Bodog Beat

Tim Sylvia will fight Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira for the interim UFC heavyweight belt. (AP Images)

On Saturday, Feb. 2 in Las Vegas, Tim Sylvia (24-3-0) will get a shot at the interim UFC heavyweight title.

Facing Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (30-4-1) at UFC 81: Breaking Point, Sylvia is the +180 underdog in the Bodog Sportsbook, but the former heavyweight champion says that's fine with him.

"I always perform best when I'm in the underdog role," Sylvia said in a recent conference call. "When I'm favored, I usually end up losing. So it's a good spot for me to be in. I like it. I have this thing where I like proving people wrong. This is just another opportunity. I get to do that and basically I get to stick it to the man."

While Sylvia is confident he'll win the match, he admits that Nogueira is a very dangerous opponent.

"I believe he is the best heavyweight Jiu-Jitsu fighter in the world today," Sylvia says. "I mean, he's a former Pride heavyweight champion. I've been watching him for a long time. I was watching Nogueira when I wasn't even fighting yet. When I started fighting, I was watching him and I was like, 'Wow, I'd like to fight him one day. He's really, really good.' I truly believe he's somebody I can go in there and beat and move me up in the rankings. Maybe, someday if everything goes right and we beat Nogueira, we can get Fedor [Emelianenko] to sign a fight. We'll get to shut the world up after that."

And what does Sylvia think about the heavyweight match pitting Frank Mir (10-3-0) against WWE superstar Brock Lesnar (1-0-0)?

"I'm pulling for Frank," Sylvia says, "because we have some unfinished business. I think everyone knows, I want to fight him real bad."

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