André Galvão trains and poses alongside Anderson Silva. Photo: Personal Archive
Another renowned athlete joined the ranks of Anderson Silva’s camp this month. André Galvão, a two-time world Jiu-Jitsu champion, arrives with the job of honing the Spider’s ground game for his bout opposite Chris Weidman on July 6 – the main event of UFC 162 in Vegas.
Experienced precisely in defending against Weidman’s main weapon, takedowns, Galvão encountered Weidman in competition back at the 2009 ADCC. As dangerous as Weidman’s takedowns and ground work are, Galvão believes the undefeated Weidman doesn’t possess enough weapons to surprise Anderson.
“Chris is a strong man and a good wrestler, and he likes doing the hand triangle by passing guard to the right side. I don’t think he’s going to surprise Anderson on the ground,” Galvão told Combate.com. “Unless something unexpected happens, like a hand getting through, because a fight’s a fight … But what we’re telling Anderson to do is be calm, for I believe Weidman doesn’t have much up his sleeve to try and take the belt. I think his only resource is the ground, but the rounds are five minutes long, which is not a lot of time to exert one’s technique over Anderson, who is himself a Jiu-Jitsu black-belt.”
Galvão went on to stress Silva’s calmness when he’s on the bottom, something that may turn out to be crucial.
“I think if he falls inside the guard, Anderson has very long legs, as well as a different positioning, a different vision. We learn a lot from Anderson, too – he’s a very studious guy. If the [Weidman] passes and mounts, it’s going to be just like what we’ve already seen in some other fights. Anderson is very calm. He can get his mind ready for every possible fight situation. I believe Anderson’s in great shape and will be bringing the belt home to Brazil once more.”
What about you? Could Anderson Silva be surprised by Weidman’s ground game? Check out the card for UFC 162 below and tell us how you feel.
UFC 162
MGM Arena, Las Vegas, USA
July 6, 2013
Main Card
Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman
Frankie Edgar vs Charles Do Bronx
Tim Keneddy vs Roger Gracie
Mark Muñoz vs Tim Boetsch
Cub Swanson vs Dennis Siver
Undercard
Chris Leben vs Andrew Craig
Norman Parke vs Kazuki Tokudome
Gabriel Napão vs Dave Herman
Edson Barboza vs Rafaello Trator
Seth Baczynski vs Brian Melancon
Mike Pearce vs David Mitchel