Sportsmoneymanagers.com Staff writer
UFC 97 Picks And Predictions Presented To You By Sportsmoneymanagers.com
Written By Twiggy
MMA Expert
Anderson Silva (23-4) Vs. Thales Leites (14-1)
If you look back to Anderson's previous fights the one word that comes to mind is destruction. However, the only fight that Anderson ever had trouble in was against Travis Lutter. If you remember Travis Lutter was a brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt, got Silva to the mat and had him mounted raining down punches. You can't guarantee many things in the MMA world but one thing you can guarantee is that if Leites can do that to Silva then we will have a new Middleweight champion. He is just to good on the ground. With all that being said......
Silva 2nd Round KO
Chuck Liddell (21-6) Vs Shogun Rua (17-3)
This fight has had me stumped since it was announced. On one hand you have The Iceman who is coming off one of the most brutal knockout losses in MMA history. He was the most dominant light-heavy we have seen in this generation, the first UFC star and a fan-favorite. The questions have been following him since his knockout loss to Rampage at UFC 71 and his knockout at UFC 88 hasn't helped. Look I can sit here and go on and on but the fact of the matter is Chuck is a stubborn man. He has flaws as does every other fighter and it took his loss to Rashad to go get them addressed. He has been working with Howard Davis of American Top Team. which could lead us to the old Iceman, the counter-punching nightmare that saw him destroy opponents. Shogun on the other hand was widely considered the best 205 pounder on the planet a few years ago. That was until soccer kicks and stomps were disallowed and a knee injury against Forrest Griffin attributed to a very poor performance to say the least in his first UFC bout. However his performance against Mark Coleman was dismal and pathetic. Shogun is so gifted and so talented that I wouldn't be surprised if the Iceman was was the one who brought out the best in Shogun. If he is fully healed and fully healthy I think Shogun beats Chuck. If he is not then it's the Iceman. What do I think?
Liddell TKO 3rd
Krzysztof Soszynski (17-9) Vs. Brian Stann (6-1)
This fight promises to be a standup war. Stann made a name for himself with his fights against Steve Cantwell and I think he will follow the same blueprint. Soszynski will be forced to oblige and Stann will win by TKO.
Cheick Kongo (23-4-1) Vs. Antoni Hardonk (8-4)
The hottest heavyweight on the planet right now is buying time with this fight against Hardonk. If he wins this I have to believe he will get his title shot or at least a #1 contender match with Shane Carwin. Kongo is that good. His standup is right up there with the best in the division and on the feet he will knock anyone out. His weakness is on the mat where he has been exposed in the past. I just don't think hardonk can get him there before he gets knocked out. Kongo will be patient and will knock him out early in the second round.
Steve Cantwell (7-1) Vs. Luis Cane (10-1)
I am a big fan of Luis Cane. He looked very good against Sokoudjou and I think Cantwell's best bet is to try and take him down. I think if he keeps it on the feet he will good down early. I think Cane is a second Tier light heavy and Cantwell is not.
Cane TKO Round 1
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