Montreal- April 18,2009- UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva set a UFC record for most consecutive wins and tied for most consecutive title defenses in a unanimous decision against Thales Leites. Unfortunately the win came with a lackluster performance by both fighters.
Round one started without a jab being thrown until 3:49 by Silva. Leites almost connected with a knee kick. After much bobbing and weaving by both fighters, Leites connected with a leg kick. He then rushed Silva for a take down but, Silva was able to dodge the rush. Just under two minutes of round one, Leites attempted to connect with a head kick, but was easily blocked by Silva. Silva connected with a right hook to Leites’s midsection. Silva picked up the pace then swept Leites to the ground with a leg kick. Silva was more than happy to keep the fight in stand up mode, so referee Yves Levine had Leites get up. Leites shot in for the take down. He had a hold of a single leg, but at the same time took a shot to the face. Silva was able to get up with Leites still holding on to an ankle. Leites pinned Silva to the cage and scored a take down, but Silva quickly got back up to his feet.
In round two, Leites connected with a good inside leg kick. Silva missed with a head kick. Leites then scored a take down. Silva showed good ground defense while Leites was at the half guard position. Moments later Silva was able to get up. As he got up he pushed Leites to the ground. Silva backed away, giving referee Yves Levine the opportunity to tell Leites to once again get up. Ninety seconds left in round two, the crowd started booing, showing their displeasure of the lack of action by both fighters.
In round three Silva quickened the pace. Leites connected with an inside leg kick. Silva almost got a hold of Leites’s leg. Leites attempted a take down, but was unsuccessful. Once again Leites was in the all to familiar position that was annoying the crowd. On his back trying to lure Silvia in to have a grappling match. Silvia refused to attack and once again the boos came from the crowd. After being ordered to get back up by referee Yves Levine, Leites scored with a right hand to Silva’s face. Seconds later, Leites apparently got poked in the eye and fell to the mat. Referee Yves Levine did not see the poke to the eye so he let the fight continue. In the remaining seconds of round three, Silva pressured Leites with some fancy kicks and jabs.
Round four looked liked Silva was having a practice sparring session. Silva connected with some front/side kicks to Leites’s leg. It looked unorthodox, but was nevertheless effective. Not until 2:10 of round four did Leites attempt a take down. Once again the take down attempt was unsuccessful.
In round five Leites came out aggressive. He attempted a leg lock, but Silva was able to slip out of it. He then got a hold of a single leg of Silva. Silva was able to break free and then get to the dominant position on the ground. It looked like he was going to finish Leites off, but instead he stood up. Leites tried a couple of take downs but was easily shrugged off.
That was Silva’s ninth straight victory inside the octagon.
With the win Silva improves to 24-4. Leites falls to 14-2.
UFC 99 takes place on June 13th and features Wanderlei Silva versus Rich Franklin.
Hector Feliciano is the founder and Editor of the Martial Arts Times. A fighting enthusiast, He looks forward to sharing his experiences with readers and interacting in the wonderful world of Martial Arts. 
