Vale Tudo Relics: Backstage with Anderson Silva

Talent, skills and conditioning, it could be argued, are the most important and basic features for any mixed martial artist aspiring to reach the top of the sport. However, in covering vale tudo and MMA events for the last two decades, I have learned that a fourth feature is just as significant: a resolute mind.

As I witnessed the trash talk between Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping ahead of their UFC Fight Night 84 main event on Saturday in London, I recalled two instances in which I came to understand the importance of “Chute Boxe Philosophy” and its role in shaping one of the best fighters in MMA history.

A Fight Won at Weigh-ins

I had gotten used to covering Silva through his first vale…