| The Ultimate Fighting Championships are filled with | | | | the victor in a match against Victor Rodriguez |
| a lot of big, tough men, with Tim Sylvia being a | | | | back in 2003, and continued to defend his title belt |
| prime example of their ranks. Though he's made | | | | in another bout. However, in the wake of another |
| several missteps in his mixed martial arts career | | | | triumph versus Gan McGee, Sylvia was found to |
| and suffered from personal setbacks and injury, | | | | test positive for illegal and forbidden substance |
| he's still making an effort to bounce back and be | | | | abuse. This led to the fighter having his title taken |
| a serious competitor stepping into the Octagon. | | | | away from him. |
| Sylvia has had to deal with severe physical injury, | | | | In a further downturn, he broke his arm in a |
| notably in the form of back problems, along with | | | | match against Frank Mir, and had also had a |
| his past mistakes. By now, however, he is hoping | | | | harder time in facing contenders such as Andrei |
| to make up for lost time as he poises himself to | | | | Arlovski, Jeff Monson, and Randy Couture. After |
| return in UFC 77, where he is set to face | | | | his loss to Couture at UFC 68, he decided that |
| Brandon Vera, a younger fighter who has yet to | | | | the pain his back was giving him was too much |
| be beaten. | | | | and he had to finally undergo surgery. Sylvia even |
| Sylvia has a professional MMA record of 23 wins | | | | admitted to crying himself to sleep at night |
| and three losses, which he earned even while | | | | because of the pain, and says he realized he was |
| dealing with a severe back ailment. He had three | | | | fighting for the wrong reason, which was mainly |
| bulging discs in his back which often caused him | | | | money. Even though he lost to Couture, he says |
| pain, yet he kept putting corrective surgery off | | | | the fight was a learning experience for him, and |
| and telling himself that it could wait. He emerged | | | | he still holds his fellow MMA fighter in high regard. |