Nogueira Says Anderson Silva Helped Him Get UFC Deal

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira from TATAME.com, a top Brazilian MMA website:

How you got your contract with UFC?

Anderson Silva got me in contact with Dana White about four months ago. But the proposal was made when I went to UFC Fight Night to help Roan Carneiro.

Why you made this decision to get a contract with UFC without BTTs support?

I have to thank Anderson Silva, it was his idea and his manager Eddie also helped a lot. I’m 30 years old and able to negotiate my own stuffs I know what is good to me, BTT is an excellent place for me to train but I got this contract thru Anderson Silva and his manager.

It means that you are going out of BTT?

No. I didn’t take any decision to leave BTT. I’m waiting Master Murilo Bustamante arrives from ADCC. As soon as he arrives we will talk and set everything up. What happened is that I got the invitation of Mr. Dana White and couldn’t get in contact with BTT people before sign the contract, but I know it will be good to me and, if they are together with me, it will be good for them too.

To read the complete interview, where Nogueira discusses the Gabriel Gonzaga/Mirko CroCop fight, his aspirations of fighting Randy Couture, the change in rules from PRIDE to UFC and more, click here.

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