With all the upheaval in the UFC light heavyweight after UFC 76, it’s hard to predict what will happen in the coming months for the 205 lb division. What will Dana White and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva do now that both Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Chuck Liddell have lost?
Wanderlei Silva was scheduled to fight Chuck Liddell at UFC 79 in December, but Keith Jardine managed to sideline those plans with a bunch of well place kicks to Liddell’s ribs. With the Liddell fight conceivable off the table now, Silva has too look at other possible matchups and today he announced that he would like to fight Forrest Griffin in December.
On his personal website, Wanderlei had this to say:
Lidell’s fight had a direct relationship with me because Dana White had said I would challenge him if he won. I was disappointed with the defeat because Lidell’s opponent is good, he has his merit but was not so qualified to defeat him. I believed Lidell was going to win and I was disappointed with the result. I hoped to perform against him in December and now I will have to wait for another name. It was a balanced, hard fight; I think Lidell should have prepared better in view of the importance of this combat.
I’d like, in view of the last event and also as a vengeance for my friend [Mauricio Rua], to fight with this Forrest Griffin. I guess it could be a good name for me.
Forrest vs Wanderlei? Sounds like a good fight to me.
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[...] Original post by MMA HQ - Mixed Martial Arts News and Analysis [...]
LOL I DONT KNOW WHAT TO SAY ABOUT T HIS ANYMORE..
wow!! this whole weekend was a bummer. Liddell looked lost and clueless, ol chucky might have to rethink his whole strategy comming into fights now. The ol standup isnt gonna work with fighters who are well rounded and not scared of him.. But as far as wandy calling out forest, i think it is good. It would be good for forest in regards to his title shot. But after chuck losing to “dean of bean” and mauricio getting gassed out and choked i donno what to do anymore. MMA is tooo unpredictable
guys didnt anyone else noticed that joe rogan who usually knows everything says to forrest something like i dont think shogun has ever been finished ,what a crock the man has to know that babalou finished him
I think this could be an excellent fight. Gotta give Forest credit even though Shogun didn’t look himself and gassed easily. Both guys like to stand and trade so why not? I think Silva would take this fight but I also thought Rua would walk through Griffin so you never know. Maybe all the Pride guys were on roids and are having trouble adjusting. Doesn’t matter now but I would still like to see the Liddell vs Silva fight anyway just to see how they match up against each other. Joe Silva and Dana have some tough decisions to make in the near future I hope they put together matchups that at least make sense even if it is Silva vs Griffin.
[Maybe all the Pride guys were on roids and are having trouble adjusting.
Ya know, I thought the exact same thing when I saw Rua. Even when they showed his Pride clips, he looked so much stronger...I thought it was just me. I also think it's important to realize that a lot of these Pride guys have not fought in many, many months. So even though we see their clips everywhere, those clips are pretty old. It's like when you see a celebrity you haven't seen live for a long time, and you realize just how different they look (older and not as powerful) as you remember them from a movie.
why is this roids coming out wright now ,do they test in japan or is it a excuse for these unbeatable fighters that are getting beat?
[quote comment="9795"]why is this roids coming out wright now ,do they test in japan or is it a excuse for these unbeatable fighters that are getting beat?[/quote]
They don’t do testing in Japan and it has long been assumed that many of the PrideFC fighters used the juice
@Richard
ya they test in japan, but the testing is not as strict by any means, so its conceivable that the fighters were on different kinds of drugs. Cuz even the UFC guys are using, they just know whats allowed or whatever..
Its very possibly a factor, i mean, look at their performances in the UFC. Ring rust is a big factor, but i think its more than that. They would fight for 15min str8, now they have to stop and rest after 5 min, then get up again and rest again, theyre not used to that either. You notice how they tend to gas in the 2nd round? look at Gomi.. and now Shogun, i dont think tis a coincidence, but should it be an excuse? no.. but i believe its a factor.
Silva vs Griffin… sure it be a good fight.. BUT!!! that can happen later man! CHUCK VS WANDY.. lets get it over with already! who cares if chuck lost to jardine, shogun lost to forrest, so those 2 cancel reach other out hehe..
Now even if they do fight, people are gonna say chuck is past his prime now, blah blah.. its getting very annoying if you ask me..
Something has to be happening. I’ve never seen Shogun gass that quickly. Most of his fights in Pride were not long drawn out wars but he looked terrible twords the end of the fight with Forest. All we need to see now is Fedor come to the UFC and get worked by Randy. Anderson Silva and Rampage are the only Pride guys living up to the hype right now. Hopefully these guys realize the difference in the rules and restrictions and get themselves back together. It’s a shame for Dana and the UFC to pay all that money for Pride and the stars are getting beat. Makes it hard to sell these guys as world class athletes if they are being beat by TUF fighters. I think we will see major improvment from Rua but his image is already tarnished. The 205lb weight class in kinda up in the air now might as well let Silva fight Rampage again and see what happens. Quinton look much better lately so the results may be different.
I hope Wanderlei doesnt flop out in the cage man.. Especially after seeing what happened to Shogun, he better bring his A game no matter who hes fighting. Id like to see him fight Tito again, theres a big money fight right there.
Well… this all sucks…
I wish Chuck would have been “exposed” by Wanderlei rather than Rampage Jackson… arghhh…. I have been making arguments on this forever.. now they have been proven correct, with regard to the holes in Chucks game, and now there is no room for Wand/Liddell fight….
Really honestly, either Rua threw the fight so he wouldn’t have to fight Wand, (perhaps a money agreement with Dana under the counter) or he just sucked, but this puts Forrest in a place I don’t really think he deserves, and sure he will train like he did for the Rua fight, like Rocky, but does anyone think that Forrest Griffin is good enough to take Shogun Rua, Wanderlei Silva, and Rampage Jackson, IN THAT SEQUENCE to become world champ of the LHW division?! C’MON guys….
I think Wand is doing what he is being led to do …. I think that he should fight Keith Jardine, Chuck Liddell or Tito Ortiz…
You guys heard the rumors????
LIDDELL VS SHOGUN?
SILVA VS GRIFFIN?
WOWOWOWOOW…if that would all happen on one night, that would INDEED be the biggest money night in my opinion in MMA… it would basically be the best 205’s in the world minus the Champ and Dan….
Hey doc, why don’t you have the picture on this thread for your MMAHQ headline… it’s perfect… lol
Is Wanderlei’s website down or is it just my pc?
i dont really care who Wandi fights next im just happy to get to see him fight again. the light heavy weight div. just did a big asss flip-flop, with a little extra flop. the whole division looks like mid-card now besides Rampage and maybe Lyoto (but Lyoto needs 1 or 2 more big name fights) i like the idea of Liddell/Rua and Silva/Griffin. if Forrest can beat Silva then put him in with Chuck even if he loses to Rua then i’ll call Forrest a top ten fighter. i think if Silva beats Forrest they should give him a title shot, they gave Rampage a title shot after one fight based on him beating Chuck befor so now its Silvas turn to get his in the UFC.
@R.J.
Makes sense…
First off, Liddell vs Wandy should still happen. There is really no reason for it not to.
With that being said…assuming its Forrest vs Wandy….
Forrest Via Decision
@Gatties
Why Forrest via decision?
Why do you always bet against the Chuteboxe boys, is it because they are from Pride and you have a bias or what?
Wand vs Forrest
Wand by knocking Forrest out like Jardine did to him only worse, this time he is so out he cant even curl up like a girl and cry in the corner….. in the first round… ahem…
@Dr J
What did the cat say to get a bag?
I hate all that “eubonics” hip-hop crap, especially from someone who is leaving their first comment on the site. its not hard to spell three and four letter words correctly
lol… funny… makes sense right…
@Jordan… or B-RAD whichever ….
Yeah… well snoop diggidy dog up there four posts above me… I agree that Silva is gonna be a dominator in the UFC 205, but realistically at this point I don’t see him mowing over Forrest as easily as you would indicate.
i dont know how anyone could say that anyone coming into the ufc will make any impact for sure anymore
Interview with Shogun… notice he doesn’t say he WONT fight Wand if and when Wand wins the UFC belt…
Mauricio “Shogun†Rua joined the UFC this summer after an illustrious career with PRIDE. His first match in the Octagon didn’t go as planned, however, as Rua succumbed to Forrest Griffin. Irish Whip Fighting caught up with Rua to see how he is doing.
IWF: How is married life working out?
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua: It’s ok. I’m moving [to] a new home — an apartment here in Curitiba. There are a lot of things to arrange but I think that [by] Christmas I will be in my new home. Now that I am recovering from the surgery and not training it is good to use my free time to [over]see everything about my new home.
IWF: Can you tell us a little bit about the Forrest Griffin fight? Was he what you prepared for?
Rua: I don´t like to give excuses — I lost and that’s it, period. Nothing went right. I assume this — the injury — interfered in my training, in [especially] the kicks and [with running]. I had a lot of new things in my life: [a] wedding and a new home. But no problem, let´s move ahead. I don´t want to talk about the past, let´s see what is coming next. I’m very young and I know that I can get the UFC belt in the future. I will be back better than ever. All the fighters can follow [their] opponents, with the internet and the show[s] on TV. We can see the skills of our opponents — Forrest was very well trained [and] I respect that.
IWF: How much did the hurt knee affect your ability to train and compete at your top level?
Rua: We are living a very professional moment in MMA [so] the difference between the fighters is very small. [It] was difficult to run and to kick with my injury and when you have some injury your confidence is not the same — every time you are concern[ed] about it.
IWF: Do you think that you would train differently if you ever got the chance to fight him again?
Rua: For sure, probably in the future we will fight again. Now I’m thinking [about] my [recovery and] go[ing] back to train[ing] and let’s see what’s happen in the future.
IWF: Would you be interested in a rematch with Griffin in the future or are you looking ahead to Rampage Jackson?
Rua: I had the promise from UFC that with a victory against Forrest I would have a shot for the belt that actually is with Rampage. Unfortunately I lost [so it’s] necessary to review all the plans and I know that I will need to make a new journey for the belt.
IWF: What’s been happening with Rampage? He got beat up bad by you and by Wanderlei Silva in PRIDE and now he looks like a different fighter. Would you expect a fight with him to go the same way as it did before?
Rua: Life is funny, no? Quinton Jackson comes to UFC after three terrible defeats in PRIDE ([losing to] me [once] and Wanderlei twice). Now, he has the UFC belt. I think that he has more experience now. After the victory against Liddell he is very confident and [it] is difficult to guarantee that one fight will be the same [as] an old one — every fight is totally different from [the] other[s].
IWF: I was talking to “Big†John McCarthy not too long ago, and he said that PRIDE and UFC were very different due to the ring size. He said that he noticed that you were having trouble getting to Forrest because of the different angles of the UFC cage. However, when I talked to your brother Murilo, he said that whether it’s in a ring or a cage doesn’t matter. Who do you agree with here?
Rua: Yes, in the cage the fight is more aggressive — there [are] no corners to give a break, but I already fought in the cage [so it’s] no problem. My defeat doesn’t have any thing [to do] with the cage or ring.
IWF: Why do you think that PRIDE fighters are having such a tough time with UFC fighters?
Rua: [It] is just a coincidence. Just see Rampage — he has the belt now. Do you think that he is having [a] tough time in UFC?
IWF: Do you prefer fighting in PRIDE or UFC?
Rua: No preference.
IWF: You’ve defeated most of the top 205-pounders. Which win was the biggest?
Rua: No one [is] the biggest, but there are some very important [wins] in my career. [My victory] against Minotauro [Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira] was very tough; [my win] against Rampage was very important in that moment; and for sure [my win] against [Ricardo] Arona when I won PRIDE Grand Prix.
IWF: Where do you rank yourself among the 205-pounders?
Rua: I run to be the number one. I want to be with the tops and fight against them.
IWF: Are there any fighters out there you’d like to fight?
Rua: No preference. I never choose opponents. Now that I lost, I can’t think about [that]. I must fight and prove that I can have [the] UFC belt, no matter against whom.
IWF: Would you fight Wanderlei if he had the belt?
Editor’s note: Shogun did not respond to this question.
IWF: Who do you think will win the following fight: Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam?
Rua: Ninja for sure. He’s training hard; he wants a lot the Cage Rage belt; [and] he deserves it.
IWF: Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva?
Rua: Very tough fight. Both are very aggressive and [both are] strikers. I just know that this fight will finish before the second round.
IWF: “Shogun” Rua vs. Forrest Griffin II?
Rua: I want to be back in better shape, well prepared, and I know that I can beat him.
IWF: Alright, well do you have anything to say to your fans?
Rua: I have a lot of emails here from fans supporting me during my recovering, when you come from a defeat is very important to know that (there are) a lot of people that trust you, support you in the good and in the bad moments, I promise you all that I will be back better than ever.
I’m curious to see what other people think of this idea:
*** Silva vs. Silva ***
Now that Wanderlei Silva is officially fighting in thee UFC, and Anderson Silva is fighting both the UFC’s middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions, what would you think of these two facing each other?
Anybody else find interest in seeing two of the world’s best go head to head?
No… its against my … religion not to mention its illegal…. incest.. or something like that… NOOOO! Chuteboxe fighters cant fight each other…. it like unethical..
o.k. when I said anybody, I didn’t mean you… To the rest of the world, is there anyone out there that is interested in seeing a match based on pure technique and skill rather than competitors that are depending on their ground-and-pound abilities, brute force, and skills that are learned in Wrestling 101.
Barry, i would have to say.. that matchup is against my religion too man lol.. but seriously..
As Kansas knows, i wouldnt pick anyone over Wandy.. including Jesus! Kansas man, i cant believe you would flipflop on Wandy for that Liberal, Hippie, pacifist.. LOL
WHUT???? No flipflopping here.. and no I am not voting OBAMINATION this fall.. lol…
Wand it the man.. I would actually like to see Anderson Silva vs Fedor at 205 .. I think that if two organizations claim to withhold the best pfp fighter in the world, then they need to put up or both of them need to shut the heck up.. seriously.. I think it would be the biggest PPV if both orgs would team up and make it a superfight, grand prix style..