The "sniper" has been a sports' metaphor used to describe an athlete that usually performs in an outstanding manner while staying under the radar. Specifically, athletes who have been labeled snipers normally come up with big plays in the clinch or put up huge numbers quietly while mainstream media and other analysts focus on the bigger stars. We've usually come accustomed to hearing this moniker in sports like soccer, hockey, or basketball due to the "shooting" abilities of players within those sports, but the moniker can also be placed on UFC light heavyweight fighter Luis Cane.
Luis Arthur Cane (10-1-0-1) made his UFC debut back at UFC 79 with a 7-0-0-1 record. The UFC was likely impressed with his undefeated record that saw almost every single one of his fights end via a technical knockout in the first round. Matching him up with James Irvin probably seemed like a sure-fire way to either give Cane some much needed attention or put Irvin on the comeback trail, but Cane ended the fight via an illegal knee that resulted in his first loss.
To bounce back from the defeat, Cane rattled off three straight wins in the Octagon. He gave us a textbook counter to Jason Lambert's deficient striking technique at UFC 85, a solid striking performance against Rameau Sokoudjou at UFC 89, and a gutsy decision win over Steve Cantwell in his latest matchup at UFC 97. In true sniper form, he's managed to quietly climb into the #8 spot on our USA Today/SB Nation Consensus Rankings, just below the top of the division. He's also managed to do this by using calculated strikes and a patient gameplan, another attribute of a true sniper in sports.
Now, it seems that Luis Cane is lost in the shuffle. The top of the pack consists of matchups between Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva, Rashad Evans vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva and even Stephan Bonnar vs Mark Coleman. Below Cane sits a few more matchups that crush any hope of a new matchup any time soon in a rumored bout between Rich Franklin and Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping, and Matt Hamill vs. Brandon Vera. This leaves Wanderlei Silva as the only truly legitimate opponent that could help Cane's exposure in defeating a man who has quite the following from his historical fights in PRIDE.
While Cane has only been off since April, it seems that all of his UFC light heavyweight division counterparts have been quickly grabbing up fights. Where and who will Luis Cane face next? Since Franklin vs. Liddell is purely rumor at this point, I'd be more inclined to believe Franklin may be the test that Cane is looking for. Not only does he provide the name recognition to boost Cane's stock, but he also provides a formidable test in the skill set department. Wanderlei is stylistically a bad matchup considering Cane has a solid chin, great striking skills, and the technical acumen to strike with straight blows to Wanderlei's looping aggression.
Other options exist in Krzysztof Soszynski and Jason Brilz. Brilz seems highly unlikely at this point, but Soszynski is an interesting idea. He has the exposure from the reality series to give Cane a slight boost if the fight was broadcast, but he's also rattled off a couple of solid wins to boost his own stock. The only problem I forsee is that the fight is probably beneath Cane at this point considering Soszynski is barely breaking the top 20. Cane may take that fight considering his hiatus right now.
If we look at some of the upcoming fights, there are some much more interesting fights for Cane if he can wait. My favorite is the potential for Brandon Vera to beat Matt Hamill and be thrust into a battle with Luis Cane. Both fighters have solid striking ability, but I'd give the edge to Cane in terms of calculated strikes and timing. Vera's dynamic kicking ability and punching would be on even ground against Cane's striking in my opinion. We haven't seen much of Cane on the floor, but his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt probably doesn't sit too well with Vera's chances of submitting Cane on the floor.
Dan Henderson in a losing effort against Michael Bisping is another possibility, but I particularly like Keith Jardine as a matchup to move Cane up into the heap. I think he has a solid chance at defeating Jardine's unorthodox striking style. The outcomes of the matchups at the top will take some time to materialize, and if Cane wins, those matchup losers will likely be a bout for Cane by the end of the year or into early 2010.
Cane deserves a matchup that could potentially move him into the upper-echelon of the division. Hopefully, UFC 100 will provide the answer to who will be facing Luis Cane soon. I'm hoping I'm not in the minority when it comes to enjoying what Cane brings to the table in every fight in the Octagon.
