UFC 88 post-mortem
All right, so by now you've probably heard that Rashad Evans knocked out Chuck Liddell. Cold. With one punch. As much as I don't care for Evans' showboating, you have to respect his abilities.
The first question is where does this leave The Iceman? Fighters can come back from devastating knockout losses. Wanderlei Silva did it - he had back-to-back knockout losses, courtesy of Cro Cop and Hendo. Before the fight with Rashad, Chuck talked about making another run at the title, implying that it would be a great way to end his career, but he also talked about fighting for years to come - a little Randy Couture, anyone?
Maybe it's time to get a new trainer. I know Chuck considers John Hackleman family, but something might need to be fixed. Jerod Phillips, who owns Tap or Sleep fightwear, hit the proverbial nail on the head: They finally started figuring Chuck out. He throws looping punches, and he keeps his hands down low. Couture, in their first meeting, got inside and dirty boxed him, evading the looping, yet dangerous bombs that Chuck can unleash.
Rashad was just quicker. Chuck fired off an uppercut that looked to be dead-on. It was just that Rashad's overhand right hit the mark first. Not surprising when you consider there's 10 years between them, possibly 11, as Chuck is about to turn 39 and Rashad is 28.
The LHW is the most stacked division in the UFC, and can only get more so. The WEC folding its LHW division into the UFC, so that means welcoming former WEC champ Brain Stann and current champ Steve Cantwell. And what about Ricardo Arona? The Brazilan, long criticized for his lay-n-pray, is nowhere to be found. Even so, Chuck can still be a force in the Octagon. He can still dish out some beatings. Myabe the UFC will see him as a gate-keeper for the yolunger guys and new arrivals. Hopefully, he'll take a long rest, enjoy his family, get some fresh ideas for training, and meet with Dana White to see what's next on the horizon.
The second question is where does the fight leave Rashad? It appears White answered that question earlier today. You know that title shot against Forrest Griffin that Chuck was going to get if he beat Rashad? Guess what? Rashad gets it now. That's going to be a fight. We know Forrest can take a ton of punishment and has a great coach and game-planner in Randy Couture. But Rashad has an equally great coach in Greg Jackson. We'll probably see that match-up at the UFC's New Year's Eve show.
As far as LHW contenders, I said on Saturday that Lyoto Machida is without an opponent. Of the top 10, (according to WAMMA), Liddell just got knocked out, Thiago Silva is injured, Henderson seems to be concentrating on the 185 division, Evans is fighting Forrest, and Rua is probably still hurt. Why not either Wanderlei Silva or Rampage Jackson? I know the two of them have been rumored to fight, but extreme situations call for extreme measures. Or maybe Keith Jardine, but he's coming off a tough loss to Wnderlei Silva, so the UFC might see how he does against a lesser-known opponent before throwing him back in against top guys. Or maybe the UFC will import Arona to go against Machida?
It really beats me. If only I could see inside the brains of both Dana White and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva simultaneously.
