hold of them and Ihe justhe rocked me a little bit, but I recovered immediately. Then I got pissed off.

IF: Now I understand that youre training in Utah. Tell me about the decision to train in Salt Lake City.
TS: What it was is that I was training with Mark Hansen and I actually injured him and he cant train anymore and Justin Eilers broke his hand. He fought Cabbage in the Super Brawl and broke his hand, so he wasnt really able to train with me and spar with me. And I ran out of heavyweights to train with. And Jeremy came up to Utah to get ready for the Denver show. And of course Rich Franklin was up here and they had a couple decent heavyweights, so weve been all training our asses off up here.

IF: So Utah is all about the altitude for you.
TS: Yeah, and they got a couple heavyweights that are pretty solid.

IF: What does your training day look like right now as you approach this fight?
TS: Im doing sprints and then I grapple after I do sprints 6 rounds. Six 5-minute rounds. Then Ill go home and eat, shake and whatever. Then Ill lift and take a nap. Then well come back in the evening and do anything from pad work with the Thai pads to grappling to takedowns and sparring, take Sundays off.

IF: How is preparing for this UFC fight as the champion different from preparing for it as a contender? How do you handle the media circus?
TS: Well theyre trying to take me away from my training a little bit. They wanted to have me do some traveling and stuff like that and then its just like I just wont allow it. I just told them, I said, hey, if you want me to win this fight then I need to stay and train. I cant be traveling on planes and eating s****y food and not having my focus on the fight. So luckily the UFC is working with me and theyre letting me stay at home and do my training.

IF: If you could look into the future, what would you see as the play-by-play for this fight?
TS: Me wearing him out in the first round and then knocking him out in the second round.

IF: Now youve been pretty busy in other organizations as well. Can you tell me a little about how you got involved in the ICC?
TS: My friend Rick Graveson who helped them run the show, hes a Miletich fighter and he and I are good friends and he introduced me to a guy and they had me ref and had me judge for them. Its a good show and its run well. I enjoy being around the other shows and hanging out with the other fighters and being with the fans. Its enjoyable on your downtime, you know? Fightings my life. So to be around it is real enjoyable.

IF: Which fighters were your heroes as you were coming up?
TS: Obviously Pat Miletich. Im a big fan of Vanderlei Silva, Don Frye, and Mark Coleman. Guys like that.

IF: Would you ever consider fighting in Pride FC?
TS: Yeah I would. Im very, very happy with the UFC. I like the way theyre treating me and I like fighting in the U.S. Theres a chance you might see me in Pride sometime this year, fighting for the UFC and representing the UFC.

IF: Do you feel that Ricco calling out Nog [Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira] from Pride FC, after winning the UFC championship was an insult to UFC heavyweights? As if to suggest that he was looking past all of them?
TS: No, I dont think so because I think everyone around the world was saying that Nogueira was the best, so he wanted to challenge the best. I believe that he won that fight when he just fought him [Nogueira]. I think that he got robbed.

IF: Is there a fighter like Nogueira out there for you that you see as the best that youd like to take on some day?
TS: Yeah, theres somebody out there. Id like to fight Bob Sapp.

IF: I think youd have to get in line behind Mike Tyson.
TS: Yeah, well. We wont talk about that.

IF: You dont have any thoughts about Mike lining up across from you in an Octagon in the near future?
TS: I would pick him up and spike him on his head and ground and pound the s*** out of him. I wouldnt be no dummy. Im not gonna stand there and go toe-to-toe with him.

IF: Do you have anything that youd like to say to your fans before we go?
TS: I hope you liked the first knockout because this ones going to be even better.

IF: Thank you so much for talking with us. And on behalf of InsideFighting.com, happy and safe training, best of luck at UFC 44 and well see you there!
TS: Thank you.

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