Vitor Shaolin Interview
Making the fight that he most expected at the Dream 10, Vitor Shaolin had the chance to face for the first time one of the greatest fighters of the weight in Japan, Shinya Aoki, but the result didn’t came out as he expected. Defeated by the unanimous decision, the black belt returned to New York, where he lives, and talked with TATAME about the combat, disappointed with the conduct of the fight, talked about the influence of the stopped time to this fight, the desire for a revenge, the fight between Aoki and Hansen and his return to the Dream.
What did you think of you fight against Aoki?
I expected much more. Not that I expected a grappling fight, but I expected at least a fight with someone who kicks, combines the punch in your face before. Someone who would go to the ground, not that it would be just that, had a little more striking, not just a kick in the leg, walking around the entire round, not accepting any position and getting out of everything I tried to do, whether entering the legs or pulling to the guard... I swear I expected a fight a little more tough. Losing because of a hurting is a thing, losing dominated is a thing, but losing because the guy did 0.3 on top of you is complicated, so it’s a little choke.
What did you think of your performance after being a long time stopped? A long time inactive made diference or it has nothing to do about it?
It had nothing to do about it. After a year and a half stopped, have done a fight before that was cool. Definitely had taken a little harder fighter, at first, is always more complicated. Aoki has two arms and two legs equal to everyone. Even at the ground, where everybody was talking that it was this or that, if you put him with anyone, if he wants to play in a heavier weight with André Galvão, he’ll beat, if he plays with any other good of ground of our weight, he’ll beat. It was because we couldn’t win on the ground, I think he was clever in his strategy of not wanting to go to the ground with me, because the little that I touched him on the ground it was able to see that he wouldn’t find anything. But he was smart, because what he was able to do as an advantage in the fight was standing and it was what has giving the victory to him, so he has to be congratulated.
Do you think that really lost this fight?
There is the weak memory, right? You see several fights of the Ultimate, the guy giving the other a penalty, in the third round, the judge forgets the first round and gives the victory to the man. But in this case, our first round has 10 minutes, even if his kick was hitting where it was to hit, which was in my elbow, I think the judge saw his foot click a time or another, or when he held my head to give a one knee blow and saw this as a great advantage. Maybe the guy couldn’t see my entries or me going up Aoki the whole time, or the blows that connected in his face too, but I have to accept, right? The judge gave, I have to accept, I won’t be complaining for victory or anything else. What I’ll do now is fight with someone to get at him again, because it’s choke.
I lost to Gesias normally, he dominated the entire fight, I lost to Kawajiri normally too. But Aoki was choke, because it was as I said. It’s as if the teacher told that, to pass the year, whe would have to make five points, then he takes a 4.5 and the teacher looks at him and think 'you’re at home, right? So take more 0.5 to pass’. It was more or less like this that I felt, that, for being from outside, I didn’t get that 0.5. It’s a little complicated, but everything is alright, I’ll continue training and we will see... I think he doesn’t pass by Hansen, doesn’t pass by Kawajiri, if he fights with Gesias again, I don’t see a chance to Gesias lose to this kid again. Gesias is much harder than him. But I lost, right? So I don’t have much to say, I have to praise and to congratulate him.
What did you think that was missing to win this fight? Were you apprehensive to try the fall?
He blocked well, he has a base of Judo, does a stride, when you waist him, as if he would break your arm, so I was a little worried about this stride too. I think it missed a bit, in the middle of the first round, to change the strategy a little, maybe switch base and strike, enter the base of left, or don’t give a sh.. and strike, running over him to try to overthrow. I think that lacked a bit in me, I believe it was at that time that I lost the fight, when I didn’t know how to change the plan a to the plan b. The guy knew his plan a the entire fight. I think that missed for me, and expect something from the opponent that maybe he can’t give you too. I expected him to pull me to the guard, expected that he put me down, maybe that was why I didn’t mind much with the Wrestling and was more worried with the ground. At this moment was where I was wrong, where expecting something from someone can bring the defeat earlier.
Do you think that he respected you during the fight?
One thing is certain, go to the floor he didn’t wanted. I even pulled him to the guard at the time, I fell over, he didn’t want to try the omoplata, what he wanted was to hold me and, when I fell on the bottom to escape from the standing part, he didn’t want to accept to go on top of me. I think that he didn’t whant to do much on the ground, but he didn’t disrespect me, in standing he did what he wanted to do, which was the kick, and tried to keep the distance the whole time.
Dedé wasn’t at your corner. Did you miss that?
There were Léo Santos and Danilo Cherman with me, which helped me a lot. Dede will always be part of my life, because he isn’t just a coach, is a friend and an adviser. But I think the problem wasn’t that, I think it was, maybe, the plan b not well architect, it was me thinking that the plan a was a very right and that Aoki would give me the opportunity to make the plan a, which was to put him down, so Danilo and Léo did an excellent job there, I thanked both a lot. I think it was the thing of the guy wanting to win with a little, make a little advantage that, for him, in Japan, would work to win the fight. It was what happened, I think he made the game and I fell on his game. I didn’t know how to change what I had to change on time to change the result of the fight.
Do you think in revenge?
Of course I do, but I will talk about it now that I lost? The guy will fight with Hansen now. It’s even wrong, I don’t have to talk about this. Of course I think in revenge, even more because it’ choke the way it is. A damn boring fight, it was to be a great fight, the guy kicking me here and there and didn’t want to take a punch in my face. If he give a punch in my face I would drop him, but he maintained the distance the whole time. Of course I want a revenge, but I can’t talk about it now. First I have to see if he loses to Hansen and whether it’s worthwhile to give a revenge for me, or I beat someone interesting to take a revenge for me.
Do you think that you’ll fight again this year at the Dream? Did they say anything?
They didn’t say anything. He is already scheduled to fight with Hansen in October. I will continue training, try to improve, try to re-train this grappling so that I won’t depend more on waiting what the guy will do, but what I’ll do and, if the guy defends, I’ll do something else and don’t let the guy do it.
Making the fight that he most expected at the Dream 10, Vitor Shaolin had the chance to face for the first time one of the greatest fighters of the weight in Japan, Shinya Aoki, but the result didn’t came out as he expected. Defeated by the unanimous decision, the black belt returned to New York, where he lives, and talked with TATAME about the combat, disappointed with the conduct of the fight, talked about the influence of the stopped time to this fight, the desire for a revenge, the fight between Aoki and Hansen and his return to the Dream.
What did you think of you fight against Aoki?
I expected much more. Not that I expected a grappling fight, but I expected at least a fight with someone who kicks, combines the punch in your face before. Someone who would go to the ground, not that it would be just that, had a little more striking, not just a kick in the leg, walking around the entire round, not accepting any position and getting out of everything I tried to do, whether entering the legs or pulling to the guard... I swear I expected a fight a little more tough. Losing because of a hurting is a thing, losing dominated is a thing, but losing because the guy did 0.3 on top of you is complicated, so it’s a little choke.
What did you think of your performance after being a long time stopped? A long time inactive made diference or it has nothing to do about it?
It had nothing to do about it. After a year and a half stopped, have done a fight before that was cool. Definitely had taken a little harder fighter, at first, is always more complicated. Aoki has two arms and two legs equal to everyone. Even at the ground, where everybody was talking that it was this or that, if you put him with anyone, if he wants to play in a heavier weight with André Galvão, he’ll beat, if he plays with any other good of ground of our weight, he’ll beat. It was because we couldn’t win on the ground, I think he was clever in his strategy of not wanting to go to the ground with me, because the little that I touched him on the ground it was able to see that he wouldn’t find anything. But he was smart, because what he was able to do as an advantage in the fight was standing and it was what has giving the victory to him, so he has to be congratulated.
Do you think that really lost this fight?
There is the weak memory, right? You see several fights of the Ultimate, the guy giving the other a penalty, in the third round, the judge forgets the first round and gives the victory to the man. But in this case, our first round has 10 minutes, even if his kick was hitting where it was to hit, which was in my elbow, I think the judge saw his foot click a time or another, or when he held my head to give a one knee blow and saw this as a great advantage. Maybe the guy couldn’t see my entries or me going up Aoki the whole time, or the blows that connected in his face too, but I have to accept, right? The judge gave, I have to accept, I won’t be complaining for victory or anything else. What I’ll do now is fight with someone to get at him again, because it’s choke.
I lost to Gesias normally, he dominated the entire fight, I lost to Kawajiri normally too. But Aoki was choke, because it was as I said. It’s as if the teacher told that, to pass the year, whe would have to make five points, then he takes a 4.5 and the teacher looks at him and think 'you’re at home, right? So take more 0.5 to pass’. It was more or less like this that I felt, that, for being from outside, I didn’t get that 0.5. It’s a little complicated, but everything is alright, I’ll continue training and we will see... I think he doesn’t pass by Hansen, doesn’t pass by Kawajiri, if he fights with Gesias again, I don’t see a chance to Gesias lose to this kid again. Gesias is much harder than him. But I lost, right? So I don’t have much to say, I have to praise and to congratulate him.
What did you think that was missing to win this fight? Were you apprehensive to try the fall?
He blocked well, he has a base of Judo, does a stride, when you waist him, as if he would break your arm, so I was a little worried about this stride too. I think it missed a bit, in the middle of the first round, to change the strategy a little, maybe switch base and strike, enter the base of left, or don’t give a sh.. and strike, running over him to try to overthrow. I think that lacked a bit in me, I believe it was at that time that I lost the fight, when I didn’t know how to change the plan a to the plan b. The guy knew his plan a the entire fight. I think that missed for me, and expect something from the opponent that maybe he can’t give you too. I expected him to pull me to the guard, expected that he put me down, maybe that was why I didn’t mind much with the Wrestling and was more worried with the ground. At this moment was where I was wrong, where expecting something from someone can bring the defeat earlier.
Do you think that he respected you during the fight?
One thing is certain, go to the floor he didn’t wanted. I even pulled him to the guard at the time, I fell over, he didn’t want to try the omoplata, what he wanted was to hold me and, when I fell on the bottom to escape from the standing part, he didn’t want to accept to go on top of me. I think that he didn’t whant to do much on the ground, but he didn’t disrespect me, in standing he did what he wanted to do, which was the kick, and tried to keep the distance the whole time.
Dedé wasn’t at your corner. Did you miss that?
There were Léo Santos and Danilo Cherman with me, which helped me a lot. Dede will always be part of my life, because he isn’t just a coach, is a friend and an adviser. But I think the problem wasn’t that, I think it was, maybe, the plan b not well architect, it was me thinking that the plan a was a very right and that Aoki would give me the opportunity to make the plan a, which was to put him down, so Danilo and Léo did an excellent job there, I thanked both a lot. I think it was the thing of the guy wanting to win with a little, make a little advantage that, for him, in Japan, would work to win the fight. It was what happened, I think he made the game and I fell on his game. I didn’t know how to change what I had to change on time to change the result of the fight.
Do you think in revenge?
Of course I do, but I will talk about it now that I lost? The guy will fight with Hansen now. It’s even wrong, I don’t have to talk about this. Of course I think in revenge, even more because it’ choke the way it is. A damn boring fight, it was to be a great fight, the guy kicking me here and there and didn’t want to take a punch in my face. If he give a punch in my face I would drop him, but he maintained the distance the whole time. Of course I want a revenge, but I can’t talk about it now. First I have to see if he loses to Hansen and whether it’s worthwhile to give a revenge for me, or I beat someone interesting to take a revenge for me.
Do you think that you’ll fight again this year at the Dream? Did they say anything?
They didn’t say anything. He is already scheduled to fight with Hansen in October. I will continue training, try to improve, try to re-train this grappling so that I won’t depend more on waiting what the guy will do, but what I’ll do and, if the guy defends, I’ll do something else and don’t let the guy do it.
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