Issue 033

January 2008

A light heavyweight clash of potentially epic proportions, the history of this bout spans all the way back to 2003 when the rivalry between Pride and the UFC was at its peak.

Liddell was the gunslinger that had taken out notables such as Vitor Belfort and ‘Babalu’ Sobral, and was the most legitimate challenge to the UFC light heavyweight title, then held by Tito Ortiz. Silva was building a reputation as one of the most fearsome strikers in the world, brutalising his opponents and winning the Pride middleweight (under 200lbs) title in the process.

A question of Pride

A match between the two first looked possible when Liddell was entered into the Pride eight-man middleweight tournament. Both KO’d their opposition in the opening round, and being matched at opposite ends of the tournament brackets it looked like a showdown in the final was on the cards. Dana White was so confident of Liddell’s ability he bet Nobuyuki Sakakibara (President of Pride) $250,000 that the ‘Iceman’ would win the tournament.

In stepped Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson to spoil the party. ‘Rampage’ took it to Liddell while a notably agitated White, sat in the commentary box as a guest announcer, fretted that Liddell wasn’t ‘following the game plan’. Liddell’s corner eventually threw in the towel due to the punishment that their fighter was taking ­–Silva would devastate Rampage in the finals, so surely he could take out the Iceman too… Or could he? 

Fast forward four years… 

In the time that has passed since their first ‘almost encounter’ the landscape of MMA has changed considerably. Pride, after being purchased by the Fertittas, seems to have faded out of existence and the UFC is the most prominent MMA promotion in the world. With the purchase of Pride, the UFC were able to significantly boost their roster of fighters and in August this year Silva signed a multi-fight deal with them.

In the years that have passed Liddell has cemented his place as one of the sport’s finest exponents, racking up an impressive seven victories by KO or TKO in a row. Silva has gone 7-4 in his last eleven fights with five of his victories by KO or TKO, but it is the losses that are more telling.

Wanderlei suffered a KO loss against Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic in October 2006 in a heavyweight match, fuelling taunts from Dana White implying that Silva didn’t deserve a match up with Liddell. Even more devastating was Silva’s loss to Dan Henderson (who became only the second person to KO him) in Pride’s penultimate show.

Liddell’s light heavyweight crown didn’t seem under threat until ‘Rampage’ Jackson (the only unavenged loss on the Iceman’s record) stopped him with a sweet right hook at UFC 71. With Silva now signed to the UFC and eagerly waiting his turn at the big boys of the light heavyweight division, Liddell was matched with Keith Jardine at UFC 76. In what was seen by some as an ‘easy’ fight and nothing more than a precursor to a planned bout between Silva and Liddell, the heavy underdog Jardine outscored Liddell over three rounds, winning a split decision. A visibly pissed off Silva is asked ‘Who am I supposed to fight now?’

Despite each fighter’s recent losses, the significance of this fight is still huge. Many fans long for the Pride vs. UFC days, and a lot of the Pride talent that has been brought into the UFC has so far under-performed. 

For a lot of fans Silva defines Pride’s ‘golden age’ and his punches, knees, kicks and stomps grace a hundred highlight reels. He held the Pride world middleweight title from 2001 through to 2007, and was Pride world middleweight Grand Prix 2003 tournament winner. His last two losses are seen by many as mere ‘blips’ on his record. Still young though a battle-hardened 31-years-old, Silva has life in him yet. 

In comparison Chuck Liddell is the definitive UFC fighter. Fiercely loyal to the UFC with the exception of his approved and encouraged raiding missions on Pride, he has fought 16 straight bouts for them. When the UFC went big time with the Ultimate Fighter TV show, he was at the helm as one of the first team coaches. Formerly managed by Dana White, he still maintains a close friendship with the UFC president, and command a legion of fans. 

There for the taking

When we at Fighters Only held our round-table debate back in Issue 26, all three of our experts predicted Liddell would win this bout, but none of us had foreseen how the year would’ve panned out for Chuck. A recent loss of form from the once-dominant champ has many wondering if Silva can capitalise on this perceived lack of focus. 

While Liddell seems to have slipped in estimations, Wanderlei has eben making moves to raise his. He made the move from Brazil to Las Vegas and currently trains at Xtreme Couture. This adjustment should help in the Octagon, faced with different rules and an environment he is not accustomed to. Chuck Liddell has stayed consistent by training with Jon Hackleman, a coach who has been with him since the beginning.

Liddell is very accurate with his precision counter-punching and has excellent footwork. Silva comes forward with flurries of punches and knees more active than an extra in Riverdance. Neither fighter will be in a hurry to take this to the mat, and though Silva prefers the Muay Thai clinch, Liddell has excellent wrestling ability of his own. 

With both fighters able to pull out a one-shot KO at any time, this will be an exciting fight for sure. Get ready for 29^th December, and whatever you do, don’t blink!