Prior to the main event at UFC 97, the Ultimate Fighting Championship wisely pointed out the startling statistic that, heading into his title showdown with Thales Leites, middleweight champion Anderson Silva had connected on 80 percent of his strikes during his time with the promotion.

The fact is scary to fellow fighters and astounding to average Joes like me who can’t even brush their teeth with such precision.

So, in the aftermath of Silva’s five-round unanimous decision, it’s only fair to point out the biggest inaccuracy when it came to “The Spider” on Saturday night — the bloodthirsty fans’ hearty booing throughout his victory.

Boos rained down during an inactive first round as, per his custom, Silva felt out a careful Leites. Boos cascaded as the middle rounds passed without a single arousing flurry. Boos continued into the later stages as Leites flopped several times in a lame attempt to lure the champion into a ground game.

And the boos lasted right through the postfight remarks as a frustrated Silva apologized, for the second time in as many outings, for not giving the public what it wanted — even though he wasn’t so much as scratched after 25 minutes against a title contender.

Instead, Silva could have admonished the crowd, through his translator, for its misplaced desire.

It’s not often that we get to see a MMA surgeon do his thing. If the operation turns out flawless, we should thank the doctor and appreciate his handiwork, not deride him for a lack of audacity during a complicated procedure.

That’s a lot to ask of fans, considering the sport’s calling card is unadulterated violence. But, at this point, we know who Silva is: A champion who cares little for the spoils of stardom and doesn’t abandon his well-honed approach to satisfy the masses.

So, aside from the fact that Silva again failed to deliver the panache he exhibited during his rise to the throne, should we really fault him for Saturday’s result?

Should we fault Leites?

He entered with an arsenal of jiu-jitsu tricks and a rare chance to steal the belt, making it foolish to believe that he would press a standup assault against the world’s premier striker. Silva’s stunning wins of the past came mostly against hard-chargers, who ran right into The Spider’s inundating web and helped build his reputation.

Sure, we can call out Leites for his weak tactics, but he’s not stupid. That 80-percent accuracy statistic is daunting.

The crowd ignored all of that, though, and boos filled the air Saturday night.

Dana White, for the second time in a month, issued an apology of his own afterward. This one had nothing to do with his offensive language on the Internet, but the UFC president wasted no words regarding Silva’s win, saying he was embarrassed by the bout.

Maybe he and the fans were still overly depressed after watching Chuck Liddell absorb another career-crushing blow, this time courtesy of Mauricio Rua’s left hook in the first round of the co-main event.

Maybe they figured Silva would change his style and foolishly rush to pummel Leites due to outcry from his strange dud against Patrick Cote last October.

More likely, maybe we’ve all just been spoiled by Silva’s excellence and put off by his disinterest in the spotlight. It’s impossible for him to meet our wicked standards, especially against challengers who can’t stir his juices or won’t engage him as he marches to his own...