Thales Leites has been given the opportunity this weekend to take away the gold from arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world... Anderson Silva. Thales Leites has racked up an impressive 5 straight wins in the UFC middleweight division with wins over Drew McFedries, Nate Marquardt, Ryan Jensen, Floyd Sword and Pete Sell.

Tony: First off Thales, congrats on the title shot, this has to be a big thing for you in your career?
Thales: THANKS! SURE IT IS. IT IS THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY IN MY LIFE AND CAREER. I’LL GIVE MY BEST ON THIS FIGHT.

Tony: And do you feel you match up well against a fighter such as Anderson Silva?
Thales: I THINK IT WILL BE SUCH A GOOD FIGHT. ANDERSON IS ONE OF THE BEST, POUND FOR POUND, IN THE WORLD IN MY OPINION AND HAS AN INTERESTING GAME PLAN.

Tony: In your opinion, are there any differences between your game and his game?
Thales: SURE! IT IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! ANDERSON CAME FROM THE MUAY THAI AND I am a JIU-JITSU FIGHTER. HIS GAME IS STAND UP AND MINE WILL ALWAYS BE THE GROUND. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT I WILL NOT BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING.

Tony: In your heart, what makes you different than the Dan Henderson’s, Nate Marquardt's and many others who have tried to stop this so-called unstoppable force? Why you?
Thales: I CAN’T TALK ABOUT THOSE FIGHTERS AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM AT THAT MOMENT, IN THEIR MIND. WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT I THINK ANDERSON IS A HUMAN LIKE ALL OF US AND THAT I WILL GIVE MY BEST IN THIS FIGHT TO WIN, BUT WE CAN’T FIGURE OUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN. THEY HAD THEIR CHANCE AND NOW IT IS MY TURN. I BELIEVE IN MYSELF.

Tony: And in your opinion, where did the others go wrong when they went up against him?
Thales: IT’S HARD TO POINT MISTAKES IN THE FIGHTS. FIGHTING IS FIGHTING, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. SOMETIMES THEY HAD THEIR GAME PLAN, BUT THE FIGHT TOOK A DIFFERENT ROUTE.

Tony: In your training, are you doing anything different for this particular fight?
Thales: ALL THE FIGHTS TAKE HARD TRAINING, DEDICATION AND SCHEDULE. THE DIFFERENCE IN THIS FIGHT IS THAT IT WILL BE 5 ROUNDS AND THAT NEEDS SPECIFIC PHYSICAL TRAINING.

Tony: What can we expect from this fight between you and Anderson, is it going past the 2nd round?
Thales: WHAT I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS FIGHT IS THAT IT WILL BE A PRETTY GOOD FIGHT AND I’LL BE 100% AND I’LL GIVE MY BEST! I CAN’T PROMISE ANYTHING AND I CAN’T PREDICT ANYTHING. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN A FIGHT.

Tony: Thank you again Thales for the interview and good luck against Anderson.
Thales: THANK YOU TONY.