[duran]

Doctor Phil I am not - just an MMA fan's take on things. I keep reading all the Sylvia hate and here's my guess on some of the reasons. The guy IS rough around the edges. He is no Couture for sure. He does not seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed either. He's got a little doofus going on. Maybe taking shots to his head has affected his hearing which has manifested itself in funny speech (think Matt Hamill). I read a lot about his deprived and poor upbringing. Hearing that, you can guess that he probably wore hand-me-down clothes and took a bath once a week when growing up. He was probably teased a lot in school. Now that he has made himself the heavyweight champion of the world he can wear the belt to Walmart instead of wearing a burlap bag. Also, the guy looks like and is built like a lughead. Hey, he is what he is. It looks like his body is all twisted up. Maybe that is from getting slammed around in training. I recall reading one post that said if he wasn't so big and strong he wouldn't be champ! The guy who posted that probably thinks Bob Sapp is a great fighter. Do you really think Bob Sapp does any technique in a textbook fashion? If Tim Sylvia was built like Brock Lesnar, everyone would be on his nuts in spite of what I wrote earlier. There is no denying the guy trains like a maniac and has heart. Name one other fighter who could have gotten up from AA's punch in that second fight and then come back to win. That was no flash knockdown, boss. AA laid him the fuk out. He exposed AA as mortal not unlike Buster Douglas v. Mike Tyson. As for the steroid abuse in the RR fight, he cheated, got caught, paid the penalty, and ADMITTED IT. No tour de France spandex excuse that he drank whiskey and beer the night before or someone tampered with his sample. He cheated, admitted it, and then won the title back with hard work. Talk to someone who has juiced. It spoils you. Training when off cycle or after you are forced to quit (like when you get locked up) seems like a waste of time because you are not getting the same results. You don't have the same rage and intensity. A lot of guys relapse because they remember how great they felt and how big they got and how fast they recovered when they were on it. Sylvia got clean and then regained the title and has kept it. As an athlete, that speaks a lot to me. The guy is a blue collar American backwoodsman who works hard at his job. If he was folksy and funny like Larry the Cable guy, he would be on Leno, Letterman - hell, Johnny Carson would come from beyond to have him on the couch. He'd also make a mint endorsing everyday, mainstream products. A lot of us will say that being the heavyweight champion of the world comes with acting right, saying the right things the right way, kissing babies, etc. He does lack in that department, but there is no denying he is talented, tough and hard working.