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By: Jason Bent, MMATorch Columnist Our co-main event of the evening is such because of the fact that this is a Chuck Liddell fight. Liddell is still arguably the most popular UFC fighter, and it is without doubt that he is the most well known by virtue of his success in the sport as well as his trademark Mohawk. Mauricio Rua is not as well known to the masses, but to the hardcore fight fans he is a big name in his own right and was up until recently thought to have been the best light heavyweight in the world, but his star has lost much of its shine in his recent outings. Had this fight taken place two years ago it would have been between the two best in the world at this weight and had been for Chuck’s UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
While this one has lost its marquee value it is even more important now for both men, as so much more is at stake. A victory in this bout could prove that both men have something left in the tank, and a loss just makes it even more clear that their time of dominance has passed. Rua still needs to show the UFC fans that he was worthy of all his hype due to his success in Pride, and Liddell still needs to show that he can be a factor in this division and is not simply a bankable name. This is the perfect match up for both in that respect, and if both men come into this fight in their best shape and sufficiently motivated for victory, it is possible that this one could steal the show and be the fight of the night.
Chuck Liddell is still one of the most proven draws in the UFC, and its most familiar face to both casual and hardcore fans alike, but the end of his career is near; and recently he has been more of a big name than a big fighter. He has lost three of his last four bouts, with his only win during that time coming against Wanderlei Silva, who may very well be past his prime also. At the time of his victory over Silva it appeared as if both of the men were back, in that they gave such a great showing, but in hindsight it seems more logical to believe that both have been on the decline and as such were equals on the night of UFC 79. His losses have come at the hands of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Keith Jardine and most recently it was Rashad Evans putting an "L" on Liddell’s record with a brutal 2nd round knockout during their main event bout at UFC 88. Liddell can continue to fight for the UFC even if he does lose another fight or two, and along the way he can still collect some nice paychecks, but if he harbors any hope of going out on top it is a must that he defeat "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97, and he must do so in spectacular fashion.
Chuck Liddell has trained at "The Pit" under the watchful gaze of longtime trainer John Hackleman, and while everyone can and should respect his loyalty to those who have brought him to the dance it has been considered thickheaded of him not to have sought out additional coaching to better his game. The most glaring weakness that I can see is Liddell’s loss of his reflexes, and this is a natural progression as age will do this to all of us; but what this has meant for Chuck is that he can no longer get away with the sloppy defense which has been a trademark of his game for so many years. Liddell drops his hands often and at times will do so while stepping backwards, which is a recipe for disaster and what brought him defeat at the hands of Jackson at UFC 71. It has been painfully clear to all of us that this old dog seemed unwilling to learn any new tricks, and this is why recent reports of his working out with American Top Team have been both shocking and intriguing at the same time.
John Hackleman told Fighthype in December that Liddell would be training with American Top Team in an effort to round out his skills and try to take advantage of their wonderful group of guys, and this is what makes it seem possible for Chuck to return to some of his former glory. By no means can Liddell fully alter his fighting style, nor should he throw it all out and start again at this stage, but he could perhaps work on bringing back his wrestling game while shoring up his defensive skills. Liddell can make up for lost reflexes by working on technique, and perhaps after suffering such a defeat at the hands of Evans it became painfully clear to him that something needed to change. John Hackleman is from all accounts a great guy, and someone you would love to have in the foxhole with you as you prepare for battle, but I think his relationship with Liddell got a little too comfortable and as a result it became increasingly hard for Hackleman to point out the errors of his friend’s ways. That is why a change of scenery could have been the best thing for him, and any time spent with American Top Team will surely signify that we could be seeing a return to the old winning ways for Liddell while possibly seeing a new "Iceman."
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was a monster just a few years ago. Just over two years ago he was coming off of a victory over Alistair Overeem at Pride 33 and sitting comfortably at the top of many a light heavyweight top ten list. Rua’s only loss in Pride was to Mark Coleman at Pride 31, and was due to a dislocated elbow which came after landing awkwardly when Coleman took him down. A win is a win, but most considered this a fluke win for Coleman and Rua was still considered one of the world’s best who happened to suffer a freak injury and nothing more. We fast forward two years later and no one is considering Rua to be one of the world’s very best light heavyweights due to his loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 76 and his uninspiring victory over Coleman at UFC 93. Rua may have gotten back on the winning track against Coleman and avenged his loss, but he raised more questions by virtue of his performance which made it seem like we were seeing an altogether different fighter. From all accounts it seemed as if the man who once was poised to rule the division was now a shot fighter at the young age of 27.
Rua failed miserably in his UFC debut against Forrest Griffin, but this was chalked up to a knee injury suffered in training which prevented him from arriving in top cardiovascular shape. It was also said that he re-injured this knee during the fight with Griffin which only made things worse, and while no one wishes to take anything away from Griffin, it was considered that he got a lucky win by facing a half-strength "Shogun."
Rua would get his chance to avenge an earlier loss and to prove all of his detractors wrong as he was set to take on Mark Coleman in the co-main event of UFC 93. Rua did get the victory in scoring a 3rd round TKO over Coleman, and the both of them took home a handsome bonus for "Fight of the Night," but this was a miserable showing from the man who once was considered the best 205 lb. fighter in the world. He was in horrendous shape and should have been able to finish off a gassed Mark Coleman much earlier, but the two of them were sucking wind by the end of the first round in a war of attrition. Coleman at 44 years of age hadn’t fought in well over two years, and he remained in this fight because Rua was simply not the fighter he once was. A prime Coleman would have decimated this version of Rua, and there is no excuse for this considering that he was reportedly healthy and injury-free for once. It seems as if Rua had grown lazy or lost his competitive fire, and few UFC fans who had never followed Pride would not have believed you if you were to tell them that Rua was once the very best. Rua had become yet another Pride fighter who had failed miserably in transferring his success from the rings of Japan to the Octagon of the UFC.
If Mauricio "Shogun" Rua wishes to even be considered for a future title shot or even the chance to fight a contender it is going to take either a victory in this fight or the performance of a lifetime in losing. Rua can ill afford to arrive in poor cardiovascular shape and be gasping for breath by the end of the first round against what should be a very motivated Liddell. This is the epitome of a crossroads bout, and it is a bout which would have been a dream match had it taken place just two years ago. If this fight were to have been signed for April of 2007 it would have been gushed over by the hardcore fans and sold as the fight between the two best light heavyweights on the planet. As it stands it is still a fight many would like to see, but given their recent outings it is likely that this could be a letdown of major proportions. Two men who once were positioned to have it all in this sport are now facing off for the chance to see which of them can make the most of what is left. The man who wants it more will win on Saturday night.
Bent’s Prediction: Chuck Liddell by way of TKO in the early stages of Round 2
Both men are KO artists, but at this point we have a fight between the ugly boxing of Liddell and the Muay Thai of Rua, which has never been all that technically sound. Both men have been highly effective in their careers but along the way have picked up bad habits as far as their respective techniques.
I look for Chuck Liddell to utilize his wrestling to take Rua down while both throwing off the game of "Shogun" and grinding him down. This causes me to envision a tired Rua getting a little lazy and dropping his hands with Chuck finding himself back in the winner’s circle with one shot.
A win will not place either man in title contention for now, but an impressive victory for Liddell could go a long way towards creating the possibility for him to get a final title shot. Liddell is a bankable draw and arguably the biggest name in all of MMA, so as long as he can win, and in higlight-reel fashion, it would suggest that a rematch with Rashad Evans or a bout with Lyoto Machida could take place down the road at some point. Liddell’s best days are behind him but with a win over Rua he can still have some big fights and the paydays which come with them before he hangs them up for good.
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