Bruno Silva‘s fourth consecutive defeat in the Ultimate Fighting Championship caught the attention not only of fans accustomed to his aggressive style, but mainly of his head coach, Andre Dida. In this exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, the leader of Brazilian TKO spoke about the anxiety crisis that is affecting “Blindado” and commented on the importance of professional athletes taking the psychological aspect of the sport seriously. He also analyzed Brunno Ferreira’s defeat on the same card and Brendson Ribeiro‘s fight at UFC Edmonton on Saturday.
What was the tactical plan for “Blindado” against Ismail Naurdiev?
Our tactic was to keep the fight standing, use a lot of calf kicks, front kicks to the face and head kicks and a lot of boxing. We were sure that Bruno was superior in all areas — under normal conditions he would not lose this fight. We studied his opponent and saw that he had already lost two fights with a calf kick and had already been knocked out in boxing, so we were very confident that muay thai and Blindado’s experience would bring us victory. But we were surprised, once again, by the anxiety attack that affected our athlete.
Had he ever felt something similar?
Before joining the UFC in a fight he had in Lebanon. It was exactly the same. There is only one body standing in front of the opponent because Bruno was no longer there. When this happened in Lebanon, before joining the UFC, we started with a psychology and exposure protocol in training, doing training in public, and it worked really well. So much so that after that ‘Blindado’ reigned in Russia, winning all his fights and even winning the M-1 Global belt. We then signed with the UFC, where he started with three straight wins and two bonuses.
After these three victories he fought Alex Pereira. He lost on points, but fought 15 minutes standing up with the current champion.
Exactly. I remember that when the fight ended, I went to talk to Blindado in the locker room and ask him why he didn’t follow our tactic, which was to take “Poatan” down. He apologized to me and said he needed to show the world that he wasn’ scared of anyone when it comes to a brawl. I told him that we missed a great opportunity to win. After that, Blindado’s career became a struggle (six losses in seven fights).
So this anxiety crisis started after the fight with Pereira?
Exactly. After he fought with “Poatan,” he had a fight right after. I remember that when his fight against Gerald Meerschaert started, in a matter of two minutes of fighting the opponent had done nothing and I saw that Bruno was no longer there. I gave tactical commands and saw that he didn’t obey me. When he went to the corner I saw that Blindado was confused trying to understand what had happened to him. I saw despair in his eyes because he didn’t know why his body shut down. We lost again to anxiety. We knew the importance of this fight in Abu Dhabi. If there was a day that this crisis couldn’t appear, it was during this fight. But my nightmare became reality. Bruno had another crisis at the beginning of the fight. It’s very sad to see an athlete with Blindado’s history go through this situation, preventing him from fighting as he likes, that is, putting on a show always looking for the KO.
Did you try to do anything as a coach?
I did everything to activate his mind, pushing him to the limits of training and exhibitions. For example, I invited everyone to come and watch the open training session. I asked “Blindado” to take his daughter and his wife to see, so he could go through exposure psychology. After all, with everyone he loves there, he wouldn’t want to lose. I also did this in boxing, taking an athlete from another gym to do a boxing sparring session with more than 100 guests to watch him and thus activate his commitment so that it wouldn’t be another day of training. Nobody wants to lose in front of their wife, child and friends, so this makes training a fight. I place a lot of value on mental work in the team. I know that on the day of the fight that’s all the athlete needs to win. Calm mind like a sniper shooter just waiting for the moment to shoot — remembering that he also carries with him the knife, pistol and grenade. One of the weapons will neutralize the oponent, he just needs the opportunity that is being built. Now let’s see what the UFC will do with “Blindado,” but before anything els, he needs to take care of himself. “Blindado” is our Rocky Balboa, he likes to go hand in hand, that’s his style!! Now we just have to wait for the best medicine, time, and turn to the next page.
Regarding Brunno Ferreira, what was the tactic to beat Abusupiyan Magomedov, and what went wrong in your view?
Our tactic was to work on boxing at close range, using the jab or straight to cross over his movement or kick to the head to take away the opponent’s boxing. And when there were one or two minutes left in each round, takedown to guarantee the round. We had the taste of victory three times during the fight by taking the opponent to the ground. But he managed in desperation to grab ‘The Hulk’ and recovered, winning the fight by submission, which was a surprise for all of us. Judo and jiu-jitsu are Hulk’s area. This wasn’t supposed to happen. As the same “Hulk” said after the fight “I was caught up in my ego, I would never have imagined that my opponent would want to take me down, especially because he was more on the feet.” And combat intelligence, you need to hide your intention to be able to land just one blow. “The Hulk” is an incredible fighter, very dedicated and intelligent. I’m 100% sure we’ll reach the Top 10 soon. I’ve worked with many fighters, and I can say that “Hulk” is special and this result will transform him into an even greater athlete. We have a long journey and I have a fighter that every coach wants to work with.
On Saturday you will have Brendson Ribeiro facing Brazilian Caio Machado. Since both are coming from two consecutive losses, the loser’s job could be at stake. What tactical game have you planned for Brendson in that one?
This Brendson fight, his opponent is southpaw, we put together a great combat strategy. Brendson is a great fighter and has everything he needs to put on a show, and in this fight he will be able to unleash his entire arsenal. He is a very skilled fighter, like Jon Jones, in the striking part. We know our situation within the event and the importance of victory in this fight. And he will bring that win.
