UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (23-4) vs. Thales Leites (14-1)
The main event of the evening sees widely-regarded Pound for Pound #1 Anderson “The Spider” Silva look for a record fifth successul Middleweight title defense against dangerous Brazilian grappler Thales Leites. Silva has been ridiculously dominant in UFC, but turned in a bizarre and underwhelming performance in his last outing against Patrick Cote. Leites, a top-level grappler, will be looking to finish what guys like Dan Henderson and Travis Lutter started, namely taking the champion down and submitting him. Silva -525 / Leites +325 current odds
Since debuting in UFC, Anderson Silva has proved that he is one of the most dynamic and resilient fighters in the history of the sport. He has yet to see a fight go the distance, and he has yet to taste defeat inside the Octagon. His Muay Thai prowess is the stuff legends are made, and his dismantlings of former champion Rich Franklin from the Thai Clinch will be on highlight reels for the next fifty years. What is even more impressive than his explosive offense, though, is how well he handles adversity during his fights.
Against Travis Lutter, he was taken down and fully mounted before coming back and making Lutter tap to elbow strikes. Against Henderson, he was controlled completely on the ground for almost the entire first round and most of the second round, but managed to come back and choke Henderson out near the end of the second round. His ability to finish a fight is obviously his best attribute, but it is only enhanced by how difficult he is to finish.
No one can deny Thales Leites’ skill set, but the fact that he is receiving a title shot is more a testament to Silva’s dominance than to Leites’ accomplishments. While his record is certainly impressive, the only win he has against top level competition is an extremely controversial split decision over Nathan Marquardt. Leites was dominated in the fight, but Marquardt was deducted two points for controversial illegal blows which allowed Leites to sneak by with the decision. Leites has not necessarily earned a title shot, but Silva has already defeated pretty much everyone who has, so Leites gets the next shot, deserved or no.
This might be a huge break for Leites, as if there is a type of fighter capable of defeating Silva at this point, Leites is the prototype. He’s powerful and aggressive, has excellent takedowns and a top-notch submission game. Silva has proven time and again that he can be taken down, and Leites has a far better chance of securing a submission than did Henderson or Lutter.
Even so, it’s hard to bet against a striker as dangerous as Silva. No matter how good Leites’ takedowns are, he is going to have to stroll through a minefield to get close enough to Silva, not to mention putting himself at risk to get caught in Silva’s thai clinch, the MMA equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle. Leites is a substantial underdog, so a small bet on him could wind up paying well if he manages to execute his gameplan, which is entirely possible.
More likely though is that Silva will make history by mangling Leites in the first round with knees and punches.
