Liddell injured, out for UFC 85

[Thrash13]

The overall card is very solid. There aren't any huge 5-star fights, but there are a lot of very good ones. Keep an eye on the Marcus Davis/Mike Swick fight. That could be a dandy.

I'm hoping Hughes can beat Alves, so they can finally set up the fight with Serra.

[Heelfan71]

Hughes said he is fighting Serra no matter what happens so no worries there.

[mgoblue]

Quote: Originally Posted by Thrash13

The overall card is very solid. There aren't any huge 5-star fights, but there are a lot of very good ones. Keep an eye on the Marcus Davis/Mike Swick fight. That could be a dandy. I'm hoping Hughes can beat Alves, so they can finally set up the fight with Serra.

Yeah, that card's worthy of a PPV....no killer fight like it had with Liddell, but oh well.

[allBthere]

Quote: Originally Posted by mgoblue

Yeah, that card's worthy of a PPV....no killer fight like it had with Liddell, but oh well.

is Liddell's injury a secret?? anyone know what happened there? ..is it possible he just didn't want to fight anyone else and used it as an excuse? He doesn't seem like that type of dude, but you never know.

[The Chef]

Quote: Originally Posted by allBthere

is Liddell's injury a secret?? anyone know what happened there? ..is it possible he just didn't want to fight anyone else and used it as an excuse? He doesn't seem like that type of dude, but you never know.

His hamstring popped during training, and there is no way that Liddell ducked Evans, no chance at all. Liddell could beat Evans on his worst day, anyone remember Evans' snooze fest with Tito months ago? Chuck would walk through Rashad.

[allBthere]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pimping219

His hamstring popped during training, and there is no way that Liddell ducked Evans, no chance at all. Liddell could beat Evans on his worst day, anyone remember Evans' snooze fest with Tito months ago? Chuck would walk through Rashad.

crazy... oh I think so too, my intention was that maybe at chuck's age, if you're about to fight a guy and he drops out...you dont want to bother fighting some 'replacement' ...what would be the point in that. At the top, fighters don't get in the ring too often, and certainly don't fight just anyone most of the time. Didn't mean to say that Chuck's scared of anyone.

[The Chef]

Quote: Originally Posted by allBthere

crazy... oh I think so too, my intention was that maybe at chuck's age, if you're about to fight a guy and he drops out...you dont want to bother fighting some 'replacement' ...what would be the point in that. At the top, fighters don't get in the ring too often, and certainly don't fight just anyone most of the time. Didn't mean to say that Chuck's scared of anyone.

Im curious how many more fights Chuck is going to have anyways, he is getting up there in age and now that the UFC has become a little more mainstream, Im sure he is going to get offers to do other television and low budget movie things and for some it might be tempting to get paid without having to get punched in the face to get it.

[allBthere]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pimping219

Im curious how many more fights Chuck is going to have anyways, he is getting up there in age and now that the UFC has become a little more mainstream, Im sure he is going to get offers to do other television and low budget movie things and for some it might be tempting to get paid without having to get punched in the face to get it.

I've thought about this too. I really think he should fight rampage one more time and try to avenge the loss, doing that would solidfy his legacy. Whether that's his goal, i don't know...but if it is, win or lose I would actually expect him to retire afterwards.
A fight with cro-cop would be interesting though...but other than rampage,..who else does he HAVE to fight, who else does he have anyting to prove to.
As a stiker, I don't think guys like chuck can last as long as a guy like randy who wrestles a lot because he doesn't necessaritly have to rely on reflexes as much, and instead can use more strategy and 'old man strenght'.

[The Chef]

Chuck really doesnt have anything to prove as of now anyways, losing to Rampage isnt a horrible thing, hes a great fighter and styles make fights, Rampage just isnt a good matchup for Chuck. A fight with Crocop would have been interesting before he got kicked in the head by Gonzaga, but someone would have to switch weight classes for that to happen and its not worth the hassle for Chuck. As much credit as Couture gets hes only 16-8, Chuck is 21-5. Im actually not much of a Chuck fan but in all honesty, he has nothing left to prove.

Its too bad we couldnt see a Chuck/Silva match, cant imagine Chuck could cut that much weight and Silva could never put on the 20 lbs needed, but it would be a hell of a fight to see imo.

[The Chef]

Chris Leben was pulled from the fight against Bisping today due to being in jail and not having time to train properly prior to the fight. Leben has been replaced by Jason Day. This card has been a disaster ever since Shogun went down with an injury, then Rashed stepped in and Chuck went down, then they added a few fights and now Leben has been replaced.

In unrelated news, the UFC is trying to get sanctioned in NY and apparently its looking good, Dana, Serra and Matt Hamil are working the politicians and so far its looking good to the point that Dana was talking about a possible PPV at Madison Square Garden by the end of the year or early 2009, and that would be another huge step for MMA in general. For as much as people hate Dana and sometimes the UFC's business practices, they really are paving the way so those smaller companies like EliteXC can flourish as well, so some credit has to be given for that.