UFC takes its show to the Bell Centre in Montreal for UFC 97: Redemption. In the main event, Anderson "the Spider" Silva defends his middleweight championship belt against Thales Leites. Silva is considered by many to be the best MMA fighter in the world pound for pound, ahead of heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko.
Silva (23-4-0) is recognized for his Muay Thai striking proficiency. His Muay Thai clinch is viewed as the best in the sport, as evidenced by his destruction of Rich Franklin with repeated knees at UFCs 64 and 77. Despite having received a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from the Nogueira brothers, his ground game has been viewed as a weakness. "The Spider" will be seeking a record 9th straight UFC victory on Saturday night. He is currently tied at 8 consecutive wins with Jon Fitch and Royce Gracie.
Leites (14-1-0) is the number one contender for the middleweight belt. Given his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, it is not surprising that his style relies on his ground abilities. He should have the advantage on the mat as Silva is far stronger striking. In his last fight on the undercard of Silva vs. Patrick Cote, he submitted Drew McFedries by rear naked choke.
The all Brazilian main event (Silva is from Curitiba with Leites hailing from Niteroi) has garnered much fanfare in soccer crazed South America.
I expect Silva to be seeking to make a statement in this fight. His last outing ended prematurely in a TKO when Cote had to stop with a knee injury. Silva should work to keep the fight standing up in order to avoid Leites' possible advantage on the ground. Look for Silva to hunt for a knockout in an effort to forget his flat showing against Cote.
I see Silva keeping his belt and setting a UFC record for consecutive victories.
In the undercard, Chuck "the Iceman" Liddell (21-6-0) takes on Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (17-3-0) in what should be an exciting battle of powerful strikers.
UFC 97 Middleweight Championship Fight (185 lbs)
Here are the latest odds
Anderson Silva
Nickname: The Spider
Record: 23-4-0
Height: 6ft 2in
Reach: 77.5 in
Here is his last fight against Patrick Cote
Thales Leites
Nickname: NA
Record: 14-1-0
Height: 6ft 1in
Reach: 78 in
Here is his last fight against Drew McFedries
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