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Opinion & Analysis
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Reader Reax
Reader Reax - Batch #1: If Liddell weren't retiring, who'd you like to see him face? And what should be next for Cro Cop
(1) If Chuck does fight again (which taking long term health into consideration as well as the results his his last handful of fights is not a good idea) the only fight to give him is Tito. But still, that's like watching two old people with dementia playing Memory.
(2) Mirko vs. Noguiera is reasonable. I don't think Cro Cop has a serious shot at a title or even against anyone in the top three in the division. Maybe him against Frank Mir at a 215 lb. catchweight fight to see if either could make the move to 205. Since Mir can't decide which direction he wants his career to go. Even though Cro Cop beat Pat Barry, I don't think it changes much of anything.
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MMATorch reader J. BRYANT of Bay Area, California writes...
(1) In my opinion, Chuck Liddell was never as great if a fighter as everyone made him to be. He was an image for the UFC. The tough guy knock 'em up fighter. With his haircut and just presentation he always looked like the guy you would never want to run into in a dark alley and, because he knocked people out, he was a fan favorite. If you look at who he fought before there was only two real fighters - Rampage Jackson and Randy Couture. Rampage destroyed him. The rest of the fighters were wrestlers or mediocre strikers. A real striker can pick him apart because he leaves his defense so wide open. A pure wrestler/juijitsu guy has no chance because Chuck is talented in take down defense and good at bombing punches on these guys. In my opinion, his last five fights were the real fights he had aside from Rampage and The Natural. But at the time Randy was mainly a wrestler who didn't match well with Liddell. Dana White says Chuck's chin was stronger. Well, go watch that Rampage fight in Pride. Chuck looked the same as his last five fights. So, to the point, I think Chuck is not done. He was a guy who fought in a weak Light-Heavyweight Division and knocked weak opponents out. Once the Pride guys came over and the sport brought better-rounded fighters Chuck was eliminated. I think he should fight Tito as his last fight to end his career on a high note. He shouldn't fight another real fighter; it's not good for him both health-wise and just to save him the embarrassment. He looked pretty bad last night.
(2) Cro Cop is not a contender. He is a draw because of his Pride success, but he will not stand up to Brock Lesner, Frank Mir, or Shane Carwin. I think he should fight Cain Velasquez or Mir just to test him, but as Fedor said he's broken.
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MMATorch reader SPRAYNARD KRUEGER writes...
(1) I think that Liddell should get one more fight and it should be against Tito Ortiz. That should also be Ortiz's last bout inside the UFC. I would personally just like to see the feud put to an end and see TUF 11 be complete (since Liddell-Ortiz was supposed to happen instead).
As for Cro Cop, I'd like to see either a drop to Light-Heavyweight and a fight with Rich Franklin. Or a fight with Randy Couture would be nice. Bouts with either Big or Little Nog would be great to see, too. Maybe Cro Cop could even take on Luiz Cane; that'd be exciting!
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We want to hear from you on the following topical questions. We'll publish batches of your responses in coming hours...
-Dana White has guaranteed that Chuck Liddell's career as a UFC fighter is over. If Liddell were to fight again, though, what opponent would you like to him against. You can make it clear you don't want to see him fight again when naming the opponent you'd be most interested in seeing him fight if you knew he was going to fight again.
-Mirko Cro Cop got a big win over Pat Barry. Dana White says he Cro Cop told him he wants to finish his MMA career in UFC. What do you think should be next for Cro Cop? Is he a title contender now, one fight away, or several big wins away?
Send your responses to mmatorch@gmail.com.
Also, check back every day this week as MMATorch editor-in-chief Jamie Penick will be writing a five-part series of Career Retrospect articles on Chuck Liddell. Relive his career if you've watched it from the start or learn more about what he accomplished in his career if you've joined in the middle or near the end.
ALERT: Every Tuesday night, listen to the MMATorch Livecast from 9-10:30 p.m. ET or listen now to the most recent shows by clicking here. Listen live this coming Tuesday as Jamie Penick, Rich Hansen, and Matt Pelkey discuss the latest MMA happenings. Online listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmatorch or call into the show at 646-716-8090 to either just listen or participate.
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