New interview with Thales Leites over the weekend on Submission Radio
Some Topics covered in interview:
-His recent Knockout of Francis Carmont and gameplan for the fight (1:29)
-If the KO was planned or just an opportunity he saw (2:42)
-His striking improvement and what he attributes it to (14:45)
-Where finishing Carmont puts him in the division seeing as Jacare, Cost Philipou and CB Dollaway couldn't (4:41)
-Why he want Bisping Next and if it's personal (6:01)
-If there would be any trash talk between him and Bisping
-His thoughts looking back at the Anderson fight and his improvements since (8:05)
-Getting cut after UFC 101 and if he thought he'd end up back in the UFC (11:13)
-If an Anderson rematch is his goal (13:12)
-How he prefers winning, KO or Submission (16:14)
-If he feels that going for KO's instead of grappling is addictive, much like we saw with Rampage, Diego and Fedor (17:11)
-Renan Barao's botched weight cut (18:17)
-if he thinks that Renan might move up a weight class (20:20)
-Prediction for Silva vs Diaz (22:35)
-Prediction for Vitor vs Weidman (22:56)
Some Quotes: (There would be more quotes, but it's tough to put into writing due to his english. It's a lot easier to grasp when you actually hear what he's trying to say, hence the subject times. Also interview was over Skype, so much better Audio than usual)
How Thales feel about his dominant win over Francis Carmont
“I felt great. I knew that Carmont was a great challenger and I saw all his fights. We studied him a lot and the game plan we did was perfect because I’ve been training my stand up game for a long time, but I was needing to more be more confident. And all my trainers, my boxing, my Muay Thai coach and everyone, even my head coach, they said 'every time Thales you have heavy hands. You just have to believe. As soon as you go to the fight, when you hit the guy, if he falls, just keep going. Don’t try to take him down as you usually do' and we started to work on it every time, and it happened in my last fight and a couple fights ago, and my last fight. And you know that’s it. The game plan was every time to close the distance, don’t let him come forward. I have to go forward, and make him walk backward. And this is exactly what I did at the beginning of the second round. I got the distance and I said 'man I have to close the distance and put my hand on his face right now, and that’s exactly what happened.”
On if Thales was planning to knock Francis out or if it’s just something that happened because he saw the opportunity
“No, no the plan was (To knock him out). Actually the plan every time is try finish the fight before (it goes to the) the judges. You know, before the judges score. And of course I’m a Jiu Jitsu guy. I’ll always represent Jiu Jitsu with pleasure, but in MMA it’s MMA. The fight starts on standing and when you get more confidence on standing it’s better because you can control the fight better standing, and if the fight goes to the ground you are more comfortable. Sometimes you hit the guy and he will try to take you down and then you take him down which is better to control the fight, but the game plan exactly was that. Finish the fight. Doesn’t matter how. Knockout or submission, and it came with a knock out.”
On why Thales wanted to fight Michael Bisping next
“Oh actually there’s nothing personal between me and him. It’s just because Bisping, he’s a good guy, he’s an excellent fighter, he has a good name and he’s been fighting since when I was in the UFC in 2006. He was like there me you know, and I think it would be a great fight. You know I was wondering if the UFC would to put this fight together here or in England or in Brazil, it doesn’t matter. Would be nice to me you know. And other thing is, Bisping he doesn’t matter what happened during the fight, but he fights until the end every time. He do great fights and you know I think it would be a great fight between me and him.”
On Thales’ thoughts on his fight with Anderson Silva in 2009 and the evolution that he's gone through since then to become the fighter we see today
“Yeah definitely was a different Thales Leites, and at that time you know I came from five straight victories. I was prepared physically but mentally I wasn’t. I wasn’t thinking like a champion. I trained a lot, but I wasn’t thinking and training as a champion you know? And I’m very upset when I remember what happened during the fight, because I was the challenger and the challenger has to show the public and to the world - especially to your opponent - why you deserve to be there, you know? (Show) How you want the belt. And at the first round I had my game plan of course. At that moment (it) was close the distance to take him down, but you know I tried the first and the second round, and when I took him to the ground and he got back to his stand up game, I was trying to close the distance and I didn’t, I couldn’t anymore. I was kind of frustrated. It happens a lot with a lot of his opponents 'cause he breaks the guy even inside the cage, but especially the head of his opponent, and it happened to me, and after the fight I said 'fuck man I’m upset, because I’m the challenger', I had nothing to lose, I had to go forward every time. Doesn’t matter if he knocked me out, if he submitted me. Doesn’t matter. But I had to be there to fight and you know this is what makes me more upset about that fight, you know. But of course I worked a lot on my confidence. To me, being confident and believing in yourself, It's like 50 precent, and the rest is your cardio, you know your physical and your technique. But mentally, get well prepared mentally is 50 percent in my opinion. So what I've started to do for a long time is a mental coach with my friend, friend of mine who lives in Arizona. It’s Coach Gustavo Dantas. He has a program. He's a BJJ mental coach. Before was just for the Jiu Jitsu guys and now he started to work with me.”
