Hollywood martial artist Steven Seagal has been highly visible in the locker room of former UFC champ Anderson Silva on fight nights for the past couple of years and Silva and his teammate Lyoto Machida have both credited Seagal with suggesting they use certain kicks to end fights.
Now Demian Maia, the man who fought Silva at UFC 112 has taken to Brazilian TV to debunk Seagal’s claims (translation by MMA.tv):
“It’s a lie. It’s marketing. Like every actor from Hollywood, when Seagal saw Anderson’s success, he glued himself to him. He was down on his career and made it up again. It worked because he appeared in the media again. He never taught Silva anything … For everyone who knows about it, it’s a joke.”
It shouldn’t be controversial since the techniques Seagal and Silva claimed the actor taught Silva were standard front kicks he’d used in fights before meeting Seagal and also Seagal’s specialty was aikido — a dubious martial art primarily based on wrist locks and small joint manipulations — but because of Silva and Machida’s willingness to stake their reputations on puffing up Seagal, here we are.
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