Anderson Silva's change in weight, even if only to face James Irvin at UFN 14 on July 19, has split public opinion. As a good employee, the Brazilian middleweight champion has already stated he will fight however his employer (the UFC) feels is best. This fact has generated some dissatisfaction in some fans who vented on forums around the world, as they feel he should remain in the division that consecrated him, and not sacrifice himself in a venture into a heavier category. This insecurity of some, is definitely not shared by a great friend, the "Spider's" training partner and UFC heavyweight champion, Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira.
In an interview with the website Fightline, the black belt and coach in the eight season of the reality show "The Ultimate Fighter" spoke about the question of weight and his confidence in the ring.
"It will be a great fight (Anderson vs Irvin). He (Irvin) is a good striker. Anderson has a lot of confidence in everything he does and will beat the guy. He is a big guy (Anderson), nearly my size. He weight around 98kg and is all muscle, so I don't think he'll have any problems at 93kg. He's really strong and lifts a lot of weights. He's a lot stronger than when I met him and when we started training in 2002. At that time he was a true middleweight, but now he can be a light heavyweight. Truth is, he can fight at both weights no problem. I train with him every day and know what he can do. He will be champion (light heavyweight), wait and see," said a confident Minotauro.
