UFC 88: Rashad Evans Knocks Out Chuck Liddell

At least until November, I guess.

Not exactly the case for Franklin. He can dominate the entire division with the exception of one guy.

Even exceptional middleweights like Marquart would probably not get their title shots if the had to fight Franklin as a gate keeper. That why the UFC has asked him to move weight classes. Otherwise he’d just be destroying every contender there is.

But I do agree with you that it is the end of an era. The old school fighter are not adapting their game to the new wave of MMA. Everybody these days is well rounded. Very well rounded. The older guys seem resistant to change and arent adapting as fast. Miletich camp, The Pit, Lions Den. Old school … not working anymore.

Random buster SportsCenter anchor: “Sugar Ray-shad Evans with the one-hitta quitta, improves to 17 and 0.”

(graphic on screen clearly states 12-0-1)

That is what the ac’s are for.

That punch would have knocked anyone out.

just a shady area when you start disallowing guys due to age.

Some guys look better than others at the same age.

As for Chuck, I was worried to, it looked really, really bad. I just don;t think it had much to do with age. Look at the graphics. he is throwing the right and his left is nowhere to be found. I just think the younger fighters have evolved and some of the older guys are still sticking with the same styles that won for them 5 years ago. This is a rapidly developing sport and they have to keep up or fade out. I do think he may be done, at least in meaningful fights.He just seems slow compared to guys he is fighting. I had him winning the fight up to that point.

Glad he is ok and I hope he has no lingering problems.

And damn, I would never want to get hit with a shot like that!

I think we are on the same page, just saying it differently.

You are spot on. There definitely comes a time in any sport when someone needs to step in and say enough. The last thing I want to see is an athlete get their life ended or damaged due to hanging on to long.

I didn’t feel that way about Chuck going into the fight, but I certainly feel more that way now. He either needs to adapt to the game or get out of it. Many athletes have lost a step and changed their style to succeed further in their sport, and I think that is what Chuck may need to do.

And the one thing you don’t want to be in the current MMA world is predictable. Chuck is what he is, a spraw-and-brawl machine who is at his best when people are trying to take him to the ground. Anywhere else, he’s almost ridiculously normal with plus power.

So the way to stop Chuck is to make him come forward. It diminishes his strengths far too much. Chuck needs to adapt or (more likely) move on. Fight at HW for awhile. Plenty of money to be made there in the near future.

He’s smart, well-rounded, adaptable and humble enough to understand when his ‘strengths’ are no longer actual strengths, but relative push-points or even weaknesses.

I don’t think he’s going to kill Brock, but it would probably be silly to expect him to lose. I’m a huge Lesnar fan, and I think there are a few paths to victory for him over Couture, but I also understand that Couture is the smartest guy in MMA today, and that’s why he’s had the career he’s had.

Yep – props to Tha Realness.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2008/8/20/597496/rashad-evans-could-upset-c

Ha, I guess I was right.

is the one that shows the scariness.

Gives me the chills.

Franklin McNeil asked the lamest questions at the press conference as well.

was that since they’re all varying lengths and speeds, my brain simply can’t reconcile the whole thing. Kinda like when you play with your dog, and you start..I dunno…Princess Waving in his peripheral vision. Freaks him out, since he can’t watch both at the same time, and the further you move them apart in his field of vision, the more unsettled he becomes.

Yeah, I basically felt like a dog watching those gifs.

He played the exact gameplan I anticipated, but you might say I was surprised when he enabled one-shot-kills for round two. I thought cheats like that one were only allowed on TUF and undercard fights? Regardless, the game designers screwed up big-time leaving it in there to use against a Boss like Liddell. Someone’s getting canned in the morning.

I’m not a huge Evans fan (never liked the showboating), but I will give him the credit that it looked like he stopped himself, as Dean stepped in. It looked like he realized Chuck was out, and decided not to pounce.

I thought it was odd too that no one gave Herb Dean props for getting to Chuck as quickly as he did.

It was everyone, and he always does it. Just lately, his opponents have been using it strategically.

at his hips, like a wrestler does. Even Fedor fights like this, he is able to bring his hands up for defense when appropriate, however.

Chuck actually looked like he was trying to nullify the overhand right with his uppercut, but it obviously didn’t work, and I don’t think there was enough power behind it to KO Rashad.