Liddell vs Franklin

We originally thought we would be witnessing a clash between the current “TUF” season coaches but as it turns out, it will be Rich Franklin that will be taking on the “iceman” Chuck Liddell at UFC 115 in Vancouver, Canada. As for why the bout was changed, well, Dana White says that “something” happened during the filming of the show and that we’re all going to have to follow the series to find out what that “something” is.

Regardless as to why the original Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell fight has been called off, I think that Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell is much more interesting. Reason being is that we’ve already seen Chuck Liddell outclass Tito Ortiz not once, but twice! A third fight between them when Chuck dominated him twice (the previous fights weren’t even close) doesn’t make any sense at all.

There’s name recognition and the casual fan might not have a problem paying 50 bucks for the pay per view, but those who have been following the sport for a few years (and who have already witnessed the two previous fights), we’re not impressed with the announcement of the Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz trilogy.

However, now we get Rich Franklin thrown into the mix and things get a lot more exciting. The name recognition is still there (so this will likely draw a lot of buyers) and not only that – it’s an intriguing match up as well. Both guys are legends who have been in the octagon with a who’s who list of fighters. And while both of these guys have racked up an impressive list of wins throughout their careers, both of them will be looking to rebound from devastating knockout losses.

As for how these two guys match up, well, they’re two of the most well rounded fighters in the sport. Despite popular belief, Chuck Liddell actually has a decent ground game. We just never get to see it as he uses his wrestling skills so well defensively to keep his fights standing – which is where he excels. I doubt Chuck Liddell will change his fighting style after all these years so you can expect him to come in with his usual “sprawl and brawl” mentality.

Fortunately for him, his “sprawl and brawl” approach may just work against Franklin. Rich Franklin is extremely well rounded, but he doesn’t excel at a certain aspect of the game. He doesn’t have a “weakness” per say, but his “strength” isn’t in a certain aspect of the game. Rather, his strength is how well rounded he is and how he puts all the aspects of fighting together so well.

That being said, Franklin has never been an extremely dominant wrestler and because of that, I think that Chuck Liddell will be able to dictate where this fight takes place. So, it’s most likely that this fight will take place on the feet and in that situation, Chuck Liddell has the slight advantage simply due to his knockout power.

That being said, the Chuck Liddell of today is NOT the Chuck Liddell that went undefeated for over 2 and a half years during his reign as the UFC’s light heavyweight champion. He’s taken some devastating shots and it looks as though his reaction time is on the decline. Dana White apparently feels the same way as he attempted to force Chuck into retirement as he was concerned for his safety.

Does Chuck still have it? If he’s able to pull off a victory over the always hard-fighting Franklin, then the answer is yes. If not, and if he drops his 5th fight in his last 6 outings, it may be time to hang up the 4 oz gloves forever.

Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell

Set to headline the UFC 88 card in Atlanta on September 6th, the Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans showdown is an interesting match-up to say the least. Both fighters have a lot on the line. Liddell, who’s coming off an impressive victory over Wanderlei Silva, is in a sense, fighting for his legacy. He’s turning 39 in December and one would think he’s nearing retirement (although you never know). After going 1-2 in his last 3 fights, he needs a win over Evans to get himself back into title contention.

However, as his near perfect 11-0-1 record indicates, getting a “win over Evans” is no easy task. Granted, Evans has never faced an opponent as tough as Liddell. If there’s anything we’ve seen that may potentially indicate the outcome of this fight, it’s the two Liddell vs. Ortiz fights. Liddell had no problems finishing off Ortiz in both fights and Rashad and Tito have nearly identical skill-sets (as seen when they went to a draw at UFC 73).

Here’s Where It Gets Interesting

Although Rashad and Tito “had” nearly identical skill-sets, Rashad Evans has been working with Kru Phil Nurse. Phil Nurse is a Muay Thai champion and he’s the man behind the much improved striking of Georges St. Pierre. Rashad has yet to fight in 2008 and being the gifted athlete that he is, he’s always improving. While on the Ultimate Fighter reality show, he was primarily a wrestler who could box a little bit. Since then, he’s been constantly improving and has now evolved into a mixed martial artist.

It’s also worth mentioning that Chuck Liddell’s latest defeat was at the hands of Keith Jardine – who is one of Rashad’s training partners. Both fight out of “Jackson’s Submission Fighting” and if they beat Liddell once, who’s to say that they can’t devise a game-plan to do it again. When you consider the fact that Liddell had a hard time defending Jardine’s Thai-style leg kicks and you take into account all the Thai boxing that Rashad’s been doing with Phil Nurse, it makes for an interesting match-up. And of course, you can’t forget the fact that Liddell was sidelined due to a severely torn hamstring, Rashad was in the gym training with some of the best fighters in the world.

So Who’s Going To Win?

I hate the sites that “pick the winners”, so I’m not going to just throw out a random guess. I honestly don’t know who’s going to win so I’m not going to pretend too. Chuck Liddell always seems to prove me wrong. When I pick him to win, he loses and when I pick him to lose, he wins.

I’d say the best thing for you to do is to consider the facts and of course, consider how the betting odds weigh against those facts. Make the appropriate bet based on that. And of course, as always, trust your gut instinct.