Thiago Alves on how he chose which school of Brazilian MMA was his favorite:
My idol is Wanderlei Silva. I watched the Gracies growing up, but they fought Jiu Jitsu and I always thought those fighters were a little too cocky. Wanderlei is my inspiration. I try to fight just like him. He dominated his division in Pride and that made him an icon. He’s aggressive and always looks for the knockout. That’s the way I love to fight.
There’s a more telling quote in the article though in which Alves reveals the blindspot that could keep him from achieving his potential:
To reach that goal he says he still has some things to work on, such as his striking, his jiu jitsu and his conditioning. It’s a statement that’s hard to believe for those who have seen Alves fight, especially during his three fight winning streak that includes victories over John Alessio, Tony DeSouza, and Kuyinoshi Hiranaka. What he said next should send shockwaves to anyone who enters the Octagon to fight him.
What’s missing — ironically the same thing that cost him his match against Jon Fitch — wrestling. If I was Thiago’s coach, I’d work his wrestling, his sprawls, his transitions, his greco clinch, and his switches and basically nothing else.
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