With the UFC 76 showdown between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva officially squashed (the latest official write up on UFC.com being the final nail in the coffin) the former light heavyweight champion is still eager to fight in September and November, according to Yahoo!Sports.
Here’s a snip from the “Iceman:”
“I love to fight, so I’d like to do both [September and November] if they want me for both. Bottom line, there aren’t any problems for me to be ready for (November) if I have a fight in September, so I’d like to see them do it.”
The last time Liddell competed twice in such a short timeframe was back in 2003, when after his loss to Randy Couture in June, he participated in PRIDE FC: “Total Elimination” in August of that same year.
Without question, the UFC would love to accommodate his request — Liddell is hands down the biggest draw for the promotion.
The problem is, who the hell does he fight in September, let alone again in November?
When the deal fell through with “The Axe Murderer,” White indicated that there was now a scramble to find a main event for the show in Anaheim, Calif., on September 22.
The extraordinary talent of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will already be on display. However, the Brazilian is up against the ultra tough Ryoto Machida in his Octagon debut.
Jason Lambert, according to MMAWeekly.com, is slated to appear at UFC 76 and his opponent has not been determined.
Regardless, a fight between Liddell and Lambert is hardly the attraction — or the test for Liddell — that fans are going to pay to see.
And rising 205-pounder Rashad Evans is already lined up to rematch Tito Ortiz in his next contest thanks to a disappointing draw at the recent UFC 73 event. In addition, Michel Bisping is booked to face Matt Hamill at UFC 75.
Keith Jardine is available, so too is fan-favorite Forrest Griffin — two popular contestants from The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) series.
Those are the only two options on the table as far as this fan can see it. And Griffin — despite his loss to “The Dean of Mean” — seems like the more favorable option.
Unless I’m missing something, this seems like an uphill battle for the UFC and its matchmaker, Joe Silva.
It makes the prospect of a November return for Liddell seem that much more likely.
Even then it’s a tough call — perhaps the loser of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Dan Henderson at UFC 75 on September 8? Or, the loser of Rua-Machida on September 22?
Time will tell, but the prospect of Liddell fighting in September against a worthy opponent seems highly unlikely now that Silva is out of the picture.
“If Rich [Franklin] looses then I would move up and fight Anderson [Silva]. I would never fight Rich.”
– Former welterweight champion Matt Hughes echoes previous statements in a recent forum post on his official Web site that he wants to fight for the middleweight title provided Rich Franklin is not the champion. “Ace” will challenge incumbent 185-pound king Anderson Silva in November for the middleweight strap. Hughes also has a title fight coming up in December against current 170-pound champ Matt Serra.
I conducted an interview with top middleweight fighter Denis Kang on Wednesday and the transcript of that interview is now available on CBS Sportsline by clicking here.
I asked Denis about his perspective of how Pride was run behind the scenes, discussed his current contract status and what fight promotions he’s speaking with, who he’d like to fight next, and much more.
I also just conducted an interview with another major name from Pride’s past and hope to have that available in the next day or so.
According to Dana White, people from Wandi’s camp told him that he did not want to fight Chuck Liddell. Because of this, the planned fight has been called off. Considering the statement Silva posted on his website a few weeks ago, this raises a lot of eyebrows.
“But the best news is that my fight against Chuck would finally happen. This fight is being commented on, here, in U.S.A and there are no excuses anymore. I´ll make he swallow every word he said about me.Warning to you Chuck: I hope you are training very hard, because I will show you Who Silva is. I´ve never had so much eagerness to win this fight.”
Something isn’t adding up here. Is Wandi injured? Are we to believe he afraid of Chuck? Is there something wrong with the contract? More details to come…
After the UFC spoke with Yahoo! Sports MMA/boxing writer Kevin Iole on Wednesday, the fight promotion has issued a story on its own web site in regard to the breakdown of a potential bout between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva.
UFC.com writer Thomas Gerbasi reiterates most of what had been previously reported by Iole but he was able to speak with Liddell:
“I really wasn’t holding my breath,” Liddell told UFC.com of the latest implosion of a match against Silva. “I was hoping it happened, but if the guy wanted to fight me, he’d fight me.”
The article also essentially confirms a UFCJunkie.com report that a deal was in place at one point while echoing the sentiment expressed in Iole’s article that the fight isn’t happening because of Silva’s doing:
There was a glimmer of hope in the last couple of weeks, when terms were reportedly reached for the two future Hall of Famers to meet at UFC 76 in Anaheim, California, but Wednesday afternoon, a Silva representative informed UFC President Dana White that ‘The Axe Murderer’ did not want the fight.
You can read Gerbasi’s article at UFC.com by clicking here.
All I can say is that the UFC is really going after Silva on this one and it would be sure nice if he issued some kind of response.
The California State Athletic Commission has release fighter payout for UFC 73 and Tito was the big winner with a $210,000 paycheck. Not too shabby for a guy who hasn’t finished a fight outide of Ken Shamrock since 2001 when he scored a TKO over Elvis Sinosic.
Here is the complete reported fighter payouts for UFC 73:
Tito Ortiz — $210,000
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira — $200K ($100K base + $100k win bonus) Anderson Silva — $90K ($45K base + $45K win bonus) Heath Herring — $70K
Stephan Bonnar — $32K ($16K base + $16K win bonus) Sean Sherk — $28K ($14K base + 14K win bonus) Nathan Marquardt — $24K Chris Lytle — $20K ($10K base + $10K win bonus) Rashad Evans — $16K Kenny Florian — $16K ($8K base + $8K win bonus) Jorge Gurgel — $14K ($7K base + $7K win bonus) Hermes Franca — $14K
Frank Edgar — $10K ($5K base + $5K win bonus) Mike Nickels — $5K
Diego Saraiva — $3K
Alvin Robinson — $3K
Jason Gilliam — $3K
Mark Bocek— $3K
*Signing bonuses, sponsorships, pay-per-view percentages and other unofficial payments are not disclosed nor included in the list above.
The total fighter payroll for the UFC 73 was $761,000.
IGN.com posted a trailer for the upcoming UFC video game today. You can check it out by clicking here.
The trailer looks pretty sweet and if it’s an accurate indication of how the game is going to play, I think it could be a big boon to the UFC’s business. Look at what the whole Madden crazy has done to attract younger fans to the NFL. This could have a similar effect for the UFC and expose their fighters to new fans. It will also be a great way to promote fighters and increase the public’s awareness.
Oh well, I didn’t 100% expect it to happen anyway. I dont think Wanderlei Silva is the same fighter he once was, plus he would have to be roid-free to fight for the UFC. Well, I guess he would, unless his piss test didn’t show up until after the fight.
Anyway, UFC president Dana White said Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva will not be fighting Septempber 22 in Anaheim, California. He also told Yahoo!’s Kevin Iole that the fight between the former champions would probably never happen now.
Dana White is quoted as saying “I have done everything in my power I could do over the last six years to make this fight and it’s still not happening, I just don’t see it happening now.”
According to Dana White, he was informed by someone representing Silva that he didn’t want to fight Chuck Liddell. I believe it, too.
Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva has been a fantasy match-up for MMA fans for a long time, but if it ever happens, I have a feeling Silva will be just a fragment of what he once was, and Chuck Liddell is not getting any younger either, although I suspect he’ll be around the sport a lot longer than Wanderlei Silva. Whether or not Chuck Liddell will still fight in September has not been decided.
Discuss Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva on our new MMA Forum!
Standout U.S. kickboxer Duke Roufus has announced via the Underground forum that he’ll be making his MMA debut on September 29 for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships in Atlantic City, NJ. Roufus claims he’ll be fighting Derek Panza. The main event for the show is scheduled to be Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott.
Here are some notes from other MMA promotions:
Wesley “Cabbage” Correia has been scratched from this Saturday’s Cage Rage 22 card in the UK due to injury, according to Cage Rage’s web site. Former UFC veteran Kimo Leopoldo has been tapped to step in and fight James Thompson in Correia’s place. If Thompson wins does it mean he gets the million dollar bounty offered by New Era Fighting (j/k)? The card will be streamed on ProElite.com starting at 1 p.m. ET.
Bodog Fight will be holding their first-ever card in the U.S. this Saturday in Trenton, NJ. Eddie Alvarez is in the main event against Matt Lee. The show will not be airing on PPV but will instead be taped for future airing on the Ion network. I’ll be attending the card. If you’re going to be in the building as well, feel free to e-mail me at SCaplan8@comcast.net.
Full Contact Fighter (FCFighter.com) is reporting that Ricco Rodriguez was denied entry into Canada meaning that his scheduled fight next Saturday against Ron Waterman is off. His camp is unaware of any reason as to why he would not be allowed into the country. Joe Riggs is also scheduled for the card.
With the UFC 76 showdown between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva officially squashed (the latest official write up on UFC.com being the final nail in the coffin) the former light heavyweight champion is still eager to fight in September and November, according to Yahoo!Sports.
