Quote of the Day: Chuck Liddell Expects Preferential Treatment

by Luke Thomas on Aug 27, 2008 11:25 AM EDT in MMA News

"I figured because I held the title for so long, I would be getting a title shot after I beat Silva but for whatever reason it didn't work out that way."

-- Chuck Liddell, describing some of the circumstances of how his upcoming fight with Rashad Evans at UFC 88 came about.

One wonders what calculus Liddell is using to think he'd get a title shot after being flattened by Rampage Jackson in the first round and massively upset by Keith Jardine.

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Sure thing Chuck

please chuck come on you loose 2 fights in a row one to Jardine who was to even ranked in the top 10 at the time and you win just one and you think you should get a title shot ????

by Shocbomb on Aug 27, 2008 11:33 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah this is just silly. Despite that, I don’t think there’s any argument that he should get a title shot after beating Rashad. Take into account his beating two top 10 guys in a row (Wand, Evans), the potential draw of a Forrest v Liddell fight, and Liddell’s window of opportunity, that fight is a no brainer. One might argue that neither Machida or Thiago have beaten anyone at the level of guys that Chuck has beaten consistently as well. Title shot after beating Wand? No. Title shot after beating Wand and Evans to set up potentially the biggest UFC fight ever? You bet your ass.

by dropkick101 on Aug 27, 2008 11:41 AM EDT reply actions

Remember Hughes turned down an immediate rematch with GSP though he got dominated. When you have a long running champion who also pulls in the ppv’s by the butt load, then sometimes that alone deserves a quick re-title shot. Personally I hope Rampage gets the rematch then Liddell fights the champ, but I bet Forrest vs Liddell then Rampage vs the winner sells more and this is bitness.

by Tommy7 on Aug 27, 2008 11:46 AM EDT reply actions

His calculus involves being one of the if not the best ppv draw…

I think he is also using MMA math in reverse where he beat silva and then when silva beat jardine that also counted as a win for hi.

by mmalogic on Aug 27, 2008 12:12 PM EDT reply actions

thats exactly what he is doing the old MMA MATH

by Shocbomb on Aug 27, 2008 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions

The thing with the Hughes situation was that he and GSP had each beaten each other once so it was the rubber match. Liddell got dismantled by Rampage twice. Totally different situation. There was no way to even market another match between the two unless Rampage lost the belt or Liddel won a few, and now both have happened.

by dropkick101 on Aug 27, 2008 12:30 PM EDT reply actions

Um…it would have been the easiest match to market. I don’t see why people didn’t get it at the time, but the face of the UFC got knocked out in a minute. The biggest star comes back for his revenge and back for his title. It has been a recipe for success since forever in fight sports. None of the casual fans buying PPV could care less about the Pride fight, all they really know if the UFC fight, and they’d want to see Chuck get his belt back. The fight was very marketable, and still will be when they do it.

by Michael Rome on Aug 27, 2008 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions

I think Dana was worried about Liddell and kept that fight from happening so soon myself. Hopefully it can happen in the future. I can’t see any way in the world that Rashad pulls out the W. Now we just need to see where Page goes. It’s one thing if he gets a rematch right away but it seems like Dana wants to throw him in with Shogun or Wand and who knows whats going to happen then.

by Tommy7 on Aug 27, 2008 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Even if Chuck were to get a quick turn-around title shot, I think most people wouldn’t look at him as the actual champ until he beat Rampage. Rampage destroyed him twice, and is probably Chuck’s Kryptonite. So regardless, Chuck’s gonna have an interesting year ahead of him. hopefully he’s not looking past Rashad, but I’m not so sure…

by pud333 on Aug 27, 2008 12:32 PM EDT reply actions

That actually sounds pretty good for them in 2009. If he won the belt and then had to beat Rampage, that is a very marketable match.

by Michael Rome on Aug 27, 2008 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Chuck is kind of a douchebag

I don’t dislike him the same way I dislike Hughes or Timmay, but he can be annoying at times. He’s passive in nature when it comes to this sort of thing, but will always give out the sense that he thinks he’s king shit and Dana should cover him in gold flake and carry his cape around town.. Sorry Chuck, but your best days are behind you. (Which is not to say he isn’t top five, but he would have never lost that fight to Jardine two years ago.)

by Blackout612 on Aug 27, 2008 12:45 PM EDT reply actions

I love how

it’s just a foregone conclusion for him that he’s beating Evans. Admittedly, Evans would set up pretty well for the Chuck of old; a wrestler who he can blast on the feet. However, does Chuck have performances left in him like Randy II, Randy III, Horn II, Babalu II, and Ortiz II? Something in me says probably not. Also, Evans comes out of the same camp as Jardine, and Greg Jackson did a pretty good job of putting together a gameplan that beat Chuck before. Evans is probably more naturally talented than Keith. Who’s to say Jackson can’t do it again?

by The Ghost of Spike Owen on Aug 27, 2008 12:50 PM EDT reply actions

I think it has as much to do with Rashad’s style as anything. He may be a more natural athlete than Jardine, but his style is wrestling and haymakers, to an extent. The popular thinking, is that Chuck will not be taken down, rashad will try and swing on him and Chuck will counter him into the loss column. Of course nothing is a foregone conclusion and I don’t like Chuck dismissing Rashad, but it is what it is.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Aug 27, 2008 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Rashad is just a solid fighter. I think he epitomizes that term. This is essentially his introduction or dismissal from the LHW inner circle. The Ortiz fight could have been that, but in resulting in a draw, it was a wash. Can Rashad defeat Chuck? Yeah, I think he can. His striking has improved at a furious rate since leaving the TUF house (he was an awful striker while there) and his wrestling is phenomenal. He used to rely on lay-and-pray, but I think he’s capable of doing something major against Chuck. Let’s keep in mind that Rashad has improved for every fight and he may not have reached his peak as a mixed martial artist, while Chuck is on the decline, having lost twice before winning a decision and having not finished anyone (his bread and butter) in a very long time. Two years ago— even a year ago, I wouldn’t even bother to discuss the probability of Rashad emerging victorious. But today? I doubt anyone in the know would feel their heart skip, ala Gonzaga kicking Crocop, should Rashad pull this one out.

by Blackout612 on Aug 27, 2008 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions

I am with you Blackout

"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 Aug 27, 2008 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Of course, the last 2 years has proven that anything can happen in the cage/ring of mma. I personally think Rashad has about a 1in 3 or 4 chance of winning. I agree his striking is vastly improved and I think it will be determined by how he reacts in the fight. Does he get stuffed and frustrated and start trying to throw bombs? Does he catch a backpedalling Chuck and start chasing after him? Or is he able to take Chuck down and control the fight? If he gets derailed, does he stay patient and try another gameplan?

As usual, it will only be determined in the octagon. So I would be a little surprised if Evans won, but only a little.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Aug 27, 2008 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m kind of dismissive of the Chuck hasn’t finished anyone in two years talk. It’s misleading, the truth is he hasn’t finished anyone in 3 fights. Two of those three fights were against Wanderlei Silva and Quinton Jackson, the latter of which knocked him out in like a minute.

Rashad definitely has a chance in this fight, but as I watch his recent fights again, I think he’s in big trouble. The Bisping fight in particular, where he couldn’t keep Bisping down, lost the striking match, and won on takedown points…well, if Michael Bisping is lighting you up you have a problem. Maybe Rashad can effectively use leg kicks like Jardine to slow Chuck down, setting up later takedowns. I highly doubt it.

by Michael Rome on Aug 27, 2008 1:43 PM EDT reply actions

In a way Chuck is getting preferential treatment, since I feel this match up with Evans was likely made for him to win. It would make sense for the UFC, since a Griffin-Liddell match up would be money for them.

I agree with Michael Rome’s thinking in that I’m just not sure Rashad’s striking is dynamic enough to set up takedowns. Evans is the sort of fighter Chuck has thrived against in the past. Until demonstrated otherwise, I have to pick Liddell in this sort of style match up every time.

by Andy R on Aug 27, 2008 2:00 PM EDT reply actions

The equalizer is his age...

We know he can throw leather… but can he take a punch? The game is cerebral enough that age is actually a help rather than a hinder. However, the flip side to that is the body tend to break down as you get older. His chin could fail him again, but lucky for him, neither Rashad nor Griffin has KO power in the hands. The legs, however…

by cyph on Aug 27, 2008 3:15 PM EDT reply actions

“One wonders what calculus Liddell is using to think he’d get a title shot after being flattened by Rampage Jackson in the first round and massively upset by Keith Jardine.”

i don’t think it is calculus….more like the ….the binary numeral system ( widely used in computing, is base two. The two digits are “0” and “1”.) I think he looked at that Forbes article on the UFC, saw the 1 followed by the 000 000 000 they had listed as the ufc’s value, plugged in the iceman variable, deduced that he was responsible for a good chunk of that, and voila, equation solved ……Chuck Title shot…..

Mike Goldberg on robnashville:
"His analysis is so analytical"

by robnashville on Aug 27, 2008 4:25 PM EDT reply actions