Last night at UFC 62, 'The Iceman' Chuck Liddell silenced another big talker and a group of Liddell haters by vanquishing his biggest threat in a long time. Liddell didn't just successfully defend his Light Heavyweight Title, he absoultely destroyed Renato Sobral. Just past the one minute mark, the greatest striker this sport has ever seen went to work on Babalu's face.When the fight was stopped, many were asking - WHO can handle the champ? There doesn't seem to be anyone in the UFC capable of the job.
That being said - let's look at the roster over at Pride. My first thought is - would Mirko Filipovic be willing to cut weight for that fight? Man that would be interesting. The Cro Cop is currently 213 and shouldn't have much trouble dropping 10 pounds. The bigger questions are - a) does he have any interest in fighting for the UFC and b) what would it take for Pride to let that happen? The much anticipated fight with Wanderlei Silva and Liddell appears to be off because Pride doesn't like the deal for them. Silva has been as dominant in Pride as Chuck has been in the UFC. This would be a superstar dream match.
The wrestling fan in me sees huge dollage signs and marketing potential in a Chuck Liddell - Quinton Jackson tilt. They have similar styles, and 'Rampage' is a natural born thrilla. The man just knows how to entertain. It'd be interesting to see if he could toss a few of his trademark bodyslams on the Iceman.
If all that fails, Dana White may have start creating tag teams to face Liddell.
In other news from UFC 62:
Forrest Griffin managed to beat Stephan Bonnar by unanimous decision for the second time. In my opinion, the judges were wrong. Bonnar won the second round and the thirs round was very tight. At the end, the fans booed the normally popular Forrest. He smirked and said on mic, "Aw come on guys. You're booing me? I have low self esteem! I thought I won the fight. I don't think it was 30-27 though, Stephan won the second". When asked if there would be a Griffin-Bonner III, Forrest said "I owe it to Stephan".
Joe Rogan then asked how far he thought he was from a title fight. Without missing a beat, Forrest jokingly remarked - "Did you see me doing 'this' tonight?" (he then put his chin to his chest, eyes down and started wildly flailing his arms into thin air). "When I stop doing that, I'll be ready".
Talk about refreshing. Self-effacing and humble. That's Forrest Griffin.
Other quick results from last night:
- Nick Diaz beat Josh Neer with a beautiful Kimura
- Hermes Franca forced Jamie Varner to tap to a very deep, nasty armbar
- Cheick Kongo knocked Christian Wellisch out in the first round
- Wilson Gouveia caught Wes Combs with a rear naked choke in the First Round.
- David Heath (no, not Gangrel) also won with a rear naked choke in the First. Round.
- Eric Schafer slapped a side choke on Toronto Police Officer Rob MacDonald in the First
All in all, I give this show eight out of ten O's! Great job Zuffa!
2 comments: on "Who the hell can stop Liddell?"
That was an awesome show last night, and the UFC has to be commended for doing such an amazing marketing job on turning Babalu into not only an underdog contender, but in some circles even "Liddell's toughest test"...obviously he wasn't.
UFC promotion did the same thing for Royce Gracie a few months back, and after the special it looked like Gracie might actually have a chance against Matt Hughes. As we all know...he didn't.
I have to say that going into last night I wanted Forrest to wipe the floor with Stephan Bonnar, but midway through the second round I fell in love with Bonnar all over again. I'm not sure what it was, but the heart he showed, combined with his ability, just made me want him to win. He and Forrest have wicked chemistry together, and I could watch them again and again.
Two different times those two have put on show stealing matches. Kudos to both of them.
i liked Bonnars line "Let's make it a best of 5!"
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