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09/07/10 - Exclusive Thiago Alves Q&A: Brain surgery, ring rust, Fitch
Thiago Alves challenged Georges St. Pierre for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 100 last year. That was on July 11th and the American Top Team fighter has not competed since. A knee injury forced him off UFC 107 and his rematch with Jon Fitch was put back to UFC 111.
But prior to UFC 111 he underwent CAT scans and was found to have an abnormality in the front-left part of his brain. Alves underwent surgery earlier this year and is now set to face Fitch at UFC 117 on August 7th.
FO: When the doctors turned around to you and said “There’s something wrong with your brain..”, how frightening was that?
That was the most scary moment in my life. I completely didn’t know what to do. Sometimes in your life you go through hard times and doubt yourself but I always have at least a little bit of positive energy and attitude towards everything but with this.. Man I I just couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘I made it all the way from Brazil to here and its all been for nothing’. I was really really scared, it took me a day to realise that maybe its not that bad. But I just couldn’t believe it at first, I was in shock.
FO: You had brain surgery, but they went in through your groin! Kind of weird having brain surgery but the pain is in your nuts.
Yeah I know! When they told me that I would have a brain procedure, right away I thought that they would have to open up my head. But they said no, we’ve developed this new system and we go through the groin. And actually the doctor who developed this method was the doctor who operated on me so that gave me a little bit more confidence.
FO: If it was a situation where surgery did not work out and they said “That’s it, no more fighting”, what do you think you would have done with your life? I can’t imagine you working as a TV repair man or something.
I don’t know man! I would definitely be involved in the sport one way or the other, teaching or coaching. But before I gave up [on fighting] I would have to go through every test and option to make sure it was definitely not possible to keep fighting.
FO: When you get in at UFC 117 it will be just over one year since you fought. How do you get around ring rust, is it simply a case of lots of hard sparring to remind you what a fight feels like?
Its gonna be kind of hard not to have the ring rust, especially as I am fighting Fitch and everything, but there is nothing you can do. The fight is going to happen anyway so you just gotta prepare yourself mentally and prepare your body more than that. I have been fighting since I was 14 and fighting MMA since I was 17 so I have been in business 12 years. Its gonna be a little bit awkward but once you get hit for the first time everything just goes down and it’s the same thing as always.
FO: There was a little rumour floating around that your fight with Fitch was not officially announced yet because the UFC was looking at matching one of you with Jake Shields if they sign him in the near future. ..
I didn’t hear anything about that. I heard the rumours but nothing from the UFC. It would be a pleasure I would love to fight him but I just think we have got to get this thing done, me and Fitch need to get this fight out of our way and move on with our lives.
FO: How do you think you and Shields would match up?
I think it would be the perfect match-up of striker vs. grappler but Shields is a tough guy. Once the fight hit’s the ground he is great and he has great stamina but I don’t think he has improved his game a lot when it comes to striking. He hasn’t closed the gap. The toughest guy he fought was Dan Henderson and I think Henderson was in bad shape for that fight. Don’t get me wrong, Shields is a tough guy but I think to move on to the UFC and get a title shot he has to fight one of the top guys right away and see if he really belongs there.
FO: How do you think the Koscheck and GSP fight is going to go, potential fireworks or potential snoozer?
I hope its fireworks. Koscheck is a different fighter than he was and when you face a guy for the second time you don’t have those nerves like you do the first time when you don’t know who you are going against. I think Koscheck will do a little bit better this time but I don’t think the result will change from the first fight.
FO: GSP and Koscheck will fight for the title later this year. If you could have a title shot against the winner, who would you prefer that winner to be?
At this point I just want to fight. I have been out for so long that I want to get back in and get that feeling again. I will fight anyone
FO: You did a video blog around the time of the operation where you asked Fitch to put on great fight and a show for the fans. Recently a lot of fans have been moaning that wrestling is shutting fighters down and making fights unexciting. Do you think its becoming a problem, say where you have guys who just clinch against the cage all the time?
It’s part of the game, its MMA and it has all the fighting aspects. You have to be good at everything and if you can’t neutralise the wrestling then that’s your fault, your mistake. I am the kind of guy who doesn’t fight just to win, I fight to finish fights and I push as much as I can.
But its hard to say a guy should do this, do that. Anyone who is fighting will do whatever it is they need to win. If the guy can’t knock you out, can’t submit you then he’s gonna take you down and hold you, so be it. Its not a pretty thing to see but its part of the game so you gotta adjust yourself and go with the flow.
FO: Are there any after-effects of your surgery or condition, anything physical or mental?
I feel great. The only thing I regret is that I worked so hard for the fight and couldn’t perform and couldn’t get the job done. But physically I don’t feel any different. It just gives me more time to prepare for the fight.
FO: Was it a worry when you started sparring again, getting hit in the head?
At first I was a little bit concerned when I started back sparring, like ‘Shit, maybe something is going to go wrong’. But then once I got hit a couple of times we were back oin track. Sometimes I lower my guard and let the guy land a few shots just to see how I feel. I feel fine but I wonder if maybe the doctors messed up something in my head because I am even hungrier than before. I want to trade punches more, I want to scramble more, I just want to fight and go out there and put a beating on a guy in any way possible.
FO: What are you going to look like in this fight after one year away from the cage?
Its gonna be a high-paced fight and I am gonna knock him out. I know Fitch has been trying to improve his game and become more exciting and everything but I don’t think he is going to do that with me. I am gonna push the pave and I am gonna try to hurt him in every single situation. I know he is a tough guy but it aint gonna happen for him that night. August 7th is gonna be my night, I am gonna come back and I am gonna knock him out.
FO: Is it personal, this fight with Fitch?
Yes and no. Yes because he beat me before and so I really wanted the rematch and I truly believe its going to be a different story than it was four years ago. I am a completely different fighter and so is he. I just want to get back in there. And I am really good at rematches, I don’t think that a guy can beat me twice so I am gonna go in there and prove that I am right and he is wrong.
FO: Is there any message you would like to give to the fans?
I just want to thank them for all the support. It has been a year that I haven’t fought and I still get a lot of support from all the fans, people sending messages every day saying ‘When are you back?’ it means a lot to me and it makes me work harder than ever. August 7th I am gonna go there and I am gonna hold nothing back. I am gonna let everything go and I am looking for the knockout.
Thiago Alves spoke with John Joe O’Regan and Gary Alexander
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