Antonio “Big Foot” Silva wants a rematch with Werdum after he takes out Arlovski
Strikeforce heavyweight contender Antonio Silva is set to take on former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski at ‘Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery’ in May, and while ‘Bigfoot’ is not looking past his dangerous opponent he already has his next fight in mind when he gets past the Belarussian.
Silva, who was the first and only man to hold the EliteXC heavyweight title, last appeared at the Strikeforce and M-1 Global co-promoted ‘Fedor vs. Rogers’ event in November when he dropped a very close decision loss to fellow Brazilian Fabricio Werdum. Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, Silva said that when he dispatches of Arlovski in May he feels he deserves a chance to redeem that defeat and rematch Werdum, feeling it was a fight he should have won:
“I fought a quality heavyweight and did pretty well. The lesson I learned is that a fighter can’t show off; he needs to end the fight as soon as he gets the opportunity.”
“I also fractured my left hand in the beginning of the second round, and I felt I slowed down a little after that. I think had that not happened, I would of knocked out Werdum, but I congratulate him. He survived and won the third round clearly.”
But before ‘Bigfoot’ gets to avenge his loss to Werdum, he needs to focus on his upcoming battle with the seasoned veteran Arlovski. Silva knows the fight will be tough, but sees it as a fight he is more than capable of winning:
“This will be a good fight. Both of us are coming off of losses, and neither of us wants to lose again. That means we will give our heart and blood. Andrei must be respected as I respect all my opponents. I am training very hard; I want to be 100 percent for this fight. Dealing with a loss is hard, but when I enter the cage, I put everything in God’s hands, and whatever God decides and finds best on that day, I accept – victory or defeat. I go back to the gym and work harder to ensure my next fight is a win.”
“Certainly [Arlovski] becomes a more difficult opponent, too, for when you lose, your thought is to train harder and harder to find the path back to winning. I am still improving my striking with my trainer, Mohamed Ouali, who now is back after having trouble returning to the U.S., and I will be coming well prepared to fight standing up. Andrei wins by knockout, but he also loses by knockout, which means he comes to do or die. I find it hard to imagine that this fight could go to the judges’ decision.”
“A win over Arlovski would put me back in the light in the heavyweight division, and after winning, inside the cage, I will ask for a rematch with Werdum. It’s nothing personal against Werdum – he and his team are great people, great professionals, and I really like them – but I think that if I am 100 percent, and both hands are healthy, I win a rematch.”
‘Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery’ goes down on May 15th in St. Louis, Missouri, and is headlined by the Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem as he defends his title against Bret Rogers.
By Steve Davies.
