Anderson Silva to try out for 2016 Olympic games
Anderson Silva officially announced his Olympic intentions Wednesday.
The former UFC middleweight champion held a press conference alongside Brazilian Taekwondo Federation president Carlos Fernandes to discuss his plans to compete at the official tryouts for the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro.
"I stopped training taekwondo when I was 17 so it’s going to be tough, because taekwondo is very different today," Silva said, according to MMAFighting.com's Guilherme Cruz. "I'm not worried about being embarrassed by the other athletes. For everything sport gave to me, I will try to give it back. I don't have anything to prove. I'm here to help the sport and make it stronger.
"I never stopped training and watching the sport. I always used taekwondo kicks in my MMA fights, but now I have to train taekwondo only and adapt myself. It's another challenge I have to face, and I’m willing to get embarrassed for it."
Despite his celebrity, Silva, who will compete as a heavyweight when official tryouts start in January, will be held to the same standards as anyone else.
"The rules will be respected," Fernandes said. "The Brazilian Federation would never do that, and Anderson Silva would never accept that. He's a champion, and he proved it inside the ring."
Whether "The Spider" qualifies is almost irrelevant when you consider the level of exposure he's sure to bring to the sport.
"Everybody knows that marketing is expensive, especially in Brazil, and having Anderson Silva is like winning the lottery," Fernandes said. "It's great for taekwondo, for Anderson and for Brazil. On the technical side of it, we believe Anderson is like water. He's like water, he adapts to everything. If you don't believe it, you will see you're wrong. Taekwondo is an intelligent sport and Anderson Silva is an intelligent fighter. He is in the best shape of his career, and we believe he will do fine."
Silva, however, failed multiple drug tests before and after his bout with Nick Diaz at UFC 183, and would forego his Olympic quest if the Nevada Athletic Commission asked him not to compete.
"About the commission trying to stop me from competing in the Games, I don't know if that would happen because it’s completely different," Silva said. "But if they stop me, I would respect it.
"I respect the whole process that is happening. The hearing was delayed again, but I didn't ask for it. My lawyers asked for it, and I don't know what happened. I still don't know what happened. People ask me why I don't talk about it, but I can't talk about something I don't understand. My doctors and lawyers will wait for the commission and then we will see what happens."