Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 97!
The televised card will be starting shortly, so stay with me for all the latest results and commentary surrounding the show.
STEVE CANTWELL VS. LUIZ CANE
ROUND ONE: Some feeling out to start things up. Cane with some shots but Cantwell blocks them. Cane is landing some good shots but Cantwell blocking most of them. Cantwell is bloodied up already. Clinch against the cage from Cane followed by some combos. Cane is landing quite a few punches and they look powerful. Head kick from Cantwell but Cane blocks it and follows up with punches in bunches. Canes nose looks to be broken and is bleeding heavily. Cane hits hard and Cantwell is keeping his distance. Cane with an elbow, Cantwell follows with a Liddell looping right hand. Cane is doing plenty of fakes and following them up with big punches. The round is over, and I’d give it to Cane.
By the way, I spent about four hours today playing UFC Undisputed 2009. What a fantastic game. We’ll have lots more coverage of the game as the release date draws near.
ROUND TWO: Nice right hand from Cantwell. Joe says it’s just a matter of time before Cane becomes a huge star. Cane is basically walking Cantwell down, and Cantwell needs to go for a takedown. The crowd is booing – what a shocker. Good body and leg kicks from Cane. Cane is still stalking him down. Good jab from Cantwell as he lands a few good punches and a head kick that is partially blocked. Cantwell is walking Cane down now and catches him with another head kick. Cantwell’s head kicks are lighting fast and he doesn’t telegraph them at all. Cantwell with a right hook. Cane is staying away from Cantwell a lot in this round. Cantwell takes this round.
Cane has never fought three rounds.
ROUND THREE: Leg kicks from Cantwell but Cane is stalking him again. Good combos from Cane and I’m surprised Cantwell isn’t rocked. Another head kick from Cantwell. Cane is getting tired and quickly. Cane rocks Cantwell with punches in bunches. I’m using that term a lot tonight, I know. Jared Barnes from the Houston Chronicle got it stuck in my head. Thanks, Jared. Cantwell lands some punches and Cane grabs for a leg but misses. Both guys are breathing out of their mouth, and Cantwell’s nose is horribly broken. Another head kick from Cantwell, and ANOTHER head kick. Those things are quick. Cane with some power punches (in bunches). Cane with two big knees. Both guys landed punches in this one, but Cane landed more power shots – I think he’s going to take this round and get the 29-28 decision.
WINNER: Luiz Cane by unanimous decision
CHEICK KONGO VS. ANTONI HARDONK
ROUND ONE: Kongo is gigantic. Kongo with a leg kick. Hardonk is pushing forward and has Kongo backed to the cage. Lots of leg kicks here from both guys. Kongo pushing forward now with wild punches and leg kicks. Kongo gets into a clinch and pushes Hardonk against the cage. The ref breaks it up and restarts in the middle. Kongo throws him down and does some leg kicks. The ref stands it up. I might fall asleep before this fight is over, so if there are no updates for awhile, you’ll know why. Clinch from Kongo against the cage and he follows with some inside knees to the thigh. Kongo going for a takedown for some insane reason. Kongo gets him down and falls into the guard. Hardonk is trying to work a high guard and avoid the GNP from Kongo. Hammer fists from Kongo. Elbows from Kongo. That one goes to Kongo.
ROUND TWO: Body kick from Kongo. Leg kick from Kongo takes Hardonk down and then drops into some ground and pound. Hammer fists again from Kongo. Kongo’s arms are very long. Hardonk is cut over the eye from one of the earlier hammer fists. Cheick is landing plenty of punches here as Hardonk continues to try to work a high guard (which isn’t really working, by the way). Kongo into side control and hits him with several unanswered hammer fists, and the ref stops it. There was one hammer fist that basically ended this fight.
WINNER: Cheick Kongo by TKO (Round Two)
KRZYSZTOF SOSZYNSKI VS. BRIAN STANN
To save time on this one, I’m just going to refer to Soszynski as “S”. I can’t try to type that name a hundred times and keep up with the action. Just kidding – I’ll copy and paste.
ROUND ONE: Soszynski tries to take the fight down but misses. Great leg kicks from Stann. Soszynski with a clinch against the cage but Stann turns it around. Soszynski with a thai clinch and then they split up. Soszynski with a big takedown against the cage. Soszynski into full mount. Stann gets out but Soszynski falls into side control. Stann pushes Soszynski off again but Soszynski takes him down and falls into side control again. Soszynski going for a kimura and gets it but lets it go. Soszynski locks in the kimura again and this time Stann taps.
WINNER: Krzysztof Soszynski by submission (Round One)
Soszynski is a master of the kimura. He should work that into his nickname somehow.
CHUCK LIDDELL VS. SHOGUN RUA
Shogun is in FANTASTIC shape — maybe the best shape I’ve ever seen him in, and that includes his days in PRIDE. Liddell is in great shape as well, with nary a fat belly to be seen. He does have some gray in his mustache, though. The fans boo Rua pretty heavily during the intro and then explode in cheers when Liddell is announced.
ROUND ONE: Liddell with a leg kick. Leg kick from Rua. Chuck’s footwork already looks better. Blocked head kick from Rua. Rua blocking Chuck’s punches. Big body kick from Rua. Rua blocking Liddell’s punches effectively. Over the top right hands from Shogun. Chuck is already limping from the leg kicks a little bit, they’ve been nasty. Rua with the takedown and gets a leglock. Chuck back up with Rua behind him. Rua clinching against the cage. Chuck is throwing wildly and Rua is ducking most of them. Chuck with a takedown but then he lets him back up. Rua with a running left hook that drops Liddell, follows it up with a couple of punches and the ref stops it.
WINNER: Shogun Rua by TKO (Round One)
That was pretty sad. Chuck didn’t outright say he was retiring, but it certainly felt like he was done. Rogan and Goldberg were basically wishing him goodbye. He has no chin anymore and it’s time to hang it up, and hopefully he does just that instead of going to Strikeforce.
We’ve got a preliminary fight now, so I’m going to take a break and grab something to eat.
UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
ANDERSON SILVA VS. THALES LEITES
Silva weighed in at 182 pounds, three under the limit. That’s the smallest I’ve ever seen him, although he’s probably back up to 205 pounds.
ROUND ONE: Georges St. Pierre is shown on camera. Feeling out process to start, like most Silva fights. It’s literally been a minute with no punches thrown. Fans are starting to boo pretty heavily now. Silva throws a left hand. Leites with a flying knee that’s blocked. Going on two minutes with no action. Silva with another left. Silva is stalking him now. Silva lands a left jab. Silva switches his stance. Three minutes with about 4 punches thrown now. Leites is very hesitant to engage and I don’t blame him. Silva kicks his angle out from under him. Leites trying for a takedown but Silva keeps stuffing it. This was literally one of the most boring rounds I have ever seen, in the entirety of my life. It makes Silva vs. Cote look like a fight of the year.
ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves to start. Silva is waiting for Leites to engage but it’s not happening. Leites finally with a big inside leg kick. Leites with a takedown and moves into half guard. Leites going for a arm triangle but Silva has his leg locked down.Leites back into Silva’s guard. Silva with elbows from the bottom. Leites back up. Silva is up now with Leites down and lets him back up. Leites couldn’t do anything on the ground there, which is impressive. Fans are booing very heavily now. Silva with a right that lands. Silva with a nasty leg kick. He has Leites backed against the cage. Another leg kick.
ROUND THREE: Silva with a nice sprawl. Tries a spinning somethingorother but then lets Leites back up again. Silva pokes him in the eye and Leites tells the ref but the ref DOES NOTHING ABOUT IT. Leites tries to pull guard again. Fans are chanting GSP now. Leites is running away. Leites falls down again for a guard. Silva with a big body kick. Leites falls down again. Seriously. This is retarded. Silva with a front leg kick to the THIGH. Silva with a flip kick and he’s moving in for the kill. Leites falls down again. Leites falls down again. This guy needs to never fight again.
ROUND FOUR: Silva with another joint kick. And he throws two more. I don’t think I’ve ever seen those before. Silva switches to a karate stance. This is like a cat playing with a ball of yarn. In a very boring fight. Silva with a big leg kick that spins Leites around. Silva with a behind the leg kick. That was weird.
ROUND FIVE: I’m about to fall asleep on my laptop. Leites with a takedown attempt that Silva stuffs again. Spinning kick and Leites falls again. Silva is PISSED OFF. Fans chanting GSP again. I’m done writing about this crapfest.
WINNER: Anderson Silva by unanimous decision
This was one of the worst fights in modern UFC history. Thales Leites did nothing but avoid Silva in this fight, but Silva didn’t engage and didn’t go for the kill, either. This fight probably derailed Zuffa’s attempts to make him into a marketable star. Just completely and utterly horrible.
Thanks for joining me tonight!
Previous UFC 97 Coverage
UFC 97 Weigh-In Results | Silva Seeks to Make Statement | Chuck Liddell: The Inside Fights Interview | Does a Win Over Anderson Silva Mean Something?
Preview & Predictions
Silva vs. Leites | Liddell vs. Rua | Stann vs. Soszynski | Kongo vs. Hardonk | Cantwell vs. Cane
