The Tap-Out 04.26.06: Tim Sylvia
Posted by Caleb Newby on 04.26.2006
Get to know YOUR UFC heavyweight champion! Also, when the rematch with Andrei is rumored to take place.
Hey-ya alls again. I'm Caleb, and I'm back with another column already. Reason being that I wrote the Arlovski one before the Sylvia fight fairly certain Andrei would take the win. As that wasn't the case, I found myself profiling the ex-champion instead of the current one. Guess the egg is on my face. Fortunately, the Sylvia/Arlovski fight served as a good reminded that all it takes is one punch and the seemingly unbeatable can be toppled. Except for maybe Fedor, but he is for a different column.
In just a bit lower we are going to take a look at the current heavyweight champ, Tim Sylvia. First, is the update on a new title of this newborn column you are reading. A few suggestions came my way the last few days, but were jokes rather than serious ideas. So while I got a chuckle, this will still be known for now as "The Tap-Out". Maybe if I stop thinking about it, the name will seem natural to me in time… maybe.
Don't forget to join the 411 forums if you haven't yet. There are a few new faces poking around now, glad to see the MMA community grow.
Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia
Record: 22-2
Age: 30
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 260lbs
Hometown: Bettendorf, Iowa (born in Ellsworth, Maine)
Fighting Style: Tim's record is 22-2, with 17 of those wins coming via KO or TKO (or KTFO). It should be obvious that Tim's bread and butter is his stand up game. While he trains in his ground game, his favorite way to fight is to stand and swing using his long reach advantage over his opponents. Muay Thai and boxing are the order of the day with Tim. To give him credit, he has won via submission twice… back in 2001. Since the most obvious way to defeat a striker of his size is by taking him to the ground, Sylvia has worked his takedown defense to keep things standing… even using the cage on occasion to keep him upright.
Mini Bio: Tim Sylvia was born in the state of Maine, which may or may not have ties to his nickname "Maine-iac". In school growing up, Tim trained in a few combat sports, including wrestling and karate. After getting a taste of MMA competition, Sylvia joined up with Miletich Fighting Systems, a fight camp in Iowa that focuses on training for MMA events. Run and founded by Pat Miletich, Sylvia is able to train with the likes of fellow Miletich fighters Jeremy Horn and Matt Hughes. Sylvia gathered an impressive 13-0 record to start his career prior to joining the UFC. Sylvia went on to win three more fights including taking the heavyweight championship from Ricco Rodriguez. But in Sylvia's next victory over Gan McGee, Sylvia was tested positive for steroids, and stripped of his championship. Upon return, Sylvia suffered the first loss in his career to Frank Mir. Mir broke Sylvia's arm forcing the ref to stop the fight merely 50 seconds into the fight. Sylvia lost once again two fights later, this time to the "Pitbull" Andrei Arlovski in 47 seconds. Sylvia's stock had dropped tremendously as of early 2005.
But there was renewed life, as Sylvia went on to take three consecutive fights to secure himself as the number one contender to Arlovski's championship. In what many considered a throwaway match, Sylvia shocked the world by defeating Arlovski in the first round via knock out. Along the way Sylvia showed his determination by recovering from a near "KO"-punch from Arlovski.
Now the champion, Tim Sylvia has been enjoying his reign, including throwing out the opening pitch for a recent Dodgers-Giants game. The importance of the belt to Sylvia has been apparent in recent interviews from the fighter. While many do not like him, it is hard to not appreciate the desire he has to be champ.
Future: Despite taking down Arlovski, Sylvia is still considered an underdog in the upcoming rematch between the two fighters. A recent poll on Sherdog revealed that only 20% of the people believed that Sylvia could successfully defend his title when matched up against Arlovski. It seems that this rubber match may be coming sooner than was originally thought, with Dana White talking of it happening at UFC 61. The answer to how legit either of these competitors are may be answered sooner rather than later.
Should Andrei win, it may go towards redeeming himself as a top heavyweight globally while also giving the casual fan the impression that Sylvia was a mere fluke. If Sylvia takes another victory from Arlovski, it is likely that people will point out the suspect heavyweight division of the UFC and that Arlovski was never as good as he was touted, the end result being a continued lack of respect for Sylvia. Sylvia's position is similar to that of Arlovski's except amplified. To truly prove himself, he will need top tier competition that can only be found in PRIDE.
My thoughts: As I said in my last column, I don't expect Tim to defeat Andrei in their next matchup. Most everyone loves to pick on and rip Sylvia as it is an easy and popular thing to do… I made a few jokes at his expense myself in this article. Sylvia has enough personality quirks that get people to just dislike him. The most recent thing I heard of his that bothered me was his attitude that getting a knockout is more impressive than a submission, saying so in a recent interview something like "I knocked him (Andrei) out. He just submitted me." It is that sort of thing I don't care for personally.
That being said, I am trying to be happy for the man, as he is having the time of his life right now. And good for him. He earned his victory and the title. But it is on his shoulders to keep it and prove the doubters wrong.
Links:
We have more and more content here on 411. Check out Billy Theriault's Insiders Edge if you haven't here.
On the horizon are some upcoming roundtables from the gang for both PRIDE and the UFC.
For non-MMA reading, check out Yayo's ongoing "Love of the Game" series. The latest is on hockey. I am going to check it out to see if he can make me a fan. Check it out.
And my final link goes to J.D. Dunn over in wrestling. Yes, this is his latest RAW recap, but the man is my favorite wrestling zone writer.
And that's it from me. I'll be back next week with another one. I am currently debating between profiling Fedor, Hughes, or Royce Gracie. That or I go for a different style for next week with some news and thoughts. Yes, I know that is what Billy is doing with the Insiders Edge, so I will have to come up with some gimmick to make it just different enough that I can get away with it.
As usual, questions, comments, or column suggestions can be sent to cnewbs@gmail.com.
