Dave Meltzer: UFC Wants Couture-Liddell, Management for Fighters Does Not

by Michael Rome on Dec 4, 2008 1:21 PM EST in News Comment 36 comments

In the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that while the UFC wants Couture and Liddell to fight each other next, their management is against the fight, and have come to believe it is a fight nobody wants to see.

In these kinds of situations, when both sides don't want it, the UFC generally backs down. Chuck doesn't want to wait until June to fight either, so we'll likely see him in early-mid spring.

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This story is played out. I am a little tired of it. Its not UFC the senior tour. Lets just ignore this talk and hope it goes away.

by szucconi on Dec 4, 2008 1:34 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Thx god rational heads prevailed. This fight was a horrible idea.

by Dexerion on Dec 4, 2008 1:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Liddell vs Vera at Heavyweight….loser fights Tim Sylvia in Franks Superfight League in bumbleass, North Dakota.

by Gogoplatapus on Dec 4, 2008 1:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

If Wand loses to page Chucks next fight will be a rematch with silva.

by mmalogic on Dec 4, 2008 1:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

They won’t give Silva an easy fight, will they? Man, that guy gets nothing but Murders’ Row.

by Luke Thomas on Dec 4, 2008 1:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, if that’s true..wow. I don’t see a different outcome either. What can you say about a guy if he loses 5 of 6, but the 5 are to the absolute elite? I dunno, very rough on his career. This is something I think they need to be more careful about.

by Michael Rome on Dec 4, 2008 1:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

well i think silva wins over rampage, if that happens we dont have to worry about that. :)

http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/

by Anton Tabuena on Dec 4, 2008 2:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed. I know that hardcore fans would see through any attempt at giving Wandy a can to beat on, but at this point, why not? Could boost his confidence. Of course, breaking Jardine’s face also does the same thing…

by pud333 on Dec 4, 2008 5:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I for one do not care if he loses 5/6. He trains like a beast and fights like he has the brain of a pea. Sometimes losing is the only thing that will make a fighter change his ways.

by bigweeze on Dec 4, 2008 6:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It’s not as though Rampage has had it any easier. The top tier just keeps slugging it out which is how it should be.

by bigweeze on Dec 4, 2008 6:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I say Chuck fights the winner or the Franklin/Hendo fight so they can keep him relevant as long as possible. I think they’re going to continue putting Chuck in fights that a victory will put him within one more fight of a title shot. He has to win one of these fights eventually, right?

by dropkick101 on Dec 4, 2008 3:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I say loser (most likely Franklin) fights Chuck and winner (I hope Hendo) fights Anderson Silva.

"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007

by lovingmma25 on Dec 4, 2008 3:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i think chuck should fight the winner of shogun/coleman.. or a rematch with wandy.

http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/

by Anton Tabuena on Dec 5, 2008 12:43 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

So this means that Ando is going to take the loser of Forrest/Rashad?

by bigweeze on Dec 4, 2008 6:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

im glad

no one wanted to see that fight

im not impressed with your performance

by troy145 on Dec 4, 2008 2:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

They both think they're in the title running

This is worst case. We could see lots of bitching, moaning, and eventual superold Randy and Chuck fights in crappy orgs once their current contracts are up.

I hope this gets resolved amicably. Now, Chuck is available for Anderson Silva at UFC 94 or 95.

by subo on Dec 4, 2008 2:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ugh, I agree.

Honestly, I’d rather see these two fight each other than watch Chuck get KTFO again by a faster, younger fighter while throwing his looping right hand.

And why should Liddell get to fight A. Silva? PPV buys?

by twotone on Dec 4, 2008 2:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

chuck will probably never fight anderson.

by mmalogic on Dec 4, 2008 2:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

not that chuck is unwilling…

more like The Dana not allowing Chuck anywhere near him.

If henderson beats franklin he’ll get another shot.

by mmalogic on Dec 4, 2008 3:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Who is left for the American side of TUF 9?

by Eugene Schelfaut on Dec 4, 2008 3:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Chuck-Shogun after Shogun beats Coleman makes sense.

by Michael Rome on Dec 4, 2008 3:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Good point – he was supposed to fight Shogun before he got hurt, right?

"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007

by lovingmma25 on Dec 4, 2008 3:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Right.

by Luke Thomas on Dec 4, 2008 3:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Now that’s a fight I’d like to see!

by pud333 on Dec 4, 2008 5:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I’m interested in knowing if the UFC is still intent on pushing this fight even though both managements are not keen.

by iamtheoriginalchris on Dec 4, 2008 2:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

thoughts on why they don’t want the fight? (from either side)

by starvin on Dec 4, 2008 2:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Meltzer suggested that the management read internet fan boards and became convinced nobody wants to see it.

by Michael Rome on Dec 4, 2008 2:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Nobody wants to see it.

haha. At least I don’t.

by pud333 on Dec 4, 2008 5:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It is of course, completely insane to say nobody wants to see it, but a few thousand hardcores certainly don’t want to. Hint: they buy anyway.

by Michael Rome on Dec 4, 2008 5:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

No negative impact on buys in the short term, but I think it would harm the brand and leave people disgruntled.

by bigweeze on Dec 4, 2008 7:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I can’t imagine that’s true… I mean you’d think that they would trust that the UFC knows better what will sell. Eh maybe they just don’t want to fight each other again.

Also it’s kind of weird to have fighters start caring about whether their next fight will sell no? Only fighters with a PPV deal would have that be a factor.

by starvin on Dec 4, 2008 6:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Seeing as they both have a PPV deal…

by Michael Rome on Dec 4, 2008 6:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

heh, I know. It just interesting how it affects the sport and the fighters.

by starvin on Dec 4, 2008 6:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Good, it was a super lame idea. I heard Chuck and Randy are absolutely united in their opposition of this rematch idea. They both know it’s lame.

by lbk on Dec 4, 2008 3:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think they feel like it’s a last ditch effort to capitalize on the popularity of both of them, on their way out. And they’re right. Both guys still feel relevant to the sport and, despite Chuck’s string of bad luck and Randy’s lost to Brock, I’d say both still have the ability to hang with and beat some of the top guys. Whose going to argue with them?

by dropkick101 on Dec 4, 2008 3:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs