UFC fighter Anderson Silva wants to be an Olympian

[IcemanSK]

The line must be respected

Former UFC champ Anderson Silva, who is currently suspended for failing a drug test in his last fight, wants to fight for Brazil (his native country) in the 2016 Olympics. At 40 years old, with a lot of miles on his body, it is a long shot. Not everyone in Brazilian TKD is happy about it.

 

[Drose427]

The line must be respected

Former UFC champ Anderson Silva, who is currently suspended for failing a drug test in his last fight, wants to fight for Brazil (his native country) in the 2016 Olympics. At 40 years old, with a lot of miles on his body, it is a long shot. Not everyone in Brazilian TKD is happy about it.

honestly, if he can compete, let him.

If he cant, he has no place at that level.

He doesnt deserve special treatment because of his ability in a different competition

 

[Tez3]

I imagine the Brazilian Olympic TKD authorities or whoever chooses the team will have a specific criteria to meet before they consider you so if he's going to fight his way into the team good luck to him, what would be unfair of course would be if they picked him without any trials etc purely on his name. Unless of course they don't have many TKD people to choose from which seems unlikely.

 

[IcemanSK]

Here's a video taken last week of Anderson training with former US TKD team member James Moontasri. It doesn't look good for Anderson.

James Moontasri Facebook

 

[Jaeimseu]

I think I should move to Brazil if that's all you have to do to make the Olympic team. Brazil does get automatic spots since they're hosting the games, but I'm not seeing any medals in Silva's future, unless MMA becomes an event.

 

[Tez3]

Member of Brazil s Taekwondo team laughs at Anderson Silva s Olympic ambitions - Bloody Elbow

When it comes down to actually choosing the team they will choose the one most likely to win, not the ones most likely to 'make TKD' popular as has been said. Winning medals will make TKD popular.

 

[Drose427]

I think I should move to Brazil if that's all you have to do to make the Olympic team. Brazil does get automatic spots since they're hosting the games, but I'm not seeing any medals in Silva's future, unless MMA becomes an event.

If he got an auto-spot the olympics after one of the best, if not THE best competitors was simply NOT picked (Aaron Cook and GB for those who werent aware), I'm gonna assume the balance of the world is off.....

I respect the man for wanting to represent his country, but i feel like he isnt really thinking about how different the meta-game is from MMA and how bad it'd look for him and Brazil TKD if he performed poorly.

People arent going to look at it like 2 completely different things (MMA vs Olympic TKD), theyre gonna see a world renowned martial artist who simply didnt perform well.

The same thing happened with Toney vs Couture

People still make cracks about Micheal Jordans short time in Baseball after all

 

[Gnarlie]

I would hope that after recent events involving controversial national team selection choices, he would be subject to the same selection criteria as other brazilian TKD athletes. Were this not the case, it is likely that both the IOC and the WTF would have something to say about it.

 

[Tez3]

Aaron Cook though was sideswiped by the selectors who chose to have the coaches son represent Team GB rather than the best candidate. That's why Cook has gone somewhere where he gets chosen on ability and not because of who his father was. Very sad episode all round.

 

[Dirty Dog]

So have we completely quit pretending that the Olympics are for amateur competitors?

 

[Tez3]

So have we completely quit pretending that the Olympics are for amateur competitors?

Only some sports are still amateur, the ones nobody really wants to watch such as synchronised swimming, table tennis and female beach volley ball.

 

[Gnarlie]

Aaron Cook though was sideswiped by the selectors who chose to have the coaches son represent Team GB rather than the best candidate. That's why Cook has gone somewhere where he gets chosen on ability and not because of who his father was. Very sad episode all round.

Those are the recent controversial events I was referring to. Absolutely unforgivable.

The IOC and WTF felt the brunt of the negative publicity though, and have one eye on it, because more overtones of corruption is the last thing TKD needs.

The electronic scoring was introduced to minimise the potential for corruption in judging, but there's still a lot of rotten wood out there.

 

[Tez3]

Those are the recent controversial events I was referring to. Absolutely unforgivable.

The IOC and WTF felt the brunt of the negative publicity though, and have one eye on it, because more overtones of corruption is the last thing TKD needs.

The electronic scoring was introduced to minimise the potential for corruption in judging, but there's still a lot of rotten wood out there.

That's the other thing isn't it, the judging. Team GB being the only team ever to put in an appeal about scoring in the Olympics, shock horror! (seemingly one doesn't put in appeals in TKD because it's not considered the done thing?) Sarah Stevenson got her place but wasn't ready to fight again because she thought she was out, still did well though.

 

[IcemanSK]

So have we completely quit pretending that the Olympics are for amateur competitors?

That pretty much went away in the early 90's when the US men's basketball "Dream Team" of future HoF'ers (and Christian Laetner) did their Harlem Globetrotter impressions on the rest of the world. Tennis is all pro since 1988. Technically, Silva is an amateur because there is no pro TKD, and he's never fought at elite-level TKD, anyway.

If Anderson is allowed to trial for the team, he'll get beat quickly in the first round by the lowest seed in the trial. If they just give him a spot on the Brazilian team, he'll be embarrassed on the world stage. Let's hope (for his sake & the sake of Brazilian TKD) I hope neither happens. If one has to happen, the former is less embarrassing to all involved.

 

[Laplace_demon]

He is only interested now, when the UFC is suspending him and he has nowhere else to go. Would it look good for the WTF to openly embrace a cheater?

 

[Drose427]

He is only interested now, when the UFC is suspending him and he has nowhere else to go. Would it look good for the WTF to openly embrace a cheater?

He was interested long before his cheating scandal.

He announced his desire a long time ago when it was announced to be at Brazil

 

[Laplace_demon]

He was interested long before his cheating scandal.

He announced his desire a long time ago when it was announced to be at Brazil

That may be. But Andersons statement that it's every athletes dream to be an olympian (in TKD) seems rather odd given that he only took an interest in it at age 40.

 

[Drose427]

That may be. But Andersons statement that it's every athletes dream to be an olympian (in TKD) seems rather odd given that he only took an interest in it at age 40.

Again, it's never been in Brazil during his lifetime. Its more about his sense of nationalism than anything.

He's been a professional Fighter since 1997, its insanely difficult to train for regular bouts AND make time for another competition. Especially when the latter doesnt keep the lights on. Even before he announcement that he wanted to go to the Olympics in Brazil he would try to make time for TKD training,

Many Professional Go players are strong shogi players and vice versa, but thats a lot of extra time to be made.

MMA keeps the lights on, obviously that's where he's gonna stay and put his focus unless something major happens, like the opportunity to represent his country in his country

 

[Laplace_demon]

Again, it's never been in Brazil during his lifetime. Its more about his sense of nationalism than anything.

Clearly.

He's been a professional Fighter since 1997, its insanely difficult to train for regular bouts AND make time for another competition.

Which shows his priority. He can try and pretend otherwise to flatter them, but who is he kidding... It's not everyones dream. Far from it.

 

[punisher73]

So have we completely quit pretending that the Olympics are for amateur competitors?

I don't think anyone has thought that for quite awhile. The US was always penalized indirectly by that until opening it up for "professional athletes" in many other countries, those athletes were paid by the government and given food/housing to train full time for the Olympics. To me, that is the definition of a professional athlete.

Anyways, back to the OT. I remember GSP stating that he wanted to try out for the Canadian Wrestling team and was kind of laughed at for the idea by them as well. Whole different ball game when it is pure wrestling, pure boxing, or pure whatever else from MMA in combat sports. You get into trouble in the standup in MMA and you kind try to move it to the ground or vice versa. No escape for that in the pure sport.