UFC 117 Fight Card: The Insurance Policy Against Anderson Silva

UFC 117 is being regarded as the most stacked card of 2010 for MMA's top organization. While the subtitle is Silva vs. Sonnen, it should really be called USA vs. Brazil.  All five of the main card bouts involve a fighter representing their respective countries, and it should make for a great evening.

However, we should not get lost in the extravagant hype machine that is Chael Sonnen, or the potential vengeance by Ricardo Almeida, or even the roly poly comedic stylings of a Roy Nelson.

It is very easy to get distracted in this parade of stars and miss the big picture. This card is stacked well for one reason, and one reason only: Insurance.

Lets rewind back to UFC '97, when we first got a glimpse at the initial need for "Insurance". The card overall, was average at best, but we could have relied on good ol' Anderson Silva to bail us out with a great knockout, right?

Wrong.

As the main event of the night began, Thales Leites avoided engaging Silva in the striking game by trying to go to the ground. This was not only annoying to Silva, but to the crowd as well.

It would be the first fight where Silva received criticism for not finishing a fight in spectacular fashion. The grumblings about the Spider began that night.

Moving forward to April of this year at UFC 112, the card was slated to be a triumph for the company. It had broken new ground in Abu Dhabi, where MMA had already built a strong following thanks in part to the established Brazilian Jiu Jitsu foundation laid down by the legendary Renzo Gracie.

With a triple main event in tow featuring Hughes vs. Gracie, Penn vs. Edgar, and of course, Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia, we should have been in store for a for a great night.

Unfortunately, we were met with nothing but disappointment.

Matt Hughes defeats Renzo Gracie much to the unhappiness of the Gracie-friendly crowd; and Frankie Edgar takes the 155lb title from BJ Penn in one of the year's biggest upsets. Then we get to Mr. Silva's matchup against Demian Maia.

The start of the middleweight title matchup was somewhat aggressive on 'The Spider's' part. He picked the Jiu Jitsu specialist apart on the feet and busted Maia open pretty well. But something happened in the third round that set the tone for the remainder of the fight. Silva began to become annoyed with the lack of the challenge that his opponent was displaying.

So rather than finish this poor fighter off in swift and assassin-like fashion, as he has done in the past, he taunted Maia. It was a display of unsportsmanlike conduct that MMA fans had never really seen before. It was ugly and just obnoxious.

After the card ended, Dana White was furious. The fans were furious. Something needed to be done.

Enter UFC 117. This card has been set up to ensure that even if Silva has some sort of mental breakdown in the Octagon, we'll still be entertained. All the drama and plot lines are there to distract us.

ROY NELSON v. JUNIOR dos SANTOS

-Two great Heavyweights

- Great Strikers

- The winner gets a title shot against the winner of Lesnar/Velasquez

MATT HUGHES v. RICARDO ALMEIDA

- Aging Welterweight Legend and former champ

- BJJ disciple seeking revenge for his master Renzo Gracie

JON FITCH v. THIAGO ALVES

- Rematch of two welterweight rivals

- Alves couldn't make weight, hence the fight gets bumped to a catchweight fight

- Title shot implications for the winner

ANDERSON SILVA v. CHAEL SONNEN

- Mouthy, Trash talking challenger

- Recently under-performing, yet still very dangerous Champion

- Rocky Balboa-like tenacity from Sonnen that make you think he might just have a shot, given that this year is the year of the underdog.

With all of these plots, it's very easy to forget about the previous lackluster performances of Silva. Dana White and company have done a great job putting together a strong card, but will this insurance policy be enough?

I guess we'll find out tonight.