Another night and another UFC in the books. Overall, I thought this was a great PPV card and pretty much every fight was worth watching. We got to see seven of nine fights, and unfortunately we missed the James Irvin vs Thiago Silva fight because it seems Irvin suffered a pretty nasty knee injury trying to stop from being thrown. Anyways, on to the recap.
- Chuck Liddell vs Quinton Jackson A good fight and I’m pleased with the outcome. Chuck fought his game plan and fought exactly how he fights most of his opponents. The punch that dropped Chuck is normally a punch that most fighters miss and Chuck capitalized on. Chuck landed the left hook body shot and started to move backwards when Quinton threw the bomb that connected on Chucks chin. Nine times out of ten in the past, that punch normally would have missed Chuck as he was falling back and the Iceman would have retaliated with his signature overhand right that normally knocks his opponent out. We’ve all seen it time and time again.
Not this time however. Jackson is a very skilled fighter and his standup game and movement have improved dramatically since teaming up with training Juanito Ibarra about 14 months ago. There really isn’t much to be said about this fight; it ended quickly and we all saw what happened. Everyone except for Chuck who wasn’t quite sure what happened to him after he woke up under ref Big Jon McCarthy.
- Quinton Jackson vs Dan Henderson will be a very interesting fight and I’ve got to give it some thought before I comment on it; I’m just very glad that Henderson has signed with the UFC. Chuck Liddell now has some interesting decisions to make regarding his MMA future. Is Chuck going to battle back in a now “stacked” light heavyweight division against the likes of Hendo, Shogun, Rampge etc…? And if we are going to see a Liddell vs Jackson 3 matchup, isn’t it safe to say that Rampage is at least somewhat in the Icemans head now, just like the Iceman is all over Tito Ortiz’s big melon?
This also puts MMA and the UFC in an interesting spot as I’ll again ask the question, is parity good for MMA? The UFC, and Chuck Liddell in particular have spent the last 4 weeks in the “good graces” of the public media with Chuck repeatedly being called “the baddest man in sport.” While I don’t think this loss tarnishes Chuck’s reputation to knowledgeable MMA fans, how will his loss be perceived in the public sporting media?
- Karo Parisyan vs Josh Burkman – I really enjoyed this fight and thought it lived up to its billing. Karo pressed the action and brought the “heat” and you can see Burkman start to tire very quickly early in the second round. Karo is a top 10 fighter in my book and he displayed that again last night. I really like Burkman as well, but I still think he wasn’t ready for someone like Karo and needed at least 1 more, probably 2 more fights before he fought someone on Parisyan’s level.
- Keith Jardine vs Houston Alexander – Man, oh man. One of the craziest, nastiest fights we’ve seen in the Octagon. Houston Alexander looks like a guy who picked up his fighting style while defending himself in a prison somewhere and he took all that agression out on Jardine. I can’t remember ever seeing a fight in which someone was litterally lifted off of there feet from an uppercut. It happened to Jardine not once, but twice. Alexender landed at least a dozen clean full-power shots to Jardines head and I’m surprised Jardine lasted as long as he did.
- Ivan Salaverry vs Terry Martin – Terry Martin looked very good in this fight and surprised me by wanted to take Salaverry down. Martin packs some heavy hands just like his doppleganger Mike Tyson and most would have thought Martin wanted to stand and bang. I have a feeling Martin was worried about the reach difference and decided to try some ground and pound. It was an unfortunate ended, as Salaverry was rattled from being slammed on his head. Looked like a little “ring-rust” to me and only fighting once in the past 2 years will do that to you.
- Kalib Starnes vs Chris Leben – This fight did nothing to excite me and I thought was pretty boring from the outset. There was a decent amount of action but I didn’t think anything special happened. I’m glad Leben lost and I hope the UFC finally lets him take his mouth and sloppy technique somewhere else.
The next six weeks are going to be very busy for the UFC and us MMA fans, so everyone should sit back and just enjoy the ride.
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Caesar Gracie
John
Yael Grauer
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Sure Todd, seeing those fights would be good. … I won’t argue further my point, it’s a good point that a majority of people on this site agree with, I mean .. seriously .. chuck cant help who he fought, be he cannot be really proud of who he has fought in 2 years of holding the title either. .
The Top UFC contenders weren’t the best in the WORLD Todd.. this idea that they were over the past 2 years is just plain ignorant and tunnel visioned.. widen your perspective.. read the threads.. all the arguments regarding the Iceman fighting a real striker in the top 5 have come true, I mean Rampage ISN’T a great champion, he’s number 8 which makes this worse … lol … Chuck still hasn’t fought Shogun or Wand.. I dare say if he does he will have a strikers chance, but that isn’t a very confident remark.. “a punchers CHANCE” yeah well my sister has a “PUNCHERS CHANCE” or a “groin kickers chance” lol .. whatever happened to “chuck the dominant” … you wont hear it for a long while if ever again, especially with the floodgates opening and all the good fighters pouring in from other orgs..
well i think he can win, and i didnt say he fought the best fighters in the world, i mean dont discredit chuck because OF the fighters dana had in the ufc. Sure they want to see them all fight each other and im pretty sure despite some obsticals they would have (dana,sakuraba). I mean if we havnt seen them fight who is to say who is better, like you said it is all opinion, in my opinion chuck has a big chance jsut like every fighter has a chance, and that is weighing everything out looking at all the fighters. Now maybe some fighters chance may be bigger than some others but……i donno i just want to see them all fight. I mean you win some and you loose some. I just wanna see chuck fight wanderlei and MAYBE fight to get his title back but after that i would retire, wouldnt you? Nothing left for the iceman to prove. He has dominated who and what he had to soo enough is enough.
Yea i mean he has a mean list of knockouts, but……hey what can he do, he fought some tuff dudes during his career. I mean i can see what your saying. Maybe he will fight the top guys, maybe he wont. But he dominated the ufc. Now i guess the new age and the new era of fighters are taking over before our eyes. But wandy would be a good fight, and also i think dan henderson would be a great fight to.
A fighter is judged in history based on who he conquered and how long he reigned…
you mentioned that Wand didn’t defend the title often.. in 2004-2005 he defended it 3 times, same as any UFC Champion AND HE FOUGHT IN THE OPEN WEIGHT GRAND PRIX>.
Thats 6 fights with all the Grand Prix fights .. total ..
I mean maybe it would be a whole different argument if you can fight who you want and strap on a bag and travel the world and fight the best fighters with no contract stipulations or binds holding you back. But they cant soo……. regardless of who chuck fought he is still one of the best fighters in the world , and if he was any less of a fighter he wouldnt have the record he has or he wouldnt have beaten the opponents he has beaten.
Thats 6 fights for one year, which 205 champ in the UFC did that? Chuck? Randy? Tito?
Nope ..
Hey there is no argument over here as regards to wandy, he is a beast, to bad ufc couldnt hold grand prix’s. He reigned for what? 6 years? Chuck for 4? So that is good for the both of them. All the more reason while you should put chuck up there as one of the best.
KANSAS
I AGREE FIGHTING 6 TIMES A YR SHOULD BE REQUIRED IF UR NOT INJURED …. THIS 3 FIGHT **** A YEAR IS TOTALLY ***** IN MY MIND
Todd.. bro you make absolutely NO sense, to say that Chuck is one of the best fighters in the world just because he fought losers and wasn’t able to pick who he fought makes no sense….
Thats like saying that Lance Armstrong was a great bicycler for winning the tour all these years, against Pee Wee Herman.. .lol
“well Lance can’t help that Pee Wee was the only person who entered the contest, so he is still the greatest because he beat Pee Wee…. PERIOD”
Whatever bro … getcha mind right ..
in the ufc
Chuck reigned for only 2 years Todd.. getcha facts right bro .. yeah Wand for 5 1/2 ..
Huge gap there, Huge difference…
Wand held the title in Pride while the UFC went through like 4-5 205lb champs ..
NOTHING DOMINANT ABOUT DEFENDING A TITLE FOR 6 FIGHTS… lol
DOC OR KANSAS
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FATE IS OF FEDOR… I HEAR HE DONT LIKE THE UFC
Naw, i make sense all im saying is you cant knock a fighter for doing what he had to do to get where he was. **** he beat who he had to beat here in the ufc to get where he is. I never once said chuck was better that any fighter over there in the pride organization, i always give fighters a chance regardless of who they are fighting, now i may have my opinion on who I THINK will win but i am never biased. You are saying what you think and i am saying what i think PERIOD. Dont make it more than what it is, just opinions, you say chuck has not fought anyone and i am saying you cant discredit him for fighting who was placed in front of him to get where he was. He was a champion regardless of who he dominated or who he fought. Some people say lance armstrong is great, now if i were to say “there wernt good enough compition for him in those 7 tour de frances he won. He never raced against anyone who was good. Do you think that is fair to discredit him for his reign?
that is why i had question marks behind the 4 and the 6, so you could get my fact right….bro!! lol
If he was racing crap.. sure but he was racing the best of each COUNTRY .. THE BEST AMIGO.. .. what i am saying is how can you give credit to someone who is fighting less than great opponents.. when your competition is weak, anyone can look great. .
TIM SYLVIA fought heavier competition than Chuck Liddell… I can’t stand Tim but ya know… it is what it is ..
Fedor is doomed to circus shows like bodog fighting for crap wages if he doesn’t get his head right… he will come around just like Cro Cop did.. remember in Mirko’s first fight he came out with the Pride theme, that ended really quick when he got his $950,000 paycheck.. lol .. Fedor will eventually come around if he is smart..
Hey Gatties, sorry if I sound like a jerk, I love MMA, I am very opinionated, I have trained for like 20 years .. in different arts so I am like a *** when it comes to mouthing my thoughts, opinions and observations ..
Don’t mind me … lol
yea i see where your comming from, it is what it is, maybe there will be an asteric by his name but i, like you said look at it as being like you said it is wat it is……some may say chuck is great some wont, but i see your looking at it from a REAL fighters view. See me im just a great fan looking in from what i see ya know and you are already in looking out from a fighters view. But its all good.
@doc or kansas, so what is up next for cro cop, and my fav arlovski?
I meant to apologize to you Todd, and Gatties, well heck whomever doesn’t like me sorry .. lol .. not really though .. lol ..
@Todd
Doc you know better than me .. what do you think is next for Arlovski and Cro Cop?
@kansas
No apology needed brother, its all good convo, it is good to hear everyones thoughts, ive learned a lot talking to you and everyone else so it is all good !!!!!!
@kansas is wandy your favorite fighter?
I’ve learned the definition of RETARDED … = CEZ .. lol.. kidding..
I would like to see Fedor in UFC. Fedor vs Cotour would be interesting, but I think Fedor would come out on top. So if Henderson beats Rampage (which I think he probably will) that will make titles in what, 3 different weight classes? I think Crocop is a great fighter, but just seems to be prone to haymaker type shots (I thought the comment after his KO loss that he has a small head and narrow chin was damned funny). I wouldn’t mind seeing some open weight tournaments in UFC like they did in Pride. And where has Anderson Silva been, doesn’t seem like he has fought for awhile.
@Todd
Hmm I like Chuteboxe fighters.. I like the best .. I like kickers, punchers and BJJ, not much use for Tito Ortiz types…
I guess to answer you directly.. Wand is my favorite, with his protege Shogun right on par..
I hear you MMAKansas. One dimensional fighters eventually run into someone that is better at that one dimension then they are. Shogun, Ruas, and Silvia will probably clean house with most of the UFC competition. I only see the former Pride fighters as being the major competion.
Both Arlovski and Cro Cop are kind of up in the air right now. We know that Cro Cops next fight is at UFC 75 in England. No official word on Arlovski yet but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the same card or at UFC 76. Personally I would love to see the two fight each other still
KANSAS
to people coming in it might sound like u ride wandy nuts pertty hard and u do but i see why straight up he might of got knocked out twice but he never backs down from anything hes a true fighter with skills he can beat u with his fists his knees his kicks and if that doesnt work he can submit u a true fighter and even though i personnally dont like wandy i cant deny the fighter he is and the legacy he is leaving
@Richard
Wand is better than Tito these days…. didn’t you hug up on Taco’s nuts months ago?
KANSAS
I MEANT NO DISRESPECT BUT I CHALLENGE U ILL BET U FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS THAT I NEVER EVER SAID THAT I EVEN LIKED TITO IT NEVER HAPPENED I HATE TITO HILLBILLY MADE IT UP!
LOLOL! FUNNY MAN! I really thought you were a ortiz fan..lol.. yeah I guess Dennis did mention it in multiple conversations so that is why I thought it..no I don’t want to bet…. lol… funny man!
So who do you like?
kharitonov
and i also like aleksanders standup bar none in the heavyweight division
i mean his boxing
yeah cool…. I like Chuteboxe fighters, when I was living in Brazil back in 2000 is when I became a Wand fan… most people in the middle part of Brazil don’t even know who Wand is … unless you go to Curtiba or in the south in Parana, Foz do Iguacu or Sao Paulo/Rio De Janeiro … but yeah, I would watch Pride fights every night, they love Pride in Brazil like we watch and love UFC here in the USA .. so I guess my view of MMA is a little expanded, since I have seen live Vale Tudo and all sorts of bare knuckle fights ect .. they still have bare knuckles in Brazil without sanctioning .. lol
yes Kansas!! vale tudo down in Brazil you lucky f*cker!! i would give my left nut to go down to Brazil and see some “real” fights.