UFC 97 – Full Card Preview
by Nick Meyer, BETUS.COM – BET NOW!
UFC 97 in Montreal this Saturday, April 18, is an event that features two of the biggest names in the sport in Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell. The hype has been slightly overshadowed by whether or not they were going to be able to hold the fight as well as the highly-anticipated UFC 98 and UFC 100 cards. Nevertheless, Saturday is almost upon us and a sold out Bell Center in Montreal will provide one of the more exciting venues the UFC has ever had.
There had been rumors in past months that Liddell and Silva were on target to face each other since Silva had grown a bit bored of dispatching the average competition he finds in the UFC’s middleweight division, but now they will fight on two separate co-main event matches.
Silva (-600) is a huge favorite against Leites (+350) who is 14-1, a better winning percentage than the man some consider the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world. But Silva has shown a far more diversified game, especially in regards to his striking, which may be without peer in the MMA world right now.
Leites’ main strength is his ground game but Silva has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. That doesn’t mean that Silva’s game is without holes, however, as Dan Henderson was able to get him into mount in their earlier matchup. But Leites doesn’t have near the strength and wrestling ability of Henderson.
Liddell and Rua’s matchup might be the one that sells the most pay-per-views, as there is a sizeable UFC fan base that still believes The Iceman has a chance to recapture the same magic in his big right hand that saw him reign atop the light heavyweight division for months upon months.
Rua is the guy many thought would come in and take Liddell’s crown eventually, but he has battled injuries and had a tough loss to Forrest Griffin.
This fight is a good bet to be one of the best of the year because of each fighter’s striking prowess and because of how much is at stake in Montreal for UFC 97. Liddell is a solid favorite right now at BetUS, going off at -200 while Rua is listed at +150.
The depth of talent on the UFC 97 card is also impressive, however. There is no major third fight with superstars ready to battle it out like at UFC 100, but there is a good mix of newcomers and establish veterans ready to put on a show for the Canadian fans.
The fight that really illustrates the depth of not just the card but the UFC in general these days is the Jason MacDonald (-115) vs. Nate Quarry (-125) matchup. These are two well-liked and well-rounded fighters who should put on an undercard war.
Antoni Hardonk (+200) vs. Cheick Kongo (-300) should be a stand-up fan’s dream and a key bout in the future chase for the UFC Heavyweight Title as well. Both have a ton of potential and are fun to watch in the Octagon.
Luiz Cane (-275) vs. Steve Cantwell (+190) is also an intriguing matchup between two guys who don’t have a ton of UFC experience but are both capable of making runs into the upper echelon of the light heavyweight division.
Fellow WEC alum Brian Stann (+115) has an interesting matchup with Ultimate Fighter veteran Krzysztof Soszynski (-155) and even more Ultimate Fighter talent will be on display on Saturday as impressive prospects Vinicius Magalhaes and Eliot Marshall will go at it in another light heavyweight bout.
This event has such an interesting mix of fighters with varied styles and backgrounds while also illustrating just how far the talent base has come in the UFC. All things considered, this fight card seems well worth both a pay-per-view buy and some healthy wagers on the favorites as the only underdog play that seems like a good bet would be putting money on is Antoni Hardonk and Mauricio Rua.
