UFC & MMA thread

[R@ndomH3ro]

Manhoef got over confident, patience is a virtue and Lawler showed him.

[Evan Williams]

how lawler kept getting those kicks and didn't break down..

[R@ndomH3ro]

He almost didnt keep it in the end...see the wince and pain on his face? Dude was hurt

[mynameaintbic]

UFC legend Chuck Liddell eyes four-fight plan, looks forward to proving doubters wrong

by John Morgan on Jan 26, 2010 at 12:00 am ET

 

 

LAS VEGAS – Former UFC champion and MMA legend Chuck Liddell (21-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) understands that his back is against the wall.

 

After a stretch of four losses in five fights, Liddell's longtime friend and current boss, UFC president Dana White, doesn't want to see the "Iceman" in the cage again.

 

But with a rematch with fellow "The Ultimate Fighter 11" coach Tito Ortiz on the horizon, Liddell has his sights set on one more run at the title. And along the way, he hopes to prove all of his doubters – including White – wrong about what he's got left in the tank.

 

"I don't think I have anything to prove, but I would like to prove [White] wrong," Lidell told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) at Monday's "TUF 11" media day. "I'm not too old. I can still fight.

 

"It is what it is. I'll keep arguing, and [White] will keep arguing with me. It doesn't matter. I've just got to show him I can perform. If I perform, he'll keep letting me fight."

 

"It's hard when you dominated for so long"

 

White's concerns are understandable. Three of Liddell's four recent losses came via brutal knockouts or TKO's. Even Liddell said he understands why everyone seems to want to discuss his remaining viability as a fighter.

 

But Liddell also believes the will of the fans is an ever-changing opinion.

 

"I understand," Liddell said. "It's hard when you dominated for so long. I lost four of my last five.

 

"The funny thing with fans is I lost two, then I fought Wanderlei (Silva). Great fight, and everybody was like, 'Oh, you're back.' Then if that punch is one more inch off, and Rashad (Evans) doesn't beat me, I probably win that fight easy, and I probably would have got a title shot."

 

The 40-year-old said he believes his current position is really no different than when Randy Couture elected to retire after suffering the second of two knockouts in a three-fight span – both of which were issued by Liddell, himself.

 

"Randy, they were glad he retired after I knocked him out twice," Liddell said. "He had never been knocked out in his career. I knocked him dead the second time, and everyone went, 'Oh, it's over. He's done. He's too old now.'

 

"He came back, and he's still fighting. He won the heavyweight title. I just needed some time off."

 

Liddell has taken that time off and remained on the sidelines since an April 2009 TKO loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. The near-12-year-veteran said during the break he has stopped partying, focused on conditioning and avoided any contact to his head.

 

"I'm doing a lot of training," Liddell said. "I still go out sometimes and hang out, but I haven't been drinking. I'm watching what I eat more and training more consistent. I'm going to be training from now until whenever [Ortiz and I] fight.

 

"I miss fighting. I miss competing. I miss sparring, too. I was giving my head a rest for a year, and I wouldn't let people hit me. I might not make it all the way to a year. I might have to spar with some of these [contestants on 'TUF 11']. But I feel good. I just felt I was getting hurt by stuff that normally wouldn't hurt me."

 

Back to basics

 

In addition to the rest Liddell has enjoyed for the past nine months, he said he's also focused himself on refining the techniques that contributed to his recent failures.

 

"After I lost to Rashad, people acted like I went out there and got my ass kicked for 10 minutes and got knocked out," Liddell said. "I was winning the fight when I got caught. It happens. Now I'm working on some stuff and cleaning up some holes that maybe over the years have gotten bigger – just not paying attention to details.

 

"I've cleaned up some stuff, so hopefully there won't be as many openings for people. This style of fighting, there's always something that can happen. But I've made a lot of those holes a lot smaller and harder to get into."

 

Liddell said the losses have been disappointing, but he refuses to let it affect his aggressive style in the cage. Instead, Liddell believes he simply needs to go back to the approach that worked best for him before.

 

"It always bugs me when I lose, but you have to bounce back," Liddell said. "You can't worry about it. If you're worried about it, it's just going to cause you problems. You're going to start fighting not to lose and fighting real conservative, and that's not my style of fighting. I'm not going to sit there and just try and eek out a win. I'm going to go out there and try to finish the guy.

 

"I plan on getting back to mixing [striking and wrestling] together a little more, keeping people off-balance so they can't just relax and not worry about me hitting a double."

 

"I'm going to be really ready to put my fist in his mouth"

 

As for an upcoming fight with Ortiz, Liddell said he has little to gain by defeating a man whom he's already soundly beaten on two separate occasions. That said, he believes the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" is the perfect foe.

 

"I knocked him out twice already, so in that way, it's not a big deal," Liddell said. "But [the trash talk] has already started. I have no problem getting up to fight him. He's starting to jaw a little bit, and it's already started going. By the time this season's over, I'm going to be really ready to put my fist in his mouth – if I don't do it before the end of the season.

 

"I never have to get motivated to fight. I love fighting. But training is always where you need the extra help to get motivated. We did one interview together today, and I'm already getting pumped up about punching him in the mouth."

 

White has openly admitted he didn't really want to give Liddell another fight. But the UFC exec laid out a plan for Liddell to follow, and when the aging fighter did, White had little choice but to live up to his end of the bargain.

 

But while White has said he hopes Liddell's comeback is a one-and-done affair, the man ultimately responsible for making the decision has a far different idea.

 

Quote:

"At this point, I'd like another fight after (Ortiz)," Liddell said. "Hopefully Dana's happy with me if I get two wins, and I'd like a shot at a contender and then a shot at the the title. That's four fights.

 

"That's about as far forward as I've thought. But that's what I'd like to do."

 

"I have to go out on my own"

Ultimately, the potential for Liddell to regain the title he once defended in four-consecutive outings is highly debatable. But for Liddell, one of the most popular and well-respected fighters mixed martial arts has ever seen, it's important for him to answer the bell for the final time on his own terms.

 

"For me, as a fighter, I have to go out on my own – the way I want to go out," Liddell said. "It has to be my decision. I can't let somebody make that decision for me.

 

"I'm not going to let fans or people that aren't that close to me – don't watch me train, don't see what I can still do – I'm not going to let them make that decision for me."

[4horsemen]

for mma news and training videos etc..

mmajunkie.com (great radio show everyday)

bloodyelbow.com

mmamania.com

cagepotato.com

cagewriter.com

 

for fight videos

mmacore.com

mixedmartialartsvideo.com

mmascraps.com

 

get your mma on!

[R@ndomH3ro]

2 days till UFC 109...anyone excited? Me either

 

I dont know how they got those two old men to fight eachother

[P3ZS]

bj pin>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>sanchez

[john_gacy]

2 days till UFC 109...anyone excited? Me either

 

I dont know how they got those two old men to fight eachother

 

$$$

[Mainframe]

No way I'm gonna pay for UFC 109, I'll find a live stream online.

 

That ppv WEC event in April looks really good, but there's still no way I'm payin $45 or any fraction thereof to watch it. Probably gonna watch that online too.

[mynameaintbic]

piracy rocks!

 

but seriously no one had anything to say about chucks comeback? seriously?? like are there any actual mma fans in this thread or am i talking to a bunch of douchebags in affliction shirts.

[Guest T14K]

most those dbags in affliction shirts don't know much outside of chuck liddel. it's cool that he's stoked. i don't see ortiz beating him. but light heavyweight title? negative.

[mynameaintbic]

ill be so heartbroken if he gets banged out. 100%homo

[sausage party]

probably dumb question but, has forrest griffin fought since being shamed by anderson silva?

[sausage party]

this should be meme template.

[Guest T14K]

probably dumb question but, has forrest griffin fought since being shamed by anderson silva?

 

he beat up tito ortiz in the last ufc, in which he headlined.

[sausage party]

damn lookin it up right now

[john_gacy]

I got nothing but respect for Chuck and Randy, but they both have enough $ and should leave on a high note. I don't see either one winning a belt again unless they make an old timers league (although I think Randy did control Lesnar a bit until he caught the big punch).

[twonpoo]

I agree, I give them props, but retire andbecome trainers or somethin. Or guest hosts.

[Cracked Ass]

It must suck to retire though. If you love fighting and you're still in shape you're gonna want to bang regardless of the money. I've done a lot of spraypainting shit and I ought to retire but I can't stop.

Randy is already an on point commentator, so he can jump into that full time with no trouble.

[Cracked Ass]

As for Chuck, he's still one of my all-time favorites. But like many fans I hate to see him get mashed around by a new generation. But like he said, it's his call how to go out, so I wish him luck.

[john_gacy]

Curious if anyone is ordering the fight tonight or watching it by other means? I have some obligations keeping me home tonight so I'm debating getting it out of boredom, although it's overall a waste of $. Shit, the match ups are ho-hum at best. The prelims are on Spike at 9, will at least watch those for free.

[Guest T14K]

i was going to order it when it was Silva vs Belfort. Then i was still going to order it when it was Noguiera vs Vera.

 

But now. No. Im not going to. This fucking card is WEAK

[Jukka]

I do wanna see the swick thiago fight tho.

[john_gacy]

Prelims=meh, just watched.

[john_gacy]

Props to you homie (you know who), saved my night and my wallet.

[Cracked Ass]

Fight report:

Maia gets decision over Miller. No crazy submissions or knockouts. Maia's stand-up was better than advertised and Miller didn't have much going for him besides not getting choked out.

Serra knocked out Trigg first round. No surprise.

Thiago knocked Swick down and put on a darse choke in round 2. Swick didn't tap, he was out for a while. Thiago had answers for Swick's quick hands: good stand-up of his own, some timing, and some annoying low kicks that threw him off.

Chael Sonnen swarmed on Marquardt for three rounds, big surprise. Beat him up a little with stand-up, but mostly took him down for ground & pound. Nate opened up his forehead with an elbow in round 2 for lots of blood but no stoppage. Then Nate threw his last effort into a guillotine late in round 3 but couldn't finish it. Sonnen by unanimous decision (30-27's).

Randy Couture stood up for a little while with Coleman and essentially outclassed him with some strikes. Coleman got one in that backed Randy up but that was it. A little Couture clinch work and then he took Coleman down and put him away rear naked choke. Coleman also declined to tap and went out.

As Joe Rogan was interviewing Coleman on the loss, some hotties and Tito Ortiz walked by the octagon and Tito yelled something. Coleman took the mike and said "Fuck you, Tito." Rogan shook his head and then Coleman said to Tito "I'm right here anytime you wanna go, douchebag."

[Mainframe]

I felt bad for Coleman, he looked real dejected after the fight. I don't know why he tried to stand up with Randy like that. It sounded like his corner gave him shitty advice too. And fuck Tito Ortiz.

[Cracked Ass]

Word to that. I hope Chuck knocks him out again.

[4horsemen]

i was very surpised with thiago's performance, the thought swick would of run all over him since his teammates have already scrapped with paulo.

As for tito's douche bag antics, I really hope he gets knocked the fuck out by liddel!!!

Holy shit Chael was also a big upset, but will get fucked up by silva.

[IHATEU]

As for Chuck, he's still one of my all-time favorites. But like many fans I hate to see him get mashed around by a new generation. But like he said, it's his call how to go out, so I wish him luck.

 

co-sign this... i used to love watching chuck fight but now it just stresses me out...