Am I the only one who is not excited at all about the Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz fight? For that matter, I am sure there are plenty of people who feel that Liddell would be better off not fighting anymore.
Clearly his better days are behind him and the days of him being relevant in the MMA title picture are behind him. However, there is a fight out there for Liddell that keeps popping up in my head - an all out brawl with none other than Kimbo Slice!
Okay, I know what you are thinking: How is a fight between an irrelevant, (in terms of the MMA landscape) former legend and a backyard brawler with limited MMA skills a fitting Dream Fight? Compared to my previous “Dreams” (Fedor-Lesnar, GSP-Spider, Penn-Aldo), this one is more like a passing daydream you have when your mind wanders, (but it is one of those good daydreams that you are annoyed to be snapped out of).
Despite the limited importance this fight would have in terms of MMA rankings and relevance, it has the potential to be an entertaining fight with mass market appeal and would possibly be a huge draw for the UFC. So what are the chances we see this fight? When, if at all, can we expect to see it, and who would win this (Day)Dream Fight: Chuck Liddell vs. Kimbo Slice?
The idea of a Liddell vs. Kimbo fight is one that has been tossed around since Kimbo’s surprising entrance to the UFC. From a fighting perspective, these are two guys who like to brawl and it would almost certainly be a boxing match where they met in the middle of the Octagon and went at it. Fans always like a good brawl, and I think this fight on its own would be an entertaining one.
However, because of the names involved, the fight has the potential to be more than just a good brawl. This is the type of fight that, although it may upset some of the hardcore fans, has the potential to peak the interest of the casual fan as well. As the numbers have shown, Kimbo has a huge following and has proven to be a big draw. Liddell still remains one of the most recognizable and popular fighters out there and there will always be fans who tune into his fights. This fight can easily be marketed as a co-main event for the UFC on a PPV card, or as the main event on a free card.
If Liddell insists on fighting after the Ortiz fight, I think this is a fight the UFC will consider making for him. I am actually more confident in Liddell winning his fight with Ortiz than Kimbo beating Matt Mitrione in his PPV debut. I like Kimbo. I think he is entertaining and has shown some improvements in his overall game, but as a fighter I just do not see the skills that will take him to the next level. I hope he does get by Mitrione and the UFC matchmakers put this fight together.
The UFC is a business, and Kimbo is good for business. A Liddell-Kimbo fight would be very marketable, and I think everyone, from hardcore to casual fans, would not be able to control their excitement or curiosity for this fight. I have a feeling this is a fight we will all be watching at the end of 2010.
Dream Fight Prediction: As I mentioned earlier, this fight is going to basically be a boxing match in the Octagon. Unlike the Kimbo-Alexander fight, I see these two storming out to the middle of the Octagon and letting loose. Liddell will take a couple of shots and, despite his own questionable chin at this point, he will catch Kimbo with a nasty right that will leave Kimbo flat on the mat. It will be the last great knockout from one of the all time best!
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MMATorch Specialist Adam Schwartzbard presents a "Dream Fight" scenario once a week for MMATorch.com, looking at the pros and cons of the fight taking place, and then predicting how the fight would play out of it happened.
[Kimbo Slice art credit Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]
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How can this possibly be a "dream fight" for anyone?
Jared
16 Feb 2010, 23:41
I'm not particularly interested in this idea. First, I don't trust
Liddell's chin, so I wouldn't be a fan of him fighting anyone that could
turn his lights out again. Yes Kimbo-Liddell would gain some publicity, but
is publicity worth the health risk of putting Liddell in the octagon with a
striker? I think it's better for UFC to protect fighters than to put them
at risk in order to make some money.
Secondly, I am not a fan of it for something brought up in the last
paragraph, and that is Kimbo-Alexander. An all-out brawl is what was
expected in that fight, and it didn't deliver, so I don't see how this one
would be guaranteed to. Kimbo was gun shy with Houston, so one would assume
he would be even more so with a much tougher opponent in the form of
Liddell. Add that with the fact that Liddell is a counter-striker (and
wouldn't be wise to charge people who could KO him) and I think it's more
likely to get a version similar to Kimbo-Alexander than Bonnar-Griffin, or
even Guida-Sanchez.
