(Props: MMA Mania)
Maybe the epic visual presentation for St. Pierre vs. Penn 2 has spoiled us, but we’re getting the sense that the UFC’s design department doesn’t really care about their upcoming Montreal show. Above is the poster image they’ve released for #97, which features old stock images of the four headliners in front of a generic cage background, surrounded by a cloud-like fog. Are these the men that are guarding the gates to MMA heaven? And what’s up with the janky-ass bubble-block lettering?
It seems significant that UFC 97 will be just the second UFC pay-per-view event since September to be identified with a word ("Redemption") rather than by the headlining matchup (i.e., "Couture vs. Lesnar," "Franklin vs. Henderson"). We’re guessing that’s because the idea of "Silva vs. Leites" headlining a card tends to bum people out. Still, "redemption" works well as a unifying theme. Liddell and Rua will be battling to rescue their careers after putting in woeful performances in their last fights, and Silva will be trying to redeem himself in the eyes of fans after his oddly restrained and anti-climactic performance against Patrick Cote in October.
Still, if it were up to us, we’d call the card "Silva and Liddell," have the two of them on the poster by themselves, and hope fans are duped into thinking that they’re fighting each other. And we’d dial back the fog machine by at least 50%.
After the jump: The latest announced and rumored matchups for UFC 97. [Updated at 12:16 p.m. PT]
OFFICIALY ANNOUNCED
Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites (for middleweight championship)
Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (LHW)
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann (LHW)
Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry (MW)
David Loiseau vs. Ed Herman (MW)
Mark Bocek vs. David Bielkheden (LW)
RUMORED/REPORTED
Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk (HW)
Denis Kang vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (MW)
Luiz Cane vs. Steve Cantwell (LHW)
Ryo Chonan vs. T.J. Grant (WW)
Sam Stout vs. Matt Wiman (LW)
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Comments
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:41
first!!@#!#
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:43
the poster for jardine and rampage for 96 is pretty sweet though. they should move kang's fight up to the main card.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:44
if you are going to play the first game, have the pills to identify yourself for harrassment purposes.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:44
ohhh cagepotato :) you make me smile sometimes ti ji*
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:44
cool to see Stann brought over
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:44
first
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:44
Fuck all you "first" bitches
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:46
cane v. cantwell... hope that happens.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:46
Does the poster actually refer to an actual MMA event or an MMA themed male stripper tour?
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:48
On paper it looks like the most entertaining card from top to bottom in a while. Glad Loiseau is back.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:49
Haha...Ed Herman is gonna get worked by yet another Canadian.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:49
I guess "UFC 97: Silva Promises He'll Knock Some Middling Contender Out This Time" was too big to fit on the poster.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:53
@ iron helps us play, Hebrew Hammerfist, etc:The UFC hasn't established the official fight order yet...some of the fights under "Officially Announced" may be on the undercard, and a couple of the fights under "Rumored/Reported" may be on the main card.@ Machete for hands: Escudero will be fighting at UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann (April 1st, Nashville)
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:53
Kang is now officially an undercard fighter....sux.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:55
I also interpretted this in the wrong way, wondering why Kang was on the undercard. Thanks for the update, Ben!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:56
I'm serious...this "First" this is out of control. Fucking douchetards!!!!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:56
What really strikes me is Liddell smiling. Why the hell is me smiling? Makes no sense and kind of make me think he is mailing this one in and maybe his career too.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:56
Luiz Cane better not be on the undercard, that's all I have to say.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:58
wasnt efrain escudero fighting on this card?
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:59
God please let this be witty enough to earn me a T-shirt....
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:01
"And we'd dial back the fog machine by at least 50%." lmao!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:06
I guess we will get to see the caliber of Cantwell if this fight happens. Fingers crossed. Herman is gonna get smoked and hopefully it will be the last we see of him!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:10
why all the hate for ed herman? is it just bc he's ginger?
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:11
i wanna see cane armbar cantwell.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:18
last
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:19
yes its because Ed Herman is a rusty baby. and his ego sucks non-ginger balls.(the normal kind)
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:24
Looks like a good card, just what I need to get over college basketball's finale. Why can't I take David Loiseau seriously? If I ever needed Ed Herman to win, the time is now....or in mid April. @someguy yeah, if I don't get to see Cane punch Cantwell in his chops on the tv, I may just deal with it.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:25
Was anyone else absolutley disgusted that coleman/shogun got a fight of the night bonus? I was at hooters for that one and everyone within earshot.. hardcore fans, casual fans, even a couple waitresses.. basically sounded disgusted as they watched the fight. They looked like fucking amateurs fighting under water and they got fight of the night.. send shogun and coleman back to japan for all I care. Actually, let shogun stay around and get embarassed a couple more times first.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:26
I don't know about you, but UFC's televised program changes have been awesome. The new layout is way better than theur old 90's garbage. As for the UFC 97 poster I barely even noticed the word "Redemption" in it. Terrible font layout, but I like the white background. I'm sick and tired of the "dark" backgrounds and shit.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:27
That's NOT the official fight poster. It was just created for the email mailing list.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:28
I'd bet a lot of money this event is way better than UFC 94. Regardless of how cool you guys thought 94's poster was!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:29
@ben thanks man. see i was close. they are both in april
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:30
I wonder what Ed herman did to deserve the ass whoopin that David Loiseau is going to give him? I feel bad for the guy.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:31
That French Canadian bitch with the Big Huge Tits Edith is going to show me around the city of Montreal where she's from, but she said if were only there for 4 days she doesn't have enough time to stop by all the places she's blown guys at.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:34
They should just be done with have have a spike TV reality show where they let shogun lose in old folks home...they seem to think thats where is competition level is
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:37
This looks like a pretty entertaining card and I'm certainly looking forward to Stann smashing the face of K-Sos. You people might have hated Junie Browning, but I absolutely loathed the bald Pole during the last season of TUF. Also, can't comments sections have an automated feature that sends a fucking atomic bomb into the testicles of posters who only post one word comments that start with "f" and and with "t"? Make it happen, CP, the long-term enjoyability of your comments section is almost starting to depend on it.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:42
Hexed79... I completely agree with everything you just said.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:44
Except for the fact that people posting "1st" (instead of FIRST) would have their testicles spared, which is obviously unacceptable.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 12:51
Good point, armfarmer. Perhaps instead of automated, the atomic bomb feature could be a button other users pressed to dole out punishment. Like the veto feature in Halo 3, majority would rule.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:00
Hexed79 and armfarmer why don't you two get together and give each other blowjobs for crying out loud.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:04
They shoulda had Liddell and Rua be the headliner and called it "Iceman vs. Shogun". They'd make a shitload more money that way.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:11
Logan, why the potty mouth?
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:11
@ Derekrva Yeah he's not a deal breaker for me or anything, it's just more often than not there are good fighters on the undercard when there's less talented guys on the main.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:11
@ Anonymous bc that would put your mom out of a job.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:12
Is denis kang fighting a real person or a pornstar who specializes in chubby scenes? Xavier Foupa-Pokam ?? ahahahaha. i hope never in my life to poke anybody in their FUPA.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:22
Kongo needs to be dropped from the UFC, soonest. His fights are all against a bunch of nobodies and they're as boring as a - well, i don't know what to compare it to. His fights are what I normally use for a break period to go and have a smoke and take a dump. He's always pretty disappointing, even when he wins.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:24
UFC 97: Silva vs. Middleweight NOT Named Yushin Okami
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:26
And Liddell looks mentally challenged in this picture, too.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:29
The stock photos get to me as well, I'm glad someone pointed it out. Every time Rich Franklin fights, they have the same old "Rich Franklin with a beard" picture.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:36
Now, Demian Maia, there's a submission master I want to see Silva defend against. After seeing what that mofo did to Jason MacDonald and Nate Quarry, I've been dying to see him take someone else apart. Those two guys he walked through are no slouches, so I think he might be the guy to make A. Silva qauke in his boots a little bit. I'll call Dana W. on his cell right now to get this one moving. Want the number?
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:38
Why in the Hell does Anderson Silva keep getting all these boy scouts to fight?! No fucken challenge for him. Put him against someone worthy dammit!!!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:40
@Bob Loblaw: Dont get ahead of things... Anderson is also a blk/belt in BJJ and is a MUCH better striker than J Mac and Quarry.... and better on the ground than the both of them. Yea Maia but be a better challange but lets see what he can do vs some tougher comp. I dont want to throw him to the wolves just yet. IMO he has only beat mid level guys so far.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:42
BTW, does anybody give a damn about Shogun anymore? Seriously. After that shite with Coleman, it's time for him to fade into the background and open up a training camp someplace where he can teach rural kids a few moves. While I'm on the subject of people fading away, I've had enough of fucking Jens Pulver. Here it is - BJ Penn, whom I despise, pointed out that Pulver made a career on deafeating BJ Penn one time (if Penn had won that fight, nobody would've given a shit about the fact that he'd just defeated Jens Pulver.) That said, I feel it's time for Pulver to retire to Montana, or anywhere else that he can find an area that's totally remote and isolated. This way, with no phone or internet access, I won't have to hear about him or see his snaggle toothed face on TV unless it's in a rerun. After Faber used him as a practice dummy last time, he's got to know what all the rest of us do: he's finished as a fighter. Go give Rocky and Apollo a call so you can set up some time to lounge around the pool and talk about the old days, already. Hughes and Trigg will be there a few weeks later.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:42
well, you may have a point there, mayhem. still, i think the champ oughtta be tested as much as he can be, and i think maia is the guy to do it. that is, as long as he can survive long enough to get silva to the mat. then we'll see a show!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:42
There are some sites that require a fee to be able to post comments. At first i thought this would be a horrible idea. I mean, why would anyone want to pay to be able to do something like that? But then i started seeing stupid fucking shit like this: "First!" This basically means that someone is visiting CP several times (and by several i mean hundreds) a day for the "honor" (?) of being able to post "First!". I just noticed i used all kinds of punctuation in that previous sentence, but i digress. I would gladly pay a nominal monthly fee, say in the are of $2 to $5, to be able to post comments. I dont know if this would weed out all of the epic douches that do this "First!" shit but it might make some of them think twice. Anyways, this is without a doubt my favorite MMA blog and the vast majority of comments are coherent and thoughtful. I was a noob to this sport before i found CP and now im not as big of a noob. So, like, you guys are cool and shit. Yeah.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 01:49
If the rumors are true, the main card should look like this: Silva/Leites Liddel/Shogun Cane/Cantwell Kongo/Hardonk The last fight is a toss up though, between JMAC/Quarry and Kang/Prof X
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:03
Fat Upper Pu*** Area
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:05
jmac and quarry are a bigger fight than kongo and hardonk.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:09
thats right, thanks. Hilarious!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:10
help! i cant remember what FUPA stands for. damn it!!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:14
Hahah... cmon cagepotato its not that terrible, but the card is a little shallow. If some of the rumored bouts get bumped up into the main card then it could be an interesting card...i would like to see the kang and xavier fight, after watching xaviers highlight reals on youtube and knowing that kang is better than his last performance, also i wouldnt mind seeing cantwell do well against cane and breaking some more limbs, youve gotta be a fan after what he just did. Im scared for rua and liddell, because someone has to lose in that one and silva SHOULD walk through leites, but leites is a slick submission artist and it is mma. Kongo should out kickbox hardonk and i would pay attention to the herman/loiseau fight, the crow isnt bad. So comeon cage potato, give the matchmaker silva SOME credit here...its not an awful card...they just need to follow through on it. Thats my input at least...TELL ME WHAT YOU GUYS THINK!!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:20
wouldnt you rather see B Stann than Macdonald or quarry?
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:20
I don't get why people are pissed that Silva vs. Leites is the headlining bout! For God's sake, Anderson's toughest fight was Travis Lutter. (out of shape BJJ guy) And now he's fighting a Thales Leites. (in shape BJJ guy). This fight could very easily be exciting as hell!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:20
another word for FUPA is gunt. easier to figure out too.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:21
Personally i think Stann is kindof a bitch...got lucky against cantwell the first time...hes just a tough ass marine. Haha
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:21
is it true...a TUF GUY free comment zone? Thank the lord, damn that guys's a tool
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:27
Liddell is going to smash SLOWGUN's teeth out, and personally I can't wait to see it. I also agree with the tomato can that is being thrown in the air for Silva to shoot a hole through. The Light heavyweight division has an obvious line it should follow, this leaves a space nicely for a certain Montreal Welterweight to step up and give the Spider something to worry about.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:27
so is vajomach
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:34
The ufc needs a tournament, fuck all this leites silva shit
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:38
id like to see spider move up as much as id like to see GSP move up. tough one. id like a real LHW to get a chance to train for a fight w/ anderson silva.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:46
Yeah, this is an old picture of The Iceman. You can tell because his mohawk hasnt been punched sideways by rashad evans yet.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:49
They should let Leites bring a freind into the cage with him to fight Silva, and they should let them both use weapons....or maybe Chuck, Shogun and Leites could all fight Silva...That would make this worth watching.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:50
Yea, I took away his computer because he was misbehaving. I'm also not letting him hang out with his friends Todd Beard & Jon Koppenhaver.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 02:53
To all you "first" gamers, I think you should seriously reevalute your life ambitions if you think being the first to post nothing is even remotely funny or fulfilling...unless you're twelve years old. CP, nice critique of the poster design. I'm totally with you on that. I've been growing tired of the same old 90's era graphics and lame ass marketing production values. Just because you're the only game in town doesn't mean you can just fucking phone in your visual campaign. How long have they been using that Roman Gladiator intro to the events? They should take a page from the all the slick visual tricks the NFL uses if they want to truly achieve that mainstream clout they're looking for. I wonder if Shogun really believed Dana when he told him he looked great in his fight against Coleman or if he understands that they offered him the Liddell fight because he looked so shitty they think they're old poster boy could get back on the winning track with an easy victory. Hmmmm......
Mon, 02/09/09 - 03:15
Shogun has lost it.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 03:36
cane vs cantwell will be the bomb tits if it happens son
Mon, 02/09/09 - 03:48
I don't know why you fuck sticks are jacked up for Cane/Cantwell. Cantwell is in way over his head Cane is going to blow up his fucking jaw. You people need to get this bullshit out of your heads that if guys fight on SpikeTV they're the best in the world. Watch some more shit jack asses! There is a lot better mma than TUF and Spike TV!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 04:06
most of you guys dont realize how good thales is. this is the kind of match ups the ufc should be making and next to a rematch with nate the great, this is the one id most like to see. what do you think the line on liddell shogun will be?
Mon, 02/09/09 - 04:08
Am I the only one that noticed the word "redemption" is basically connected the cocks of the two fighters? I hope someone else noticed it, because not only is Silva challenging his weight class, he's challenging my sexuality.
Mon, 02/09/09 - 05:56
Wonder if ol' Mike Goldberg will fuck up and call Matt Wiman, Watt Miman again.... Redeem Yourself Goldie!!!
Mon, 02/09/09 - 06:25
how the heck is K-Sos on the main card but Kongo isn't that is just mind blowing
Mon, 02/09/09 - 07:31
looks like dana brought the creative work in house for this event
Mon, 02/09/09 - 09:47
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry David Loiseau vs. Ed Herman are all really good fights and if cane vs cantwell or kongo vs hardonk do happen those are really good fights too this could be pretty solid
Mon, 02/09/09 - 11:43
Seriously Liddell wants to prove his relevancy with an easy win over a big name like Shogun who might I add, still hasn't looked the same like the Shogun back in Pride. Perhaps this fight would have had some appeal to it had it not been for both fighters getting injured training for this fight the first time around. And also their recent lackluster performances doesn't help either. I'm a huge Shogun fan, but I just can't see him winning this fight against Chuck...Not unless they legalize stomps and soccer kicks to the head! Shogun needs to seriously ditch his camp and go train with Wanderlei.
Tue, 02/10/09 - 12:14
No way is Kang on the undercard! If Dana has put Kang on the undercard then Dana is a dick!
Tue, 02/10/09 - 12:37
Bad MMA promotional poster is Bad
Tue, 02/10/09 - 05:57
Ha ha @ Thoughts ! He said "Pills"
Tue, 02/10/09 - 11:42
UFC 97: Photoshop's smudge tool is super awesome! Maybe Anderson Silva will piledrive Thales Leites! And a matchup that would have been interesting 3 years ago!
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