Pitbull: “I learned a lot with this fight”

By Guilherme Cruz

Photo Josh Hedges

Thiago “Pitbull” Alves had the chance, at UFC 100, to stopGeorges St. Pierre’s domain at the welterweight division, but the Canadian used the perfect strategy to annul the Brazilian’s gamae and dominated him in the co-main event of the night. TATAME.com talked with the fighter, who commented about the difficulties during the fight and what impressed him in the bout.

“What surprised me was that I couldn’t find the guy… I did a great strategy, but every time I tried to catch him he moved away… About the takedowns and everything, man, when you’re out of distance is easy for someone to take you down. He was with the perfect timing, when I realized he already was in my legs”, said, revealing that he already expected to be taken down in the title fight.

“I already waited for that, it’s normal, he’s a hell of a wrestler and I already expected for some takedowns, so I was training for that”, says the Brazilian. “In the ground I was cool, but the problem was my striking, my movement, that was the difference. I knew he’d take me down, but the thing is that he couldn’t hold me there. If I were with my best striking, like I always were, the fight would have been different”.

With the decision loss, Thiago recognized GSP’s domain. “I have nothing to say, he was better than me that night and now I have to go back to my training and work hard to get this belt. There are a lot of thing in my camp that was a mistake. Now I see the mistakes that I did and I’ll fix them and won’t let it happen again. St. Pierre is a great fighter, fought very well, but I couldn’t find myself in the fight. I learned a lot with this fight, I saw what the best fighter in the world has at his best, seen the best of the best fighter and I know I can beat him”, guarantees.

About the Muay Thai training, Alves reveals that his coach, Mohammed Ouali, had to leave the country three months ago. “The only problem that I had in my preparation for this fight is that I wasn’t with my Muay Thaci coach, with whom I train for the last three years. He had to go away three months ago and I missed him a lot. I felt out of timing in the fight… My cardio was good, I asa strong, but my timing wasn’t good”, said the fighter, waiting to come back to the octagon by October.