Sylvia’s Quest for a Third Belt Begins Saturday - from UFC.com

In Vera, Sylvia will be facing one of the most charismatic and talented heavyweights to hit the scene in recent years. The ex-champ agrees, but he also knows that in fight terms, he is still a kid.

“I think Brandon’s very talented, but I think you hit it on the button when you said he’s a kid,” said Sylvia. “I think he’s got a lot of maturing to do in the sport and I think the right place for him is 205.

He’s a little bit cocky for not having done much in the sport yet, but I think after the 20th, I’m gonna humble him a little bit.”

As for the expanded media hype on “The Truth”, which included a press release when he resolved his managerial issues and announced his return to the Octagon, Sylvia – who used to get bothered by such things – couldn’t care less.“I don’t care,” he said.

“He’s a young kid, he’s vocal, and he’s undefeated right now, so a lot of people are on his jock. And he’s in the deep water in this fight, but he doesn’t have anything to lose. I’m currently ranked in the top ten in the world, so it’s a win-win situation for him. He goes out there and performs to the best of his ability and he loses, he’s supposed to lose. He wins, congratulations, you just beat Tim Sylvia.”

Sylvia isn’t about to let that happen though, and at the sound of the bell, he wants to let his foe know that he’s arrived on an entirely different plane when it comes to fighting. And the Iowa resident should know, having been battle-tested – both positively and negatively – at the highest levels of the game.“I know I can go five rounds, I know I can go three rounds, and Brandon hasn’t been in the deep water yet,” he said.

“He doesn’t know how he performs when he’s got a big guy and a heavy hitter coming after him because his chin hasn’t been tested. I’ve been tested, I’ve been in long fights, I’ve been rocked before, I’ve been in submissions, I’ve seen it all.

Everything has always gone his way, according to plan, and it’s going to be interesting to see what happens with Brandon to see if he can handle these things, to see if he can handle being in a dogfight and to see if he performs or if he steps up.”And despite coming off his first loss in two years, Sylvia sounds more confident and more positive than ever.

In fact, it sounds like he’s got the love of the game back.“When I’m healthy, I love what I do for a living,” he said. “I love this job, I love this sport, and I wouldn’t want to think of doing anything else. Right now, I feel awesome. Training’s gone great and I’m just looking forward to getting back in there and proving why I’m one of the best in the world.”

Click here for the full article.Sylvia’s Quest for a Third Belt Begins Saturday