The Brazilian giant Antonio "Pezão" Silva, with 127kg and excessive strength, is the big bet of the American Top Team for the heavyweight category. Preparing himself to the debut on open TV at EliteXC on July, Pezão said in exclusive interview to TATAME, from ATT training center on his way to the North-America, his fight against the growth hormones and his family at ATT. "I'm in the queue and I want to be among the Top 10 and maybe one day, be at the first or second place", said the Brazilian, who dreams in conquer the belt, but he just doesn’t wants to learn to face the current champion in this category at the UFC, his friend Rodrigo Minotauro. Check out the complete interview below.
How did you come to American Top Team?
I have been here already for a year and three months at and with a contract with American Top Team. I came through my manager Alex Davis and I am very happy here because we are a complete academy, we have everything here, all kinds of training. A good training of Wrestling, Boxing, a good striking training, good ground training with Libório, which is a Jiu-Jitsu legend, finally, here is the right place for the athlete who wants to grow at the sport.
You had a problem when you came ... How was that?
I have a accelerated production of Growth Hormone and I had to make a mini-surgery to remove a benign tumor that was producing a lot of GH. Thanks to God I am well after been stopped three months after surgery...
There are people who spend money to buy the hormone and you had to spend some to stop producing it?
It was more expensive to take off that if I had to take it, it was better if I had just took it. But God knows what does and gave me such good genetics and I am very happy after surgery, I made two fights and had two wins.
How is your card record now?
I have 13 fights, 12 wins and just one lost on a fight at .
What is the difference between ATT and other academies?
Ahead everything is the companionship and the organization. Here the everybody help each other a lot, people has no jealous from other are winning. The organization of training, schedule, finally, ATT is different because of that.
With 127kg you have to lower the weight to enter the category?
The fact is that it is not a sacrifice because seven kilos for a heavyweight is very easy to loose. For my last fight I did not have to do any sacrifice, I put my normal clothes and I made sauna to sweat more and I losse the weight smoothly. I am also thinking in one day, maybe, go to 205 pounds (93kg) category (laughs).
But you can loose that much? You have already weighed close to it?
I came here with that in my mind and the people is almost dying, saying it is impossible. But this is more a joke, but Benkei (Andrew) said it is possible. Benkei make everything, but this is only a joke and even my focus is the heavyweight and I want to make history at the category.
What is your plan now?
It is almost right that I will fight on July 26, at CBS by EliteXC and and it is going to be for the belt, I don’t have an opponent yet, but still has a long time ahead.
If you could choose your opponent, who would you choose?
Without any doubt anyone between Top 10 I would be pleased. Because I'm in the queue and I want to be among the Top 10 and maybe one day, be among the first and second places. I'm in the queue and I want to be among the Top 10 and maybe one day, be at the first or second place.
If in case you faced Rodrigo Minotauro, How it would be?
This is something I do not think about, because beyond Minotauro is a friend of training, is my personal friend, I was in a very bad situation in England with my wife and my daughter and who welcomed me and brought me from England was him. I think I would prefer to stop fighting, because I could not close my hand to hit Minotauro.
How was that situation in ?
I was called to five fights in England invited by Mario Sucata, who gave me the first opportunity to fight abroad, but unfortunately I had two managers that cheat me, did not pay my last fight, did not pay my tickets back to Brazil, because I knew Aras and signed with him to fight in Japan, at Hero's and they were upset, and so that they did everything wrong with me. Then at the time that I needed most,
Aras
and Minotauro helped me. So It is impossible to close my hand to hit Minotauro, there is no way to it happen.
Do you want to face Fedor?
I was very anxious when he left M-1 and there was some speculation that he could fight at Pro-Elite, but he signed with other events, but my contract is open and I think that while the opportunity does not appear, I'm training to acquire more experience, because everyone knows that he is a complete fighter, so the more experience I have to face him is better.
How is their adaptation in ? You living with your wife who is pregnant.
The beginning is difficult, the language, but now I'm more accustomed, more adapted to the city, my daughter is already speaking English. My wife is pregnant, one more happiness for us. And here in Florida where we are, is like a piece of , the academy, many Brazilians, friends, restaurants and I'm happy here.
Are you already speaking English?
That is complicated, you see my daughter with seven months already speaking English and I, who is more than a year here, I only speak feel words yet. But anyway, I have to try harder, because my time to learn is low, because when I'm not training at ATT I am resting at home, then I have to learn here at the academy in the course of days.
And at Paraíba state, your homeland, with who you worked before fighting?
I started working helping selling auto parts and then I went to be a seller, then I did a vigilant course, and the last job I did was that I was safe car bodyguard.
