UFC 97 thoughts

Needless to say, the main event was quite a let down. One of the worst title fights in recent memory, although not nearly as bad as Severn/Shamrock 2. I don't blame either guy for the slow start in the first round, it's a title fight with a lot on the line and a feeling out period is to be expected. Leites was hanging in there early but as the fight went on, I'm not sure why he seemed so hesitant to fight. People are blasting Silva for this fight, but it's hard to be exciting when your opponent does not want to fight. Silva is a better counter fighter than he is a coming forward fighter and when he fights someone who is also a counter fighter, it is going to be a poor fight. Silva had better wrestling than in previous fights I thought, and when it comes down to it, I think Silva just wanted to win. I scored the bout 49-46 (10-9 Silva, 10-9 Leites, 10-9 Silva, 10-9 Silva, 10-9 Silva). Next up for Silva I would like to see a fight with Okami (assuming he gets by Miller) and then the winner of that fight face Demian Maia.

I was shocked that so few people had faith in Mauricio Rua before this fight. I never for a second though he would lose to Liddell. Yes he had looked poor in his last two fights, but I believe he justed needed a fight or two to adjust to UFC rules. Not having knees and soccer kicks obvious would hurt him, those were two of his best offensive attacks in Pride. Rua looked in much better shape and we saw glimpses of the Pride Rua. Chuck Liddell, I don't think he will retire. The UFC will at the very least give him a softer fight (a Soszynski or a Cantwell) to let Liddell retire with a W. Liddell is definitly done against top opposition and will never be ranked in the top again in his career. As for Rua, I would like to see him fight a Cane or a Jon Jones next. He could fight a bigger name (loser of Machida/Evans or a Thiago Silva) but I would prefer one more tune up fight against a solid fight before he fights top 10 guys again.

I definitly thought Matt Wiman beat Sam Stout, although it was a close fight that can not be considered a robbery. I scored the bout 29-28 for Wiman (10-9 Wiman, 10-9 Stout, 10-9 Wiman). The first round was close however and a case can certainly be made for Stout winning that round. But I gave it to Wiman. Stout's cardio never ceases to amaze me. Sam Stout saved his UFC career with this victory. He was gone if he lost this fight.

Soszynski will never be a top 10 fighter at Light Heavyweight, but he will be a solid gatekeeper for the decision. He rarely has a boring fight (obviously the Robert Villegas not with standing, although that was not Soszynski's fault. Brian Stann looked lost in the UFC. The UFC absorbing the WEC's Light Heavyweight Division overall was a good thing, but it is too big a jump for Brian Stann. Stann will get more chances in the UFC, but I am expecting nothing from him.

The whole Cane/Cantwell fight, the thing that bugged me the most was that they continue to pronounce Cane's name wrong. It's accented, not pronounced like as in walking cane. Annoys the hell out of me. Anyways, I was a little surprized Cantwell lasted all three rounds. I was expecting Cane to win in the first. Cane tired lately and still has some room to grow, however overall he looked fairly good. I had the bout 29-28 for Cane (10-9 Cane, 10-9 Cantwell, and 10-9 Cane). No way Cane won the second round like two of the judges had it. I don't see Cane beating any top 10 fighters at LHW, but I would like to see him get the chance to. I would like to see him fight Brian Stann next.

Prelim thoughts. Vinicius Magalhaes, Ryo Chonan, and David Bielkheden are all gone from the UFC I have to believe. Jason MacDonald could be gone. I was surprized that Ed Herman pistol-whipped David Loiseau as badly as he did. I thought Loiseau would come out firing in his return to the UFC in his hometown but by all accounts, he looked piss poor. While I was picking Quarry to win, I wasn't expecting him to win so easily. And Kang needed this win desperatley! Cause UFC is paying him a fair amount, and he needed to prove he was worth it. I went a pretty impressive 9 for 12 on my fights picks, missing Stout, Marshall, and Herman.