Yves Lavigne Stood Thales Leites Up 14 Times vs. Anderson Silva

By Michael David Smith - Lead Blogger

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I went back this morning and re-watched the UFC 97 main event, and I have to say that although Thales Leites became the first person to go the distance with Anderson Silva in the Octagon, Leites also made himself look silly. For much of the fight, especially in the third and fifth rounds, Leites's favorite move was to fall on his back -- so frequently that referee Yves Lavigne stood Leites up a stunning 14 times in the fight.

It was particularly egregious in the third round, when Lavigne stood Leites up seven times -- it basically worked out to once every 45 seconds or so, throughout the round. On the fifth of those stand-ups, Leites simply fell to his back without Silva touching him. That's not fighting, it's flopping.

Personally, I think Lavigne should have deducted at least one point from Leites for avoiding contact with Silva. I don't have any problem with a Brazilian jiu jitsu specialist like Leites trying to take the fight to the ground, but I have a huge problem with a fighter refusing to fight. And that's what Leites was doing for much of the fight.

Silva is far from blameless for the way the fight went: He was far too passive, and the Silva we've seen in his last two fights is nothing like the Silva we saw in his first seven appearances in the Octagon. But it's not Silva's fault that he was fighting an opponent who had to be stood up 14 times. At one point during the pay-per-view broadcast, UFC announcers Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan compared Silva to Muhammad Ali. If Silva is Ali, Leites is Antonio Inoki:

Read More: andersonsilva, thalesleites, ufc 97, ufc97, yves lavigne, yveslavigne, Anderson Silva (MMA), Thales Leites (MMA)

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