Anderson Silva, the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world, is expected to step back into the Octagon at UFC 97 in April to defend his middleweight title against Thales Leites in Montreal.
Although UFC has made no official announcement, Intheguard.tv reports that the bout has been agreed upon by both fighters. The UFC has not officially confirmed that UFC 97 will take place in Montreal in April, but that has been widely expected.
For Silva, it's a second straight middleweight title defense against an opponent who will be a huge underdog. Silva looked bored in winning a ho-hum third-round TKO victory over Patrick Cote at UFC 90, and we can only hope we'll see a more intense version of Silva at UFC 97.
But while he is an underdog, if Leites can take the fight to the ground, he's got a shot. Leites has tremendous Brazilian jiu jitsu skills and can at least give Silva something he hasn't gotten in his last two fights: a challenge.
UFC 97: Anderson Silva-Thales Leites for Middleweight Title in Montreal originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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