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There is no better feeling than silencing one’s critics.
It’s a feeling that Sydney-native Anthony ‘The Hippo’ Perosh is now familiar with after UFC 163. After being dismissed by opponent Vinny Magalhães and the media as a lamb sent to the chopping block, he silenced Magalhães and his hometown crowd in Rio with a 14-second knockout victory.
Not bad for a 40-year old underdog.
In this interview, the veteran Perosh speaks with the The Roar about the events that lead to the knockout, his status in the UFC and what continues to motivate him as a fighter (questions in bold).
What’s the story behind your nickname?
I specialise in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). Every time I get on top I make myself pretty heavy and people just started saying “get off me, you big hippo.” I was good at controlling people when I get on top and the name just stuck.
What was your game plan going into the fight with Vinny?
I left it open. Normally, everyone knows I like to take it to the ground. I still wanted to get the match on the ground but I would’ve just taken whatever came first.
If it was a bit of a striking match, that would’ve been fine. If it was a clinch match against the cage, that would’ve been fine.
If it went to the ground, it would’ve been fine. I was kind of ready for everything. Whatever came first, that’s what I was going to do.
Did you want to test your BJJ skills against his?
According to all the other media critics and news sites, they weren’t rating my BJJ at all.
They thought that if it got to the ground, I would have been submitted. I’ve hung with the best of them and I’m confident in my BJJ skills.
But like I said, if I got him on the ground and I was on top when strikes are involved, it’s a big equaliser.
So I would have been comfortable on the ground but I’m going to take the knockout win first. No point saying that I wish it went longer. I’m glad I got the win.
What was your mentality going in as the underdog?
I believe in myself and I had a great camp. I brought in new sparring partners and got out of my comfort zone.
I was super fit, I had a good strategy in place and that’s the hard work done.
If you have a good camp, it really increases your confidence. I went into fight week confident. I’m not going in there to lose. As long as I did my best, the result would’ve come.
Could you describe the fight for us?
One of my weaknesses has always been that I’m a slow starter and I wanted to make sure I got out quickly out of the blocks.
The bell rang, we touched gloves – my boxing coach said “Don’t ever stand in front of him. If you stand in front of him, you’re going to be knocked out.”
So he moved right, I moved left. I threw the jab out to set up my right and it just so happened that the first right combination I threw connected and I felt him crumple underneath me.
I followed him down and started punching because I saw he was rocked, so I kept up the momentum until the referee stopped it.
How good did it feel to shut him up?
He did a lot of trash talking and I didn’t reply to any of it. The last comment he said that if he doesn’t beat me, he should be cut – that kind of annoyed me a little bit.
But yeah, it felt great to let my fists do the talking and get the win.
How did you find the Brazilian fans?
I got the standard boos when I was announced. When I won the match, it was dead quiet – you could hear a pin drop.
I was running around the ring and it was dead quiet, which was kind of a weird feeling.
But before the match and after the match, all the Brazilians gave me lots of support. No one badmouthed me or anything.
I loved the Brazilians, they treated me really well.
Where do you think this victory places you in the light-heavyweight division?
Hopefully I’ve broken the top 20. It’s pretty hard because it’s a slow move up the ranks.
For my next fight, I hope to just fight someone ranked between 10 and 20 so I can have that tune-up fight, win and move up the ranks – get closer to that top 10 and then fight a top 10 fighter.
Do you plan on fighting again later this year?
I think there’s a UFC show in December in [Australia] so possibly there.
You’re now 40 years old – do you see yourself as a role model for older fighters?
I guess so. I had a lot of good feedback and messages from people 40-plus and if I can be a role model for them, that’s great. I’ll take that challenge.
You’ve gone on record saying you’ll retire if you lose, your body can’t handle it or if you don’t have the desire anymore. Did you feel like quitting after the Jimmo fight?
Briefly it went through my head but I knew I’d be back because I didn’t want to end my career on that note and I still had a lot more to offer.
Would you consider a rematch with Jimmo?
There’s no point in a rematch. He’s now coming off one win and I’m off one win.
There are lots of other fighters we can fight. If we both keep winning and both move up the ranks and make the top 10 – if it means something, sure I don’t mind a rematch with him.
I’m not like some fighters, I don’t have to go back and avenge all my losses. What’s done is done and if we meet in the future then it’s no problem.
You won the Knockout of the Night bonus for UFC 163. Does that make a difference to your desire to fight?
The bonus is exactly what it is – it’s a bonus. Fighters don’t go in there thinking “I have to do my best so I can get that bonus.”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to get it but it’s not something that I focus on or that drives me or any other fighter. We just want to get in there, do our best and win. If we get a bonus, then that’s awesome.
How is your body now at 40? Any recurring soreness?
It’s just a matter of managing injuries. I don’t wake up sore or anything. You have to manage everything – your training, your diet and recovery becomes very important.
At the moment, thank god that I’m healthy and I have a good team around me to help me with my training and conditioning. I train hard but I train smart as well; that’s important the older you get.
What are your plans for the future?
Keep fighting, keep winning and move up the ranks. Just take it one fight at the time. I believe in myself, my skills and my team. I just want to keep going as far as I can go for as long as I can go.
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