Despite Chuck Liddell’s neck snapping loss to former TUF Season 2 winner, Rashad Evans, at UFC 88, the Iceman’s future may not be as bleak as some may think. It seems plausible that Liddell, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, may consider retirement at this late stage of his illustrious career- especially after being placed into a deep sleep by Evans’ right fist. But, more than likely, he will return to The Pit (his place of training), accompanied by his longtime trainer John Hackleman, to work out the kinks in his game and continue fighting. Plenty of exciting match-ups may still lie ahead for the Iceman.
Liddell possesses a true fighter’s mentality that tells him he can accomplish anything he wants inside the cage despite his age and no matter who he is facing. His fighter mentality also seems to tell him that his unique, two-dimensional fighting style (i.e., sprawl-and-brawl) is sufficient to keep him near the top of the ultra-stacked UFC light heavyweight division.
There is nothing wrong with a sprawl-and-brawl style of fighting. And the Iceman is a fine wrestler with a rare ability to get back to his feet once taken down, in an average of thirteen and half seconds (so said the UFC 88, Liddell v Evans pre-fight statistics). But Liddell’s brawling style (a term easily but incorrectly confused with a sloppy form of fighting) is not as diverse as it was in the past. He’s been showing fine footwork in his recent fights, but almost no kicking, feinting, clinch work, dirty boxing, or jabbing.
Great footwork is the key to successful striking. And Liddell showed a marked ability to cut off the angles of the enormous Octagon against Evans whose own footwork was sweet enough to bolster his nickname, “Sugar.” Liddell stalked, and stalked, and stalked, but rarely struck. And when he did, he wouldn’t set up combinations with feints or jabs.
Several of the exchanges between the fighters were initiated by Evans, who showed once again that the recipe to beat Liddell includes taking the fight to the Iceman. UFC heavyweight champion, Randy Couture found success with that aggressive style against Liddell in their first fight; as did Quinton “Rampage” Jackson when he fought Liddell; and the same can be said for former TUF Season 2 Contestant, Keith Jardine.
What was truly impressive about Evans’ performance against Liddell, was that he showed aggression in the form of initiating exchanges with the heavy-handed former light heavyweight champion, but he was still active in his footwork and head movement. It would be fair to say that in Evans’ win over Liddell; he “floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee.”
It’s uncertain how many other light heavyweights can match that style of hard and fast striking coupled with a solid chin and fancy footwork. Add to Evans’ impressive striking ability, a world class wrestling ability and you can clearly see why he will make a formidable opponent for current UFC light heavyweight champion and former TUF Season 1 winner, Forrest Griffin.
The UFC’s light heavyweight division is stacked and it easily may be the best weight division in all of MMA. Top UFC light heavyweight contenders include, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Wanderlei Silva, Thiago Silva, Mauricio Rua, and now Evans who is slated to be the next contender to fight for the belt. It is hard to imagine that Liddell will spend the remainder of his career working his way back up through that pack of elite fighters. It is possible, however, that Liddell could string together a couple of big wins over the division’s top contenders and find himself exactly where the UFC would love him to be; in another title fight.
The UFC could match Liddell against Thiago Silva. The winner of that fight would be at most, two fights away from a title fight. Silva is a dangerous and complete fighter who would be willing to stand with Liddell. Plus, Silva is a relatively young fighter with growing popularity. If he were to beat Liddell, his name would immediately be thrust into the spotlight and the UFC would have the makings of a future star. If Liddell was victorious, he would show that he is still able to beat a dangerous and well-rounded fighter and still relevant in the title picture. This match-up is a win-win for the UFC.
An overdue match-up between Liddell and Rua would be a great fight. Liddell is not looking his best at the moment and although his skills may need some improvement, his popularity remains strong. Rua is recovering from serious, repeated knee injuries and there is no way of knowing how close he is to his former abilities without matching him against a serious opponent. Liddell may be that opponent. This fight would certainly be a litmus test for the viability of both fighters. And stylistically, it would be a very entertaining fight.
A rematch against Jardine would make sense. Jardine recently found himself crushed by the hands of Wanderlei Silva, who was out-pointed by Liddell in his prior fight. Liddell’s first fight with Jardine was hard-fought and extremely competitive. He lost a very narrow but fair decision in that fight.
It would not be a surprise to find Liddell matched-up against Rich Franklin who has returned to the light heavyweight division. The UFC would likely generate a lot of buzz and consequently a lot of revenue by creating this fight. While a win by Franklin would surely put him on the fast track to title contention because of Liddell’s ranking in the light heavyweight division, a win by Liddell might not be as significant. However, it is not beyond the UFC to place anyone they want as close as they want to title contention.
The reality is that Liddell represents the “old guard.” He is nearing the twilight of his career. It’s a little depressing to think of Liddell as a potential gate-keeper for future UFC stars, but Evans’ win over Liddell did represent a changing of the guard. The new TUF generation is here to stay and some of the older veterans are on their way out.
But assuming for a moment that Liddell does not want to get back on the horse and chase down another title, the UFC might be very interested in matching him up with some other big-name fighters in an entirely new division; Liddell as a heavyweight? It’s not impossible. In fact, Liddell has expressed interest in the past in fighting Fedor Emelianenko, arguably, the world’s top heavyweight. Recently, he echoed his previously stated interest in fighting as a heavyweight following Randy Couture’s very public return to the UFC.
Imagine the buzz that would surround a match-up between Liddell and the loser of Couture v Brock Lesnar. Wow! The UFC must at least be weighing this option. Similarly, Liddell could be matched-up against the loser of the Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir fight. It’s safe to say that Liddell versus any top UFC heavyweight would generate huge viewing numbers. And the UFC would not place Liddell in any low value fight.
Should Liddell decide to continue fighting, he will almost certainly be placed in big-name match-ups. He has earned that treatment. Liddell has always been a fighter that draws the attention and admiration of millions of fans. That may have to do with his widely-recognized Mohawk or his dynamite-filled fists; probably a combination of both.
Despite falling short of victory in three of his last four outings, Liddell’s options remain numerous. Retirement may loom in the not-so-distant future. But so may another crack at the light heavyweight belt or even being involved in super fights in the heavyweight division. One thing is for certain; MMA is that much richer of a sport when Liddell’s involved.
Bill,
The site looks great!
-brandon
http://www.AmericanStandUp.com