The UFC Blog

Montreal, Canada – It would be difficult to find another person who has accomplished more in Mixed Martial Arts than Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell.  He is to MMA what Michael Jordan was to basketball and Saturday night we may have witnessed an end of an era.  

With a legendary career hanging in the balance, Chuck Liddell didn’t hold anything back as he faced Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the co-main event of Saturday night’s UFC 97 “Redemption.”  

Known for their striking abilities, both fighters came out guns a blazing.  Rua weathered some flurries from Liddell early on and quickly went to work on his lead leg.  Rua nearly caught the former champ with a leg lock, but Liddell quickly escaped.  Back on the feet, Rua landed a stiff left which sent Liddell to the canvas and followed it up with a plethora of hammerfists ending the fight at the 4:28 mark of round one.  

Liddell, who turns 40 in December, refused to speculate on his future, but according to UFC President and good friend Dana White he’s retired, “I don’t want to see anybody stick around too long,” White said. “I don’t want to see anybody get hurt. You’re never going to see Chuck Liddell on the canvas again.”

Liddell, who is 1-4 in his past five bouts, doesn’t refute White’s statements, “That’s probably safe to say,” he said. “I’m not going to make any decisions until I go home and talk to everybody.”

It’s safe to say that the Chuck Liddell era has come and gone and a debt of gratitude must go out to him for all he’s done for MMA.  

It’s also safe to say that the “Shogun” era has begun in the UFC.  With victories over “Rampage” Jackson and now Chuck Liddell, the 27- year-old Rua has a bright future ahead of him.

I believe UFC 97 was billed as “Redemption” to give Anderson Silva a chance to redeem himself for his bizarre fight last year with Patrick Cote.  I guess we’ll have to wait till his next fight for him to deliver on his promise of delivering an action packed battle as he and Thales Leites put on quite the snoozer.  

“The Spider,” known for his highlight reel knockouts, successfully defended his middleweight championship and set a record for his ninth consecutive UFC victory.

The 25 minute title bout saw little to no action as Thales Leites didn’t want any part of stand up of Silva and Silva declined to roll with Leites on the ground.  The fight was booed from the get go and the Canadian fans kept it up the whole match.  Silva earned the unanimous decision victory and amidst the displeasure of his fans was happy with his performance.  

"I’m comfortable with people’s opinion," Silva said. "People have a right to their own opinion. But when I go out there, everything I do in training I feel that I executed in the fight.

"My game plan, I wanted to go into the later rounds with Thales. I was unable to finish. Sometimes I’m able to finish guys; sometimes I’m not able to. I felt that I proved to everybody that I’m able to go five rounds, and I’m in good shape."

President Dana White didn’t quite have the same sentiments when asked about the fight, "I’m personally unhappy with the whole fight," White said. "I did not like the fight at all, period, on either side."

He would go on to even apologize for the debacle on Yahoo Sports, “I can honestly tell you that I’ve never put on an event that I was embarrassed to be at until tonight. I want to publicly apologize to all the fans.  I apologize. I personally apologize for what happened tonight. You guys know, this isn’t what the UFC was built on and this isn’t the way the fights usually go. Listen, any night you can have an off-night. When a guy is that talented and can literally end a fight whenever he wants to, wow.”

In reality it’s not up for us to dictate on how Silva or whomever fights.  He doesn’t need to get a quick knockout night in and night out.  The middleweight division is lacking a definite number one contender.  Other than a bout with Wanderlei Silva or move up in weight class there isn’t much there for “The Spider.”  I say let him go get beat by Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match and then he’ll come back to the UFC more motivated.

“Fight of the Night” honors went to Sam Stout and Matt Wiman as the two lightweight studs had a memorable back and forth battle.  Stout was able to do enough to earn a unanimous decision in front of his countrymen snapping his two fight losing skid.

Two former WEC light heavyweight champions fall as Brian Stann succumbed to a Krzysztof Soszynski kimura in round one.  

Coming into his fight with Luiz Cane, former WEC champ Steve Cantwell was riding a four fight win streak, that streak was snapped in a hard fought decision loss to Cane.  The fight was anyone’s to win going into round three and Cane proved to be the fresher of the two as used a barrage of jabs to steal the victory.  

It’s Cane’s third victory in a row.

Heavyweight contender Cheick Kongo continues to impress as he used a vicious ground and pound to halt the three fight win streak of Antoni Hardonk.  Kongo was able to drop Hardonk in the first and second round and finally put him away midway through round two.  The victory moves the Frenchman into title contention.  

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-46)
Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck Liddell via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:28
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann via submission (kimura) - Round 1, 3:53
Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 2:29
Luiz Cane def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

Denis Kang def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:27
Ed Herman def. David Loiseau via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:57
T.J. Grant def. Ryo Chonan via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Eliot Marshall def. Vinicius Magalhaes via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

UFC 97 was a sold out event and featured some amazing top notch fighters such as Anderson Silva, Mauricio Rua and Chuck Liddell.

Depending on how hardcore of an MMA fan you are you might look at these fights different.

For the "Casual Fans" as Joe Rogan put it, this fight was a disappointment.

For true MMA fans, and not some intoxicated fatty who just sits in his chair and yells like he has any idea what these athletes go through to be at this level, these were some really good fights.

Personally I hope the UFC decides to never return to Canada with such a lack luster of real MMA enthusiasts. The crown was booing the Anderson Silva fight when in reality it may have been not as exciting of action as expected of Anderson but it was a good match.

Anderson was amazing and on point putting together moves in which no one in the world would have the skill and ability to pull off.

Many fans were disappointed in Thales, who was criticized heavily that he was not at the level to fight Anderson yet.

Even thought Thales was at a point where he couldn’t put anything together and was utilizing or even abusing the fact that Anderson wasn’t engaging much when he would be on the mat. Hints his laying down so much. He still showed promise that he will one day be likely at a level where he will be competing for the title again.

Despite the lack of balls to the wall action both fighters were fighting smart, and in all honesty it was a thrill to get to see Anderson fight a full 5 rounds.

In all honesty anyone who thinks Anderson is at blame for the so called "Lack Luster" of the main event should challenge him themselves, same for those who blame Thales.

One of every fans favorites, Chuck Liddell had a very disappointing fight and most the MMA world was hurt with his loss. But given the fact he was facing Shogun he should have no hard feelings. Any fan who has seen Shogun when he was dominating in Pride should know he is a Top Notch very skilled fighter. Lets all hope this isn’t the end of Chuck but we will see.

The Iceman has lost 4 of his last 5 fights, 2 were Technical KO’s and 1 KO. Chuck is only 39 so he may just need some readjusting and many fans feel he needs to tighten up his boxing and he could still be in the game as a top of the line fighter. I guess we can only wait and see what his next move will be. But no doubt the MMA world loves you Chuck. Thanks for giving the sport so much of what it has today and entertaining us all for so many years.

Plus, Shogun looked good and coming off his performance against Coleman and realizing his knee was back to 100% Rua had all the amount of drive to train hard and win just as Chuck. Rua is only 27 and if his knees are really back to 100% he may be the same dominating "Bad Ass" he was in Pride. There may a lot to come from Shogun and anyone who hasn’t followed Pride is going to have some learning to do about this guy!

All in all this card was not as "Lack Luster" as many, mostly "Casual Fans", are saying.

UFC President Dana White has called Canada the "Mecca of Mixed Martial Arts" and we’ll have the premiere voice of the MMA media from up North join the show on Monday to break down UFC 97 with Pep. Who is at fault for the lackluster main event? Is Chuck Liddell done? Should he be? Is the top-notch version of Shogun that dominated Pride back? What’s next for Anderson Silva? Where is he in the Pound for Pound rankings after his last two performances?

We’ll also have the star of Strikeforce’s debut on Showtime last week, Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith, come in for the Toe to Toe segment.

Pro MMA Radio airs every Monday night at 6PM PST, 9PM EST right here on Bodybuilding.com. On-Demand Replays of every show are also available here so you can listen when you want, how you want. Enjoy!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

    * Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-46)
    * Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
    * Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck Liddell via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:28
    * Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann via submission (kimura) - Round 1, 3:53
    * Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 2:29
    * Luiz Cane def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

    * Denis Kang def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
    * Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:27
    * Ed Herman def. David Loiseau via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
    * Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:57
    * T.J. Grant def. Ryo Chonan via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
    * Eliot Marshall def. Vinicius Magalhaes via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Don’t miss UFC 97 featuring

Anderson Silva vs Thales Leites
and
Chuck Liddell vs Mauricio Rua

This is a sold out event so you know it is going to be a great card, find a place to kick back and enjoy as these four men take some beating for our viewing pleasure.

UFC 97 is officially locked and loaded as all the fighters on the main card are on weight. Only one fighter, David Bielkheden, failed to make weight on his initial attempt, coming in at 157 pounds for his lightweight matchup with Canada’s Sam Stout. Bielkheden will have to trim another pound to meet the one pound grace fighters are allowed in non-title fights. If not, he’ll have to sacrifice a portion of his purse, but a pound isn’t usually a problem, so expect him to make it as planned.

The most interesting thing coming out of the weigh in may be UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva hitting the scale at 182 pounds, a full three pounds under the 185 limit. Speculation abounds as to why "The Spider", who fought last summer at 205 pounds when he KO’d James Irvin in the first round, weighed in so light. Is he in tremendous condition from a rigorous training schedule that might have trimmed a few extra pounds? Or might he be fighting some type of illness that caused him to lose weight he wanted to carry with him into the cage when he faces challenger Thales Leites? Even if the latter is true, few observers are concerned that he won’t have his hand raised tomorrow night and keep his belt.

After dismal performances in their last outings the road to redemption ends in Montreal Canada for Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell.  Their official day of reckoning will be this Saturday night as The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Montreal’s Bell Centre.

UFC 97: “Redemption” will feature UFC Middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva as he defends his title against Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Thales Leites.

Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell will look to rebound from his devastating knockout loss to Rashad Evans as he faces the always dangerous Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

UFC 90 is where we last saw Anderson Silva in action, or at least a shell of himself.  He was victorious in a bizarre fight with Patrick Cote, where Cote blew his knee out costing him the fight.  Silva slept walked for the first two rounds seemingly toying with his foe until Cote came up lame. This was not the Anderson Silva that we’ve grown to love.

After an apology to his fans and a vow to return to his dominating ways, Anderson Silva looks to retain his title and make a little UFC history while doing so.  He’s currently tied with Royce Gracie and Jon Fitch with eight consecutive victories in the Octagon and nine will cement his status as one of the best ever.  “Wanna get away” Thales Leites?  Here’s a snickers bar!

Thales Leites will have his hands full with Silva, but he is more than capable of pulling off a huge upset.  Leites was unsuccessful in his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann, but has since reeled off five consecutive victories.  He possesses notable victories over Nate Marquardt and Drew McFedries.  Leites has sick BJJ and is constantly improving his striking.  

Leites has a slight edge on the ground, but Silva is equally strong in the BJJ department being a black belt under the Noguiera brothers.  Silva’s laser like accuracy is his trademark and his knees are deadly.  “The Spider” is motivated more than ever and is constantly proving why he’s the top fighter in the world.  He shouldn’t have too much trouble with Leites and a first round knockout is likely.  

Once recognized as two of the top light heavyweights in the world, Chuck Liddell and “Shogun” Rua have straight struggled in their last couple bouts.  

Rashad Evans put “The Iceman” on ice at UFC 88 and Rua could barely muster up the energy to bury the fossil that is Mark Coleman at UFC 93.  

With a record of 1-3 in his last four bouts, Liddell is no longer the man who once dominated the UFC a few years back.  Being the most famous fighter in the world may have done Liddell in.  Fighters have seemed to figure him out and his hand speed is not where it was two years ago.  At 39, Liddell doesn’t have many more fights left in him and a victory over Rua is crucial if he wants to recapture the light heavyweight belt.  

After dominating the MMA scene in Japan, Rua made his UFC debut against Forrest Griffin at UFC 76 where he was upset in the third round.  Two knee surgeries later and a lack luster victory over Mark Coleman, Rua finds himself in a must win situation.  His ultra aggressive fighting style is legendary and has notable victories over “Rampage” Jackson and Alistair Overeem.  

Rua has vowed to return to his old form and if he stays true to his word, he’s unstoppable.  Liddell has been tightening up his striking with American Top Team and as always predicted a KO.  

This fight is hard to predict as neither fighter has looked great in a few years.  I’ll take Rua in a slight upset and at 27 years old he’s got the tools to be the champ.  

UFC 97 is sold out and can only be seen on pay-per-view, check it out, should be an exciting night of fights!

MAIN CARD (Televised)
• Middleweight champ Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites
• Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio Rua
• Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann
• Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk
• Luis Cane vs. Steve Cantwell
PRELIMINARY CARD (Un-televised)
• Vinicius Magalhaes vs. Eliot Marshall
• Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Denis Kang
• Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry
• Ed Herman vs. David Loiseau
• David Bielkheden vs. Mark Bocek
• Ryo Chonan vs. T.J. Grant
• Sam Stout vs. Matt Wiman

As everyone knows Chuck Liddell will be facing off against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on Saturday, April 18^th.

Many have said that Liddell is losing his edge and that he HAS to win this fight period. In Rua’s last fight, against Mark Coleman, Rua didn’t look like the same "Shogun" we have seen in the past he managed to pull off the W but didn’t look like a top notch fighter.

If both these fighters come into the cage ready to fight we all know this will be an amazing fight, any fan who has followed these men through their amazing careers knows these two will be an awesome battle (at least the Liddell and Rua we know from back in the day would be a great fight).

Everyone can only guess Chuck has been training harder than ever for this fight. To prove he is still a top contender he has promised to knock out Rua on Saturday.

Liddell has been getting a lot criticism since Rashad caught him, kind of funny how he was the fight of the year, not long before Rashad, against Wanderlei Silva.

No matter how you look at this or if you think Liddell is past his prime this is going to be one hell of a fight.

For information on the Chuck Liddell and Anderson Silva after party click here.

This Saturday April 18th Centre Bell, Canada will be filled with excitement and anticipation as a whole crew of UFC fighters hail in to give UFC fans a night of fights to remember. Anderson Silva will be defending the middleweight belt against BJJ master Thales Leites.

Also highlighting this card is the Chuck Liddell Vs. Mauricio Rua fight, "The Iceman" really needs this fight so you know it will ba a battle as these two go toe to toe.

This card is truly stacked with some awesome fights so make sure to tune in, for information on where to see the fights click here.

UFC 97 fight card;

Anderson Silva Vs. Thales Leites

Chuck Liddell Vs. Mauricio Rua

Krzysztof Soszynski Vs. Brian Stann

Cheick Kongo Vs. Antoni Hardonk

Steve Cantwell Vs. Luiz Cane

Eliot Marshall Vs. Vinicius Magalhaes

Denis Kang Vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam

Jason MacDonald Vs. Nate Quarry

David Loiseau Vs. Ed Herman

Mark Bocek Vs. David Bielkheden

Ryo Chonan Vs. TJ Grant

Sam Stout Vs. Matt Wiman

UFC 97 is going to be a great show with a stacked fight card.

UFC 97 is bringing the heat with two huge fights including, Anderson Silva Vs. Thales Leites & Chuck Liddell Vs. Mauricio Rua.

Silva will be defending his Middleweight Title against BJJ black belt Thales Leites, "The Iceman" also returns to the octagon to battle it out with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Catch the countdown to UFC 97 Tonight on Spike TV 11pm ET/PT.

UFC 97 to remain in Montreal on April 18
By: Jesse Holland, mmamania.com

UFC 97 “Redemption,” which is scheduled to take place from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on April 18, will remain in Canada after UFC officials were apparently able to convince the Quebec Athletic Commission (QAC) that the show must go on or it would be moved elsewhere, according to CKAC Sports Radio 730 AM and reported on CorusSports.com.

Despite the success of UFC 83 that was held at the Bell Centre in Montreal on April 19 of 2008 and the potential millions of dollars that would be pumped into the Canadian economy, the QAC was originally steadfast on the mixed martial arts rules that have been in place, yet rarely enforced.

The Quebec regulations, which appear to have been ignored for over seven years, forbid elbow and knee strikes, judo throws, slams and even call for a downed fighter to get a chance to recover with his opponent sent to a neutral corner.

The old administration of the QAC was reportedly tolerant of the use of North America’s Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. That apparently went out the window along with most of Mel’s Studio after a near riot at the Titans Fighting event held on February 6.

In the main event against Steve Bosse, James “The Colossus” Thompson immediately went for the takedown and rattled off some textbook ground and pound - despite a supposed agreement to adhere to the old rules of Canadian MMA that disallowed ground attacks.

The crowd reacted violently in disapproval, showering the cage with bottles and debris. The show was halted and both fighters and Referee Yves Lavigne ran for their lives.

That incident had apparently prompted the QAC to spring into action and start doing things by the book — effectively putting the kibosh on UFC 97. However with millions of dollars at stake and over 22,000 fans who already purchased their tickets, it appears an exception has been made — at least for now.

Aside from banning foot stomps, details of the arrangement are not yet available, but a press conference is expected later today to make it official.

UFC 97 will feature middleweight champion Anderson Silva, putting his 185-pound title on the line against number one division contender, Thales Leites. In the co-main event, Mauricio Rua — fresh off his less-than-thrilling victory over Mark “The Hammer” Coleman at UFC 93 — will challenge former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.

by Lotfi Sariahmed, Sherdog.com

The UFC’s second trip to Montreal is in jeopardy following a decision by the Quebec Boxing Commission this week to adhere to regulations that prohibit elbow and knee strikes and other standard MMA moves.

Sportsnet.ca was the first to report on the story on Thursday.

Nearly 13,000 tickets have been sold for UFC 97 “Redemption,” scheduled to take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal on April 18, according to Marc Ratner, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the UFC. The show, which pits middleweight champion Anderson Silva against jiu-jitsu ace Thales Leites, may face tough choices in the coming days though.

The UFC broke attendance and box office records with its first event on Canadian soil 10 months ago, though that show was regulated under rules more akin to the unified rules of combat recognized throughout North America.

From 2000-2008, the Universal Combat Challenge, later renamed TKO, held 44 of its 46 events in Quebec under similar regulations as well.

But now Québécois officials are saying the province does not have the latitude to allow those or any other set of regulations outside of the ones they already have in place.

“We had a tolerance for the application of the rules in the past,” Réjean Thériault, director of communications for the combat sports division of the Governing Body of Alcohol, Races and Games of Quebec (RACJ), which oversees the commission, told Shedog.com on Thursday. “We learned today that we had a place for tolerance and we didn’t know. Now we know the rules under which to live. We informed all the promoters last week that they must now respect the rules of Quebec.”

Those rules regulate boxing, kickboxing and “mixed boxing,” which is described as a combination of boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Along with the prohibition of elbow and knee strikes both standing and grounded, the regulations also state that a referee will utilize a standing count to check on a fighter that has been knocked down.

The Octagon might also face downsizing to comply with the requirements, said Thériault.

Ratner, who has been in close contact with both the RACJ and commission in the last few days, said he believes the genesis for the sudden turn-around came from the near-riot that occurred last Friday at a Strikebox/Titans Fighting event in Montreal.

That event, promoted by former TKO president Stephan Patry, aimed to utilize MMA striking rules, but negated the ground aspect of the sport. However, the commission advised Patry that the proposed rule changes would not be allowed, and that the show would follow MMA regulations instead.

A private agreement amongst a majority of the fighters to keep the bouts standing was followed until the main event, when British brawler James Thompson took down Steve Bosse and began to ground-and-pound the Canadian hockey enforcer. The crowd of nearly 1,200 spectators erupted in disapproval, throwing chairs and beer cans. The commission called the contest, while the fighters had to be escorted out of the cage by security.

Though Thériault acknowledges that the Strikebox/Titans fiasco played a role in what appears to be a sudden adherence to the rules on hand, he said the decision has already been in the works for some time.

“[The Strikebox scenario] was an important part of getting us to this point, but Richard Renaud [Director of the Division of Combat Sports in the RACJ], who is replacing Mario LaTraverse, has been working with the President of the RACJ, Denis Racicot to change the sport, and noted that we had tolerated the [past] rules,” Thériault said.

Ratner believes LaTraverse’s retirement from the commission has also played a role in the recent events, but sees a positive outcome on the horizon.

“We’re aware of the situation and working with [the RACJ and the Quebec Boxing Commission] to resolve the situation,” Ratner told Sherdog.com on Thursday. “I’m confident that this will all work out.”

While Ratner said discussions regarding the rules would continue into next week, Thériault emphasized that the RACJ was neither making any drastic changes nor trying to run the UFC out of town.

“We’re not following any new rules,” he said. “We’re following the rules that are in place.”

Loretta Hunt contributed to this report.

The UFC returns to Montreal once again, and their not holding anything back this time. Anderson Silva is finally getting back in the ring and I know everyone was wondering when they would see the "Spider" next. Silva will be fighting Thales Leites (14-1-0). Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell will also be returning to the octagon to face Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Liddell has lost 3 of his last 4 fights and hasn’t been back in the ring since his Sept. loss to Rashad Evans. Rua is coming off a Technical Knockout against Mark Coleman in Jan. Let’s hope for the sake of the fans that both of these fighters are in top shape and bring us an exciting match.

For tickets and more info go to UFC.com

The UFC has announced two world class matches for the UFC 97 fight card.

The unstoppable force of Anderson Silva will be challenged by Thales Leites. Silva 23-4 has been dominating the 185 lb weight class and will face submission specialist Thales Leites 14-1 in the main event April 18.

Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will also be teeing off as the co-main event of the evening. Both being dangerous strikers this should turn out to be an exciting match.

Other match ups include:

Krzysztof Soszynski Vs. Brian Stann

Jason MacDonald Vs. Nate Quarry

David Loiseau Vs. Ed Herman

Mark Bocek Vs. David Bielkheden

Get all your UFC action right here.