Silva/Leites on for April in Montreal?
(Leites smashes Pete Sell at UFC 69. Photo courtesy of miyanville.com.)
According to MMA Junkie, UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva and Thales Leites have verbally agreed to face each other at an April event (update: IntheGuard.tv says it'll be UFC 97 on 4/18), though bout agreements have not been signed yet. As the story goes, the UFC is hoping to replicate the success of UFC 83 by returning to Montreal for the card, one year after "Serra vs. St. Pierre II."
This of course means that Silva won't be headlining UFC 95 (February 21st, London), and it means that his next match won't be one of those "superfights" that people love so much. Not taking anything away from Thales Leites, who's obviously very talented, but does anybody believe that he's truly the #1 contender in the UFC's middleweight division? Though Leites is on a five-fight win streak — just like Patrick Cote was when he got his title shot — the only big name he's beaten during his current run is Nate Marquardt, and he would have lost that fight if Marquardt didn't have two points deducted for illegal strikes; one judge still scored the fight for Nate.
Now that Dan Henderson is (temporarily?) back at light-heavyweight, I see two guys ahead of Leites in the middleweight title picture...
The first is Yushin Okami, provided he defeats Dean Lister on Saturday. Okami has scored wins over Jason MacDonald and Evan Tanner since dropping a decision to Rich Franklin in June '07, and has always been considered a top contender in the 185-pound division. There's also the added hook that Okami holds a win over Anderson Silva, even if it was just by disqualification. It seems like Leites has leap-frogged him here, simply because his win-streak is greater.
The other guy is the undefeated Demian Maia, who has simply looked more impressive in his 4-0 UFC run, picking up three Submission of the Night bonuses along the way. With his submission prowess, Maia would be an actual threat to Silva; to me, it would feel less like a place-holder matchup.
If Michael Bisping can win his next fight, he'll get a crack at Silva, due in large part to his marketability. Leites, an under-the-radar Brazilian, isn't even particularly marketable. So what gives?
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C-Bus Allstar Says:
Joe Silva must not have been poppin' his regular meds when he set this one up. I'm with you, I don't see the point. Thales Leites would get subbed by Maia in the first round, and Maia probably wouldn't even break a sweat.
UFCinCalgary Says:
Joe Silvia is going to have to start looking for a new job if he keeps making shitty fights like this...Dana is not going to stand for this. Old Bald and Irish could have come up with a better fight
Why go to Montreal again? Did all the fighters like te smoke meat and Cuban stripers/hookers? Lets get an event in western Canada already....and i dont mean Sask, or B.C. !!
lilpo0ts Says:
they dont want silva to lose until they find a replacement poster boy. they are putting pretty records in front of him. the casual mma watcher will be wowed by the 5-0 win streak, along with every hit he's ever landed as a highlight. marketing is a doubel edged sword. mma gets on the map but we dont get to see the fights that will happen. imho i could do without the energy drinks, t-shirts and what not, give me the best matched fighters everytime and the planets are aligned..
Myles Kilometers Says:
I think this fight has more to do with pumping Anderson Silva back up than it does actually presenting him with a top contender. After the Cote fight, his stock kinda dropped. So here's his potential squash match to validate setting up a superfight.
At least that's how I see it.
As for doing it in Montreal...why not...those patchy-mustached oafs can always use another reason to flip over a few cop cars.
Lone Wolf Says:
Didn't Okami fight for a title shot and not a "title fight", Just curious. Thanks\
Lone Wolf Says:
BTW: It's BS what they are throwing Silvas way....Give him a better Contender or maybe even anyone in the LHW.....
UFC Fan Says:
I wanna see Lesner / Kimbo. Everything else is void.
Miami PIMP Says:
There are cuban strippers/hookers in Montreal??!!!! Then pigeons flew far!
Dana White's HS bully Says:
This is just Dana on another power trip showing Silva that if you talk openly about retireing from our org. and becoming a boxer, your last fights will be against the least memorable cattle.
Dont expect any Silva superfights unless he retracts his statements of retirement!
This is why Dana's anus is still mutated from that nasty wedgie I give him back in the day
Huh? Says:
Was Okami's fight against Franklin for the title??
Bizzo Says:
since losing a title fight to Rich Franklin in June '07,
?????
This wasn't a title fight by the way.
Wiltzor Says:
Alright, since it looks like I'll be talking about this guy with people in the next month, can somebody please tell me how to pronounce his name?
NeWjErSeY-nEwJeRsEy Says:
why the long wait? what happened to Silva wanting to fight every other month?
ben Says:
@ Lone Wolf, Huh?, etc.
Yes, Okami/Franklin was a #1 contender match...my bad. Thanks for the correction.
Douchebaggery Says:
Thales Leites is about to get pwned like a mofo. Marquardt put the beat down on his ass already.
this should be on Spike for free or coupled with another title fight
1glove Says:
Maia is the only real threat to Silva. Can't wait for that one.
ample Says:
Yall need to get back to work you filthy bitches
Anderson Silva who? Says:
What happen to the fire when he LOST to Patrick Cote! Yeah I said it he LOST cause he couldn't finish it! He wanted a fight the very next week and now it's April Boo this nigga BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave Says:
This might come off as insane conspiracy-mongering, but is it possible that Leites was picked BECAUSE he poses the least challenge to Silva on paper? This show is in April; the rumored "All Belts on the Line" UFC 100 is allegedly planned for July. For that show to go off, they need their champions healthy and rested, and April would be just about the last time any of them could fight realistically before July. So it stands to reason that the champions fighting closest to the UFC 100 date would need to be kept as injury-free as possible in their last events prior to July.
Beyond that, the rest of the champions could be slotted thusly:
Lesnar vs Mir/Nog in March/April/May
GSP vs Alves @ UFC 100 (provided Penn loses, if he wins just scrap a WW title fight at 100)
Penn vs Florian @ UFC 100
LHW champ vs Wand/Rampage in March/April/May
For this to work, by the way, the UFC would have to have a handful of cards in May and June, and possibly August, headlined by non-champs. Randy and Chuck can both still headline PPVs without belts, as can Franklin, Bisping and probably Hughes/Serra. So if any of this is actually for real, expect to see announcements regarding those guys to pop out early next year...
Anonymous Says:
bizzo never once does it say okami lost a title fight to franklin. it just says he dropped a decision to him in 07 and that he is considered a top contender
Anonymous Says:
bizzo never once does it say okami lost a title fight to franklin. it just says he dropped a decision to him in 07 and that he is considered a top contender
Bizzo Says:
@ Anonymous
read this
@ Lone Wolf, Huh?, etc.
Yes, Okami/Franklin was a #1 contender match...my bad. Thanks for the correction.
umm..think before you post. thanks for coming out.
Bizzo Says:
you came to the party late. He corrected it.
Jonny5 Says:
UFC contenders ahead/I'd rather see fight than leites for MWstrap:Yushin Okami, Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, and Dan Henderson. For some reason "Thunder" Okami the #1 cont. is put on an undercard? Can we blame anyone but Joe Silva for this?
Kissenger Says:
Horrible match-making. Leites sucks balls. I can think of at least 5 UFC MWs more deserving of a title shot and Okami's at the top of the list (he's the only contender who put in a good showing against Franklin).
Anderson Silva who? Says:
Silve vs A Tiger - 2:14 second round stoppage via triangle choke Silva
Jonny5 Says:
Oh n btw don't go and get what I'm saying twisted cause I'm swinging off Demian's nuts just as much as the rest of you. I would actually really love a fight between Demian Maiaa and Thales Leites to cement Demian's place as a title contender cause as of right now I think he is on the verge but not there yet.
P Says:
Maia would destory Anderson and Dana don't want to lose money on this yet.
I can name 6 people at 185 more deserving of this title shot.(not including Maia,Bisping,Hendo,Franklin)
Anonymous Says:
Anderson Silva is a farce.
Not only does he not fight the best middleweights in the world but he doesn't even fight the best middleweights the UFC has to offer!!!
WEAK.
Anonymous Says:
i dont think thales laites should get a shot yet i think he should either rematch marquardt for # 1 contender or fight demian maia for #1 contender and honestly i think he would win a decision against marquardt and maia.First reason is he was dominating marquardt til the illegal knees and that can take alot out of u .And maia would not submit leites it would probably be a war but where as maia is better on the ground hes not better by alot no matter what anybody may think, where as the strikeing u gotta give a huge advantage to leites not only reach but power and technique and i dont know about maia but i know leites can take a very solid punch .
kostellow Says:
its funny because everybody talks about fedors lack of worth opposition...
coté,leites...
wouldnt it be better if he had a lhw fight before maia vs. bisping produced him a real opponent??????
dana sucks.
kostellow Says:
maybe a lhw fight and a super blockbuster fight so schedules can also match....
Anonymous Says:
thats a good fight but i think lesner would fuk kimbo up