American Mixed Martial Arts fighter, Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia, will match up against undefeated contender Brandon Vera at UFC 77 on Saturday, October 20th. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion took some time to talk to BuddyTV the other day, about recent back surgery, how training is going, and what it's like taking on a friend in the cage. Check out the full interview transcript and the mp3 audio below.

Hi, I’m Rob Symington with Buddy TV, and I’m here with Tim Sylvia today. How are you doing, Tim?

Good, man.

Good, it’s really great to have you with us as an interview on Buddy TV. The thing I was curious about is, how’s your back been doing since the surgery?

It’s been doing great, I couldn’t ask for a better recovery. I literally jumped out of bed as soon as I came out of the anesthesia. I came out of anesthesia and told the nurse I need to use the restroom, she said, “OK, well let’s try to use your head a bit.” And then I drew the covers off and literally threw my legs to the side, and jumped out of bed, and she’s like, “Settle down.” And I’m like, I feel amazing. I cannot believe how good I feel, I wish I had this done years ago.

That actually is amazing, having back surgery, that’s awesome. It worked out well for you.

Yeah, I’m very fortunate and blessed, just had the right people. The right surgeon, the right physical therapist, really good people to help me recover.

That’s great to hear. Right now, you already trained with some of the best coaches and UFC fighters out there. Your camp’s definitely known as one of the strongest. Is it hard to think of new ways to keep improving your training routine and doing things, pushing yourself further?

Not really. I think as I get older, trying to find new ways to improve, less ways of getting hurt, and better ways to improve my image. To be more efficient, a lot easier, things on my body and stuff. I have kind of done a lot of different things that I’m really happy with, so I’m looking forward to seeing how I’m gonna perform on the 20th

Definitely. Well, I was actually reading through your training schedule and your diet, and I was just curious to see what you thought was harder to keep up with. I mean, you’re in some pretty hardcore training. Is it hard to keep up with that, or is it harder to stick to your diet?

It’s definitely harder to stick to my diet.

After the fight, you look forward to that first meal?

Oh yeah, I can’t wait. I might be a little bad tonight, just because I’m way underweight. And now I’m like, the other night I was like 257 at the practice, so I’m ahead of schedule. So I actually might have maybe a pizza, a few pieces of pizza.

That sounds good.

Yeah.

Recently, Brandon Vera was asked what his thoughts are on having you as an opponent, and pretty much all he said was, “He’s a Gigantor, he’s big.” You ever wish people would stop focusing on your size and start focusing more on your skills?

I don't care about that. I mean, that’s the sort of first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Tim Sylvia, he's huge.

So what do you think of Brandon Vera as a fighter?

I think he’s a tough kid. I’d say that he’s reputed, he’s undefeated, he’s small but he’s good. I think he’s a little overconfident coming into this fight, it’s gonna be a test for him, fighting somebody of my caliber.

Definitely. So what’s your prediction after the fight, how you gonna finish him?

I plan on going out there and trying to knock his ass out. Plain and simple.

Nice, definitely be looking forward to that. Do you think he’s gonna try to take you to the ground?

I think he’s going to, at some point in the fight. Yeah, he’s gonna have to if he’s a smart fighter. He’s got to understand going one on one, and get this fight to the ground.

So do you have any rituals or anything you always do before a fight for good luck?

You know I usually play paint ball on Sunday before I leave, I’ve been doing that for the last couple of years. I didn’t do it when I fought Randy ’cause it was too cold, and I lost, so make sure I do it this time.

So will you be in Ohio when you do that?

I’ll be at Iowa until Tuesday.

So all the guys from the camp get out there?

No, I just kinda go out by myself. I love all my boys and stuff but I just kind of go out and I have another group of friends outside of fighting. And you know on the paint ball field thats a few of them as well, so I want to hang out. Although they’re gonna be excited, I really don’t want to talk about fighting. But they’re gonna be pumped and they always are excited for me in a fight, so I’m sure they’re gonna want to be talking about fighting. But I’m just put my face mask on, get out on the field and shoot some human ass.

Nice. In another interview I was reading about you, you had mentioned that you and Randy Couture were friends, and you’re a little bit hurt that he wanted to fight you. Are you and Randy still friends?

Randy and I are great friends. I was out there six weeks ago, I actually train in his camp and stuff. I train with Whitehead and Forrest and some of those guys because Whitehead has fought Brandon. I've been good friends with Mike for a while so I wanted to train with him and have some of his thoughts about the fight and stuff. Randy told me six weeks ago that he’s gonna be tired, so I kept it under wraps. I was pissed, I was like, “Randy, you’ve got one more fight left. You can fight me, you can give me a chance.” I don’t know if I want to beat him, bust his balls and stuff and I was like, c'mon you can do it one more time.

I think all MMA guys understand that one well. Actually that was gonna be my next question, a rematch with Randy, if you’d be even into it after having to do three with Andre Arlovski?

I definitely want a rematch with Randy, mainly because he was holding the belt, and I wanted to redeem myself. I won’t lie, though, I think he would be difficult to fight. Randy, I have so much respect for the guy, and he’s been a great friend. He’s been competing since he was like five years old, and that’s 40 years. Being a friend to him is not a problem, it was a problem with me you know, getting out there and we touch gloves and I'm like: hey it's Randy, you know, he ain't going to try to hurt me ... but come to find out, he's trying to hurt me.

So who’s your favorite mixed martial artist to watch currently? Who out there are you like, yeah, can’t wait to see them fight? I know they’re gonna put on a good show.

Well, that’s a question I haven't been asked. I have a handful. I love watching Spencer Fisher.

Oh yeah, me too.

Jenji. Jeff Pulver. Matt always seizes to amaze me. And then if I’d have to pick someone from my camp, you know Chuck Liddell. Somebody totally off the wall that I used to love to watch was Cro Cop, but you know he's had kind of a rough run.

Yeah, definitely a rough run of that.

I’m being fatalistic. Who else, I don’t know. Wanderlei Silva, I was a big fan of his.

Well, Theodore ends up coming over to the UFC, which sounds like-- you knocked something over? I was gonna say you guys probably most definitely have a match-up sometime.

I believe someday he and I will meet.

That would be an awesome fight.

My fingers are crossed that he and I will meet someday.

Are you looking forward to the Matt Hughes, Matt Serra fight?

Oh yes.

I think a lot of people are looking forward to that one.

Everybody wants Matt Hughes to kick his ass, so ...

Yeah, definitely. I think I may have already found out what it is that I was gonna ask you, what’s your favorite thing to do besides fighting? But I have a feeling it might be paint-balling.

Believe it or not, it’s hunting.

OK.

Yeah, I’m a huge hunter.

And you’re in a good state for that, for sure.

Yeah I've got a 95 acre farm a couple hours from my house. I got a 600-acre hunting grove. Of course I miss May, and I got a thousand acres that I got five minutes from my house. Actually five minutes from my new house, I just bought a new house.

Cool, sounds good. I think the last thing I have for you is really, if this Brandon Vera fight goes as expected, you think your next fight will be back to the title again?

I would really like to hope so. My whole philosophy behind everything was, I kind of set up the next year for myself, and I was thinking how deeper Brandon Vera. Randy had broken his arm last fight, so he was still going to be out for a bit. So I didn’t want to be sidelined so I was hoping to fight probably Cheick Kongo or somebody, and be the number one contender right there, and then fight Randy.

So now that has passed, maybe Cheick Kongo and I can fight. I don’t think he’s gonna fight yet, I really want to fight him, he kind of acts like a bully. He’s the second biggest guy in the division next to me, and I just do not like bullies. I’d never been a big guy, I didn’t grow until my senior high school, so I was picked on by bullies all through high school, all through grammar school.

I hate them, and any chance, any opportunity I get to beat up a bully, I love it. And you know Arlovski was a bully and I got to kick the shit out of him. And you know, Cheick is someone I really want to fight. I don't like his attitude. I don’t like the way he acts, rubs me the wrong way.

Yeah, that would be a great match-up, that would be something I would definitely be interested in seeing.
And that's the thing. Styles make fights, and he can’t wrestle to save his life. He has to stand up. Everyone he fights. You know stand up fighters, I make them not want to stand up with me. I mean look at Tra Telligman, she shot for a take down. Gan McGee shot for a take down, you know these guys are all stand up fighters.

Yeah, especially when you have someone like Jeff Monson who is so good and he couldn’t take you down. It’s really gotta be frustrating to those guys when you’re making them stand and they just don’t wanna do it. Well Tim, I really want to thank you for your time today. And from all of us at Buddy TV, we wish you good luck and much success on October 20th.

- Interview conducted by Rob Symington
(Image courtesy of completemartialarts.com)