Vs.

Quinton Jackson (Challenger)

Chuck Liddell (champion) vs. Quinton Jackson (challenger)

The history of the rematch® between Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has been pounded into our skulls to the point that I will only briefly touch on the high-points below:

1.  Liddell’s corner threw in the towel after Jackson took Chuck down and thrashed him when the pair met in the semi-finals of Pride’s Final Conflict tournament in (November) 2003.
2.  Since then Rampage was KO’d twice by Wanderlei Silva, stopped by Mauricio Rua and struggled in decision wins against Murilo “Ninja” Rua and Matt “The Law” Lindland.
3.  After the loss to Jackson, Chuck started drinking Xyience…then KO’d Randy Couture (twice) and Tito Ortiz (twice).

It’s no mystery that both men have taken different paths since the first go round. Liddell has established his place at the top of the sport; Jackson has not.

Chuck Liddell is the rarest of breeds in that he has become famous and enjoys partying with the Hollywood types, yet can seemingly be unfazed by the cush living, return to camp (The Pit with trainer John Hackleman in this case), get completely focused and actually get better.

From my observation, most fighters who dabble in “acting” and the glitzy life that sometimes accompanies it (clubs, late nights, expensive women) usually start getting their asses kicked inside the (ring or) cage by a hungry soul without an acting career. The “Wild On” lifestyle usually leaves fighters soft, mentally at least, and distracted. Chuck has so far been the exception.

Plus Liddell has perfected his Sherman tank style that has worked so well when dispatching wrestling/grappling based MMA fighters (Couture, Ortiz, Jeremy Horn and Renato Sobral). He waits, defends the takedown (if necessary), swats his opponent upside the head and then poses with his belt in the aftermath. Chuck is truly riding high at the moment.

Quinton Jackson still talks the talk, but gone is the swaggering, cursing, rough-edged monstrosity of bygone years. He is now jovial, “charming” and humorous, which still makes for fairly good pre-fight TV. One note though: before his persona seemed a little bit less rehearsed. He seemed like he was flying by the seat of his pants. And his fighting style was problematic because of the same things – his opponents didn’t know what to expect.

But does he still have the fire? Was it the two KOs to Wanderlei Silva that sent him into a period of self-doubt and/or a future of pre-fight anxiety? Regardless he will need his full capabilities in this match. Liddell’s mind is thinking of one thing only, to set right his last unavenged loss.

I know that Rampage has redesigned his technical facility over the last couple of years. But this match is not about technique, it about getting to the other guy first.

To win this rematch® Jackson must take it back to the beginning and unleash the “old” Rampage, who frightened his adversaries with his raging unpredictability. He must stand right up to Chuck, get him into a street brawl and hurt the Iceman to get him out of his game, just like he did in the first match.

Quinton needs to fight with emotion, the kind of emotion that he refers to as when he “blacks out”…and the ‘other’ Quinton Jackson flashes into action, the one who has convincingly demolished past opponents (both professionally and in more than a few personal situations).

Breaking this down in general terms, Jackson has two things that may pose a threat (again): knockout punching power and the bravado to stand in the pocket and trade. When Quinton pulls the trigger and decides to hit you it can create a problem. In facing Chuck here “Rampage” must forget about ‘thinking’ and only ‘do’. He must push the tempo and incorporate low kicks to set up his punch combos. He must ‘be first’.

Depending on which Quinton shows up, Liddell just needs to keep doing what he has been for the last three years, counter punch with fistic destruction. A good deal of attention has been placed on Jackson’s ability to hit hard, but let’s not forget “The Iceman’s” abilities in this very department. He may be the heavier puncher at this point in time, based solely on his stats (7 straight KO wins).

In some ways this fight depends on how Quinton executes. If he comes to rumble it will be exciting and would probably end with whoever lands first. If Jackson comes in and fights a calm strategic fight though, this could actually be dull.

I believe that both gents have a strong chance of winning.
 

Vs.

Ivan Salaverry

It’s great (and overdue) to see Ivan Salaverry back inside the Octagon® again. Martin is a dangerous, if not predictable opponent. Ivan can outslick him but has to be careful of Terry’s powder keg punches.

Vs.

Karo Parisyan

“The People’s Champion” (Burkman) against “The Heat” (Parisyan)…this fight has all the markings of a classic. Both men are fighting for title contention; both men know the other’s strength and weaknesses.

To win Burkman must set a torrential pace and get Parisyan moving backwards by using a lot of striking while standing. Karo can be victorious by going back to his roots and reminding people of why he was world ranked in Judo.

Vs.

Keith Jardine

Vs.

Chris Leben

Kalib Starnes is a real threat on the mat, especially if he gets your back (3 of his victories have come by way of rear naked choke).

Chris Leben, A.K.A. “The Crippler”, was the driving force behind the first season of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show, mainly for his fowl mouth behavior while intoxicated. But he has lost two of his last three matches in the UFC.

I’m not saying Chris necessarily needs to start attending AA meetings, but he has to take Kalib seriously. A win here would surely set him up for the long anticipated rematch® with Mike Swick (Leben KO’d Swick a few years back and Mike has wanted revenge ever since) and more.
 

Vs.

James Irvin

Thiago Silva (9-0, 7 TKOs, 1 submission) epitomizes the Chute Boxe style: he gets things done by bashing his opponents to smithereens. James “Sandman” Irvin (12-3, 9 TKOs, 2 submissions) used to have the same M.O., but has worked recently to round out his game and dropped a few fights along the way. I can’t see this one going the distance.
 

Vs.

Eric Schafer

Sean Salmon could easily have become the overnight “Reverse King of The Highlight Reel” by his head-kick knockout loss to Rashad Evans in his UFC® debut in January (2007). But this affable gent (and highly decorated wrestler) is back to show that he is more than just a fall guy for TUF graduates.

Promising Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer is coming off a TKO loss himself (to Michael Bisping in December 2006), so his cause, like Sean’s, of getting back into the winner’s circle is urgent.

And just because both these gladiators like to end things with a submission doesn’t mean that we won’t see one of Salmon’s Chris Farley-esque “Beverly Hills Ninja” flying roundhouse kicks zip through the air at some point.

Vs.

Din Thomas

Jeremy Stephens has an awesome record of 8-1, with 6 TKOs and one submission. But I am not familiar with ay of the names of his victims. Soooo…he will get his UFC® welcome courtesy of someone I am familiar with, Din “Dinyero” Thomas. Mr. Thomas has battled some of the best in the business (BJ Penn, Jens Pulver, Matt Serra) and seems to be at the top of his game right now. This is not a good thing for a newcomer like Stephens.