Silva vs Leites: UFC 97 Redemption
At UFC 97 Anderson Silva will be pitted in a battle against Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Thales Leites.
This bout could be history in the making for Silva who will be going for his ninth victory in a row inside the octagon breaking the record that is currently held by MMA legend Royce Gracie and current UFC welterweight Jon Fitch.
For many UFC fans their last memory of Anderson Silva is of him standing over a injured Patrick Cote at UFC 90 in Chicago Illinois. That night everyone saw a different Anderson Silva than they were used to.
The majority of the fight fans saw a fighter that was reluctant to engage another fighter that MMA fans deemed not worthy of being in the Octagon with Silva. Although Silva ended up the winner of the fight many fans were not please with his performance.
Prior to the fight with Cote Anderson had put together seven impressive victories all coming by stoppages before the end of the second round. On October 25 Anderson was not the fighter that everyone had grown accustomed to and although he won the fight he took great criticism for his performance.
UFC 97 is giving Anderson Silva a chance to erase that memory from his fans minds and put on another stellar performance.
Everyone that has ever seen Anderson Silva fights knows that he is a devastating striker. Silva comes from a Muay Thai background which gives him a distinct advantage in the fight. Silva not only has speed and power on his side he is very elusive making it hard for opponents to land effective strikes.
One of the main aspects that makes Anderson Muay Thai so affective is his clinch game, once he has the Thai plum he unloads with viscous knees to the body and head of his opponents.
Silva is primarily known as a counterstrike and likes for his opponents to engage him before he unleashes his onslaught of punches kicks and knees. On top of devastating striking Silva also has a jiu-jitsu black belt that makes him just as deadly on the ground as he is on his feet.
The man that most MMA fans are giving no chance of winning this fight is the Brazilian Thales Leites. Thales bread and butter is his ground game, he is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. With an impressive 14-1 record with eightwins by submission it is obvious that Leites is a good fighter with a stellar ground game.
Unfortunately many MMA fans think that his road to the title shot has been against fighters that are not considered elite.
His only victory over a top ten fighter in the UFC’s middleweight division was a split decision against Nate Marquardt who was penalized twice during their three round affair. It was a hard fought victory which saw Leites take and brutal knee while he was still on the ground. That kind of determination could carry him far in his fight against Silva.
For Thales to win this fight he is going to have to take Silva out of his element and put him in situations where he is uncomfortable. Many fans considered it an accomplishment for Cote to get past the first two rounds with Silva and Thales is going to have to do the same in order to come out victories.
Leites’ ground game is presumably better than Silva’s even though both men hold black belts in BJJ.
In order for Leites to be competitive in the fight he is going to have to avoid Andersons stand up and bring the fight down to his world on the ground. That is easier said than done with Silva showing great takedown defense and excellent striking in previous fights against top level opponents.
If the Anderson Silva that fought Patrick Cote shows up Leites could have a good shot at getting the fight to the ground. In order for Leites to get the fight to the ground he is going to need to set up his takedowns with effective striking and getting Silva off balance.
If he can do that and get this fight to the ground he is going to have to outwork Silva in all areas. In a previous fight with Travis Lutter Anderson had his guard passed and was in some serious trouble.
Leites is going to have to do the same in order to put Silva away. If Leites can work this fight to the ground and puts Silva in danger he could win this fight by either TKO or submission in the later rounds.
Anderson on the other hand needs to keep this fight standing up. With his superior striking he could make short work of Leites in this fight. In all of his wins inside the Octagon Silva has been on a different level than his opponents and has made his opponents look like they shouldn’t have been in there with him.
With the memory of his last fight in his mind look for Silva to make a statement in this fight. He is going to be looking to prove to his fans and to himself that his last fight was a fluke. Silva’s dominant striking and takedown defense is going to be the keys for him to win this fight.
Look for Silva to keep Leites on the outside while picking him apart with his strikes until he wants to finish him by KO or TKO in the second or third round
This weekend history could be made by Anderson Silva or Thales Leites. Both men are looking for their spot in history, Silva is looking for his record setting ninth victory and fifth title defense while Leites could become the first man to beat Silva inside the Octagon.
Make sure you catch this fight because there are going to be fireworks from start to finish. For Silva to win he is going to need to come out with the same fire he has shown in his previous fights. If Silva is tentative and reluctant to engage again we could possibly see a new middleweight champion crowned at UFC 97.
Both men could finish this fight but my money is on the man they call Anderson “the Spider” Silva. For Silva to win he is going to need to come out with the same fire he has shown in his previous fights.
If Silva is tentative and reluctant to engage again we could possibly see a new middleweight champion crowned at UFC 97.
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