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Anderson Silva prepares for what could be the last fight of his career. But if it weren’t for Rodrigo Minotauro, the Brazilian’s retirement would have occurred long before the fight against Uriah Hall in the UFC, scheduled for today (31), in Las Vegas, United States.
The “Spider” had few expressive results when he considered retiring in June 2003, after being subdued by Daiju Takase in the defunct Pride. But a request from Minotaur, already a legend of the Japanese event at the time, made Anderson agree to give his career one more shot.
“I said, ‘Anderson, not for now. Give me three more fights that I gave you to be world champion ”, Minotauro remembers.
The prognosis was perfect. The number of fights was enough for Anderson to become champion of the Cage Rage, a medium-sized tournament in England. It was the first step towards the UFC, an event in which he would become a legend.
Anderson and Minotauro met at a time when rivalries between academies prevailed in Brazil. The “Spider” belonged to the Chute Boxe of Curitiba, while Minotauro trained in the Brazilian Top Team. The interaction between members was as unlikely as a Palmeirense celebrating the Corinthians goal.
“I met Anderson in 2002, when he went to fight against Roan ‘Jucão’ Carneiro, who was from our academy. I started studying him to prepare Jucão’s strategy and, at that moment, I realized that he was the ‘boy’ . He knew how to score, if he played well on the ground, he had muay thai, from a distance. I started to become a fan of the boy, “he explains.
The glare became an association. At one point, Anderson trained in Chute Boxe and taught jiu-jitsu at CWB Sports, an academy in Curitiba founded by Minotauro and his brother Rogério Minotouro. “We met like this, totally out of combat, from the Octagon. We made a friendship and I saw that he was a different type. He caught my attention and I saw that he was a future world champion.”
The fight Anderson thought of retiring from already had the Minotaur finger. Legend of Pride, gave up the bonus he would receive for fighting Fedor Emelianenko in order to pay for the bag of “Spider”.
“Either I won the extra award or they put Anderson in the event. The award for best fight of the night was Anderson’s scholarship. At the time, he still wasn’t getting along with the Pride organization. He renewed one more fight. He went to Korea, England and came to the UFC, where the history of the organization changed. Thanks to him, the UFC became the great power of the sport. “
Minotaur convinced Popó’s coach to train Anderson
Minotauro, Luizdórea, Minotouro and Anderson Silva, formed in 2003
Image: Playback / Instagram
To turn the potential he saw in Anderson into reality, Minotaur had help. Among them, Luiz Dorea, coach of Acelino Popó Freitas at the height of the Brazilian in boxing.
“We took Anderson to do the physical training with Rogério Camões, who made him stronger. Then, I convinced Dorea to be his coach and we took him to do the camps in Salvador. We gave advice to our coaches and we managed to improve a lot. Anderson’s technical and physical life, ”he explains.
Nearly two decades after Anderson’s decision to avoid early retirement, Minotaur believes the relationship was mutually supportive. “I helped him, but he helped me too. I came to the UFC because of Anderson. One day he told me that he was talking to Dana White and that he wanted to meet me. , you in another. “I made the decision with Anderson calling me.”
If in the past Minotauro did everything possible so that Anderson did not stop, now he leaves the decision in the hands of the former champion. “The moment the teacher decides to stop, he respects the teacher.”
UFC: SILVA X HALL
Las Vegas, United States
10/31/2020
MAIN CARD (8 pm, Brasilia)
Middleweight: Uriah Hall vs. Anderson Silva
Weight-penalty: Bryce Mitchell x Andre Fili
Heavyweight: Maurice Greene vs. Greg Hardy
Middleweight: Kevin Holland vs. Charlie Ontiveros
Lightweight: Bobby Green x Thiago Moises
PRELIMINARY CARD (5pm, Brasilia)
Lightweight: Chris Gruetzemacher x Alexander Hernandez
French-weight: Adrián Yáñez x Víctor Rodríguez
Middleweight: Sean Strickland vs. Jack Marshman **
Middleweight: Cole Williams * vs. Jason Witt
Heavyweight: Dustin Jacoby vs. Justin Ledet
Gallic Weight: Miles Johns x Kevin Natividad
* Cole Williams will deliver 40% of the bag to his opponent
** Jack Marshman will deliver 20% of the bag to his opponent
