UFC 97 Right Around the Corner

Anderson Silva is poised to make his 5th title defense, and 9th win in a row. Both would be UFC records, but 14-1 Thales Leites lies ahead of him. The young Jiu Jitsu ace is hungry for the belt, and has defeated a who's who of Middleweight threats on his way to Silva.
Thales Leites has been training his entire life for his moment in the Sun against the UFC middleweight champion. He still lives in his mom's basement with his girlfriend, and has a child on the way. Becoming the UFC champion is his lifelong dream, as he has been competing in Jiu Jitsu his entire life.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is coming off of a win against rival Mark Coleman. His performance according to himself and fans was sub-par, however. His cardio is suspect after a long fight layoff, but he has been training like an animal for his fight against Chuck Liddell. He knows that the loser of this fight may very well be dropped from the UFC.

Chuck Liddell is now 21-6, and is coming off being knocked out by Rashad Evans, the current light heavyweight champion. He realizes that his career in the UFC might be at risk with a loss, and at age 39 Chuck has only a few years left as a top quality fighter. Shogun is a fight he has always waited for, however, so expect to see some fireworks on April 18.