UFC 97: Redemption Preview

The fighters are ready, and the days are growing shorter until UFC 97. With pay per view buys being plentiful once again, and a sold-out arena awaiting the event, here is a look at who is fighting on the main card in this event, and what you can expect from the fights.

Joe Silva has put several heavy hitters up against each other in this one. There are a total of three light heavyweight bouts on the main card alone, with a heavyweight bout to complete your knockout needs.

The excitement is about to peak for UFC fans across the nation. With the likes of Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell fighting, there are definitely a lot of fans eagerly awaiting this event. Here is a look at the main card and what kind of excitement you can expect it to bring into your homes.

Anderson Silva (23-4) vs. Thales Leites (14-1)

Anderson Silva and Thales Leites are set to battle for the middleweight belt, with Silva defending and Leites attempting what seems to be the impossible.

Thus far, this fight has been given little hype, and really the only opinions stating that Leites will win are simply people playing the Devil’s Advocates. Or are they actually calling the biggest upset in UFC history.

With his speed, fitness, and length, Anderson Silva is an astonishing fighting force, and soon to be Thales Leites’ worst nightmare. The “Spider” brings experience and an amazing streak of title defenses into this battle. Not to mention his striking, kicking, and very solid ground game.

It seems all Thales Leites brings is his jiu-jitsu.

Leites is a jiu-jitsu ace. His only chance of victory would be a submission against Silva.

In his last five fights (all being wins), Leites has ended three of them in submission. However, he did not win any of those fights by a knockout of any kind, nor a fight stoppage.

He also barely beat Nate Marquardt in a split decision.

While the five-round fight may give Leites more rounds to submit Silva, it is not going to get that far. With superior, well, everything but jiu-jitsu, Silva does not really have much of a chance at losing.

I see this fight going into the third round, with Silva winning with a technical knockout. It is always hard to call something this specific, but I believe Leites’ ground game and stamina can push this fight into the later rounds.

While this fight may be completely under-hyped, Leites will make it worthwhile. He is good, and I believe, deserves this fight, going against what many believe. Unfortunately, he will come up short, as the “Spider” will simply be too much for him.

The main card is full of light heavyweight and heavyweight bouts. However, the Silva-Leites fight will hold its own against these heavy hitters. While many think the fight will be boring, I truly believe the fight will be an exciting one. And who doesn’t love to watch Anderson Silva fight anyway?

And for those who think Leites will actually win, I hope you are really not that naïve. To be honest, something has to go seriously wrong for Silva for Leites to pull off this upset. Silva is upset with his last performance. He will not be upset with this one.

Chuck Liddell (21-6) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (17-3)

In the Co-Main Event, Chuck Liddell battles for his UFC career against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who also is battling to save his career.

Rua is coming off a victory against Mark Coleman at UFC 93, while Liddell is coming off several tough losses.

This fight is a little easier to analyze, considering the means of victory by both of these fighters. Stated simply, they just throw punches.

Of all the fights at UFC 97, this fight will be one of the most exciting bouts. With the takedown defense of both fighters, but mainly Chuck Liddell, this fight should stay standing, featuring hay-maker after hay-maker until someone is knocked out.

It should be a knockout at the hands of Chuck Liddell.

Of any fight he has ever accepted, Chuck Liddell needs to win this one the most. This should be plenty reason to pick him over Shogun.

Shogun has seemed to slow down inside the octagon in his last several fights. While he maintains most of his power, his speed is worse, and his chin is weaker.

The same can be said for Chuck Liddell. However, his last several fights have included one former light-heavyweight champion in Quinton Jackson, and the current champion, Rashad Evans.

I predict the fight will be over in the first or second round, but leaning toward the first. Liddell’s counter-attacking method should prove successful against Rua, who, I predict will want to end this fight early and dramatically.

In the end, however, Chuck Liddell wins by technical knockout in the first round over Shogun Rua, launching his long road back to a title shot.

This fight features two aging  fighters in need of victory, but the reasoning for said victor is fairly simple; Chuck Liddell wants this more.

Krzysztof Soszynski (17-9-1) vs. Brian Stann (6-1)

Another light heavyweight bout should give all the fans what they are looking for. However, one of these fighters also has impressive ground skills to go along with his powerful strikes.

Krzysztof Soszynski is a fan of kimoras and arm bars, and is pretty good at getting in position to pull these off. To go along with this, Soszynski brings impressive speed and power to his strikes, along with a powerful uppercut when he and his opponents get tangled.

A couple other attributes should be taken into consideration. The takedown defense of Soszynski is one of the best in his division.  He is also very well conditioned and does not tire easily.

In his most recent fight, he ended Shane Primm with an arm lock (kimora) in the second round. This was a fight in which Soszynski dominated his opponent. Something you can expect in this bout against Brian Stann.

Brian Stann is one of those fighters who are always one punch away from a victory. Coming out of the WEC, all of his fights have ended either in knockout or TKO, including his one loss which came in his most recent fight.

His game plan is somewhat limited however, seeing that he sticks mostly to stand up, and is very shaky on the ground. If the fight stays standing, he has a chance. However, if it goes to the ground he is in deep trouble against Soszynski.

Stann’s main attribute is definitely his strength. He has some monster arms and knows how to use them. He is the guy that can knock someone out at any given moment. His chin is also very good and is not easily knocked out.

However, that moment will not come in this fight, as I have Soszynski defeating Stann in the third round. While this may be a risk, I believe the fight goes to the ground and Soszynski takes his pick between an arm bar or a kimora to submit Stann.

You may not want to bet on how he wins. Just know that the victor in this fight will be Krzysztof Soszynski.

Cheick Kongo (23-4-1) vs. Artoni Hardonk (8-4)

The heavyweight bout on the main card is going to be a shootout. Both of these fighters are devastating in their stand-up game, and that is where I see this fight beginning.

The underdog Hardonk brings good stand up and ground game to this fight. His last three fights ended in TKO, and I imagine he hopes the same will happen against Kongo.

The best chance for Hardonk to win would probably be a what he has done best in the last couple fights. A victory by strikes is definitely a relevant option, and maybe the best one for Hardonk.

Hardonk has been praised for his ground game, but does not often effectively use it in most of his matches. While Kongo’s has improved on the ground, I would have to give the edge to Hardonk, who could possibly submit Kongo. I just doubt that submission will be a triangle choke that could get him slammed hard.

Kongo brings a lot of experience in MMA to this fight. He has been training (according to the UFC website) since he was five years of age. He has devoted his life to this sport and has 23 wins to show for it.

Where Kongo has the advantage, I believe, is in his standup. He has unbelievably powerful punches. Alongside his stamina, I do not see these punches slowing down much throughout the fight.

Rumor has it that Kongo has improved his ground game. However, he is still quite young in that aspect. His lack of experience on the ground could be the end of him.

If he commits to the ground and is overconfident and decides to take it to the ground to show off what he has recently figured out, Hardonk should be able to take that as an opportunity to submit Kongo.

At 6’4”, Hardonk is a big guy. However, Kongo stands equally as high, making size an unimportant factor for this fight.

Both these guys can throw punches, but the ground game that Hardonk should bring to the fight will decide this. If it is good, he wins. If it is poor, or even okay, he loses.

However, I believe that Hardonk upsets Kongo through some type of submission, or at least by simply dominating him on the ground. Or Hardonk just lands a lucky punch to stun Kongo just long enough to get destroyed.

This fight is a coin toss, but I am leaning towards Hardonk with the upset over the powerful and experienced Kongo. I am not sure why I am leaning this way. I just think Hardonk will have his ground game this time around.

Luiz Cane (10-1-1) vs. Steve Cantwell (7-1)

Along with Brian Stann, Steve Cantwell (WEC light heavyweight champion) will try to develop his base in the UFC. Both fighters show impressive records, each only having lost one time. They are the same height, so once again, size should not matter at all.

Luiz Cane is coming of an impressive victory at UFC 89 against Rameau Sokoudjou. His last two fights have ended in TKO giving him a two fight win streak. He seeks to extend that to three after this bout against Steve Cantwell.

Cane has several attributes that could lead to his victory in this fight. His ground skills are good and he is always bringing a lot of action to his matches.

He will not wait back and let Cantwell have the first move. He is aggressive and will try to make quick work of Cantwell.

However, Cane has shown mental weakness at times, including his fight against James Irvin. If his head is on straight throughout this fight, this should not be a problem.

Steve Cantwell’s strength is derived from his quick hands and impressive ground game. He is good at everything, yet not amazing at anything, at least at this point in his career.

On the ground, Cantwell could defeat Cane due to his quickness and knowledge. Standing up, Cantwell could put Cane on the ground due to his quickness and power.

A flurry of punches from Cantwell are hard to take, and if he gets Cane a little dazed, it could be lights out.

The main issue Cantwell has in this fight is making his way from the WEC to the UFC. This may not seem like much of a jump, but it is going to be for him.

He has entered the big league of MMA and is up against a tough competitor. Preparation is key to avoiding a bad start in the UFC.

This matchup is another coin toss for me. Cantwell was impressive in his last fight, but so was Cane. The simple fact that Cane is more experienced in the UFC may be the deciding factor.

However, the ground game, even though it is very close to call, will probably be better utilized by Cantwell.

My prediction for this light heavyweight bout goes to Cantwell in the second round. Even though I love submissions, I believe a TKO is in order here.

Maybe a good ground-and-pound will finish this fight, but I am going to say Cantwell wins a stand up battle after tiring Cane on the ground.

The fighters are ready and waiting, and the days are growing fewer until UFC 97. With the co-main events featuring Chuck Liddell and Anderson Silva, you know you will get what you pay for.

With the endless excitement and the knockouts that are sure to occur, you will say it was worth every penny.

So whether there is a new title holder in the middleweight division, or a couple of UFC newcomers make their mark in the UFC, every MMA fan will be excited and thrilled on April 18 to see some of the world’s greatest fighters collide inside the octagon.