UFC 97 is right around the corner, April 18, 2009 to be exact, and the hype behind it is huge! Arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world, Anderson Silva (23-4) is going for his unprecedented 7 straight title defense against Brazilian jujitsu expert Thales Leites in what is sure to be a very explosive main event. Also on the card is the battle between two of the worlds best 205 lb fighters, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua against the legendary Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell. Lets break …

Welcome 6th Rounders, to my picks for tomorrow night’s UFC 97 event. “Redemption” will air Saturday evening via pay-per-view, beginning at 10 p.m. EST.
The night includes a main event with UFC title defense and consecutive win records on the line as middleweight champ Anderson Silva takes on ground specialist Thales Leites. A solid line-up calls for solid picks, right? Whether you agree or disagree, leave your thoughts by commenting.
As a lead writer here, there’s a certain “responsibility” for making quality peeks into the future. That being said, anything can (and …

As much as I thought UFC 97 may not receive much press due to it being outside of the States and not having the most intriguing main event, there has still been significant buzz. I suppose we can accredit that to Anderson Silva’s drawing power.
Personally, I’ve been urging mainstream fans and MMA newcomers to order this pay-per-view due to the title/contender picture implications many of the matches have. Although seemingly docile at first glance, there is much on the line this weekend for a good amount of the gents who’ll …

Arguably the most recognizable figure in MMA, Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell will take on a tough opponent in Mauricio “Shogun” Rua this Saturday night at UFC 97. The event to be held in Montreal, offers Liddell a chance at getting back on the road to contention after his tough losses in the past year.
Contention, however, is not where Iceman’s goals end. Here’s what Chuck had to say about fighting for the belt once again…
“In terms of another title shot, I am taking it one fight at a time,” he said. …

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua hasn’t had the best transition into the UFC from PRIDE. After a surprising submission loss to Forrest Grifin, Rua took nearly 15 minutes to TKO an aging Mark Coleman at UFC 93. The performance was lackluster at best, and questions as to Shogun’s dedication were rampant.
It is important to note that Rua has been battling injury for a while (knee), and he was not exactly in the best situation to train properly for Griffin nor Coleman. Now, more than ever, the former PRIDE champ must show he’s …