UFC 76: Knockout Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine
This Saturday, September 22nd at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, Chuck Liddell makes his first appearance since being unceremoniously knocked out by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson back on May 26th of this year. The “Iceman” has compiled a very impressive MMA record of 20-4 in his over ten years in the sport, but more than a few UFC experts think he may have hit the end of the line. Those same experts also think that Liddell might have gotten caught up in the life of a celebrity after appearing on TV Show’s such as HBO’s “The Entourage,” and having various features of him in such magazines as “ESPN’s The Magazine.” At 37 years old it’s hard to blame Liddell of taking advantage of some of the popularity he worked hard to gain over the last decade, but it all probably led to his first round knockout loss. Immediately following the loss Liddell was back in the gym before he even had an idea who his next opponent would be. It was that desire that originally got him to this stature, and with that renewed vigor he may be able to recapture some of the glory of the past. Some of that glory includes impressive wins over top UFC fighters, including Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz. Prior to the loss to Jackson it had been over 4 years since Liddell had lost an MMA fight, and that once again was a match against Jackson, this time a PRIDE fight. Liddell is 7-1 in UFC competition with all seven wins by knockout, and of course his loss by knockout. His opponent, “The Dean of Mean,” Keith Jardine is also coming off a knockout loss. Out of all the endings possible, it’s hard not to imagine this one not ending with somebody knocked out.
Jardine holds an impressive MMA record of 12-3 with six victories coming inside the distance. But, as of late he has shown he is vulnerable, going 2-2 in his last four. In his last outing he was quickly knocked out, lasting only 48 seconds against a fighter making his UFC debut, Houston Alexander. While Alexander has compiled an 8-1 record, it still came as a shock when he made short work of Jardine. Jardine’s other recent loss came three fights ago against Stephan Bonner in which he lasted the distance, losing an unanimous decision. Jardine’s biggest win came against Forrest Griffin, a KO victory just one fight before his last loss. Griffin is respected as one of the best fighters in the world, so as you can see Jardine has had a very up and down UFC career.
What’s clear about this fight is that it should be action packed. Every once in a while there comes a time in fighters careers that the stars seem to align for a perfect fight for the fans. Both of these fighters are stand up strikers, and both hit very hard. They have both been knocked out very recently, so that is also weighing on the fighters minds. Also, the loser of this fight will probably be left on the outside looking in and will have a very long road back to the top if they drop this one. Liddell is currently about a 3 to 1 favorite and that seems about right. Liddell has proven that he can bounce back from adversity before. He also seems he has put aside the television appearance and interview requests to concentrate on what got him here, fighting.
The undercard will provide us with a very interesting fight and also features the UFC debut fight of Mauricio Rua. Rua is clearly one of the best, and most feared fighters in the world today. He has compiled an MMA record of 16-2, with 13 of those wins coming by knockout. The Brazilian Rua, known as “Shogun,” has only lost one fight in the last four years, and that was because he broke his arm. That fight was against Mark Coleman. Some of Rua’s biggest wins have come against Kevin Randleman, Quinton Jackson, and Eric Wanderlei. Rua is also showing he has know fear, in his very first UFC fight he is fighting of one the best the organization has to offer, Forrest Griffin. At one time Griffin was considered one of the best technical fighters, but as of late has suffered two loses in his last four fights. He is coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Hector Ramirez at UFC 76. In the fight before that fight he lost to Keith Jardine via first round KO. Griffin specifically asked to fight Rua when PRIDE and UFC merged, citing a feud dating back a few years. If Griffin hopes to return to the MMA spotlight a victory over Rua will do it. Rua is about currently a three to one favorite, but some experts think that the change from the PRIDE ring to the UFC octagon may be tough for Rua. Rua is known as for his devastating knee strikes, which are illegal in the UFC.
Also on the under card Diego Sanchez returns from his loss from Josh Koscheck, to face John Fitch, who has won 12 fights in a row. This fight is currently hovering around even money.
The name of this card is called “Knockout,” which is probably fitting with all the power on this card, but to me, it could have just as easily been called “Redemption.”
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