Anderson Silva 'Splainin' UFC 97 Debacle on Inside MMA

I attended UFC 97 (Section 214, Row C, Seat 3) and had a perfect view of what I consider one of the top 3 worst UFC events in recent history however, I'm not bitter about the performance of Anderson Silva.

Anderson came out to fight yet nobody seemed to let Thales Leites in on the fact that he too was supposed to fight. Sure, Anderson did let up on his fellow Brazilian countryman a couple-few too many times yet Leites was to blame for the Main event debacle at UFC 97.

Whenever Leites saw the Spider come close to him, he would fall on his back and spread his legs like a drunken high school cheerleader. Clearly, this was Thales Leites way of avoiding punishment in the cage while failing in an epic fashion to bait the Spider multiple times into his own web which, Anderson would have none of it.

Note to everyone: You are not technically in guard unless someone is ACTUALLY in your guard.

Anderson Silva is the Middleweight UFC Champion (Period). He has the right to bring the fight to the opponent or let the fight come to him. Unfortunately for those people who, like myself, paid $750 to watch the fight, Neither fight scenarios happened.

At one point in the fight, Anderson seemed bored with Leites thus utilizing the embarrassing act of salsa dancing and showboating to seemingly get Leites motivated to fight yet still, nothing happened to spark any action.

The UFC 97 main card was an epic disappointment that left the fans with a bitter tatse in their mouth when the anticipated hope of a legendary knockout or submission ended in a 5-round unanimous decision in favor of Anderson Silva over the battle frighted, shell shocked Leites.

From my vantage point, I could see Georges St.Pierre at octagon side gritting his teeth looking very anxious in his pin-striped suit open collared shirt trying to hold himself back from hoping the fence to kick the ever living shit out of both fighters in his expensive leather Italian shoes. The fans certainly wished that he did just that in the middle of this snooze fest of a fight.

I admit that I booed and also proudly chanted "GSP" along with the 21,000 bored silly fans when the fight reached a coroner's office fever pitch because we all know that Anderson would have a real fight on his hands if/when GSP faces the Spider.

Unlike last year at UFC 83, UFC 97 fans walked out of the Bell Centre dazed, confused, eerily quiet, with a zombie-like orderly walk which can only be compared to sheep marching their way into a slaughter house. Sad atmosphere for such a world renowned party town as Montreal, Quebec.

Even the combined Anderson Silva/Chick Liddell UFC97 After Party at Metropolis on St. Catherine seemed dower:



Although the main card didn't deliver on the pre-fight hype and historical pattern of destruction by Anderson Silva, I don't blame Anderson for the biggest embarrassment in recent UFC History after all, he did win the fight.

Here is a clip of Dana White candidly expressing his disappointment of Anderson Silva at UFC 97



It is true that anything (& nothing) can happen in a fight...

UFC is coming to Toronto next year and I predict Anderson Silva will face Georges St.Pierre in a superfight, just the way Anderson wants it.