Post by Sandy on Nov 17, 2008 17:49:43 GMT -5
"When the UFC returns to London, England, for a show at The 02, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (23-4 MMA, 8-0 UFC) could headline the event -- possibly in a non-title fight at 205 pounds against Chuck Liddell (21-6 MMA, 16-5 UFC).
The Sun, a reputable newspaper from the U.K., reported the possibility of the UFC 95 main event overnight.
However, neither fighter has been officially booked for the Feb. 21 event, and the Silva-Liddell fight is only being discussed a possibility.
"SunSport understands middleweight champion Anderson Silva, 33, has been asked to appear on the card, with a potential bout with light heavyweight star Chuck Liddell already being mooted," the report stated.
If it does pan out, the fight is certain to raise some eyebrows.
While Silva, who's made easy work of the UFC's 185-pound division since his arrival in 2006, has been granted permission to fight in the 205-pound division once before, his fight with James Irvin was largely considered pointless. However, with UFC Fight Night 15 being a late-booked event and in desperate need of a main event to counter Affliction Entertainment's debut event on July 19, the circumstances warranted even a non-ideal booking.
The UFC 95 fight, meanwhile, could be -- and perhaps should be -- criticized on two fronts. Not only would the light-heavyweight fight put the UFC's middleweight title picture on hold again (Silva made just two title defenses in 2008), he'd also be competing against a fighter -- though surely a future UFC hall-of-famer -- who's lost three of his past four fights and whose stock has never been lower. In fact, the 38-year-old Liddell hasn't scored a knockout victory in nearly two years.
Liddell is still a draw, and the fight could be marketed. However, a loss for "The Iceman" could be a disaster and force him into retirement. Worse yet, a loss for Silva would greatly impact his standing as the world's top pound-for-pound fighter and would likely derail any future plans for the 33-year-old Brazilian to fight outside the 185-pound division.
Silva is currently riding a nine-fight win streak, which includes eight consecutive victories in the UFC. None of his UFC fights has gone to a decision, including his most recent title defense. Last month at UFC 90, he defeated Patrick Cote via third-round TKO due to a knee injury suffered by the Canadian fighter. "
this seems pointless. Why does the UFC continue to give Anderson Silva horrible fights when they are trying to bill him as the best P4P fighter in the world? If you want him to jump up and down between MW and LHW how about making some fights that people want to see. Seeing Silva fight a guy who just got KTFO by Rashad Evans doesn't exactly excite me. How about Silva vs. Rampage, Coleman, Griffin, Wanderlei..etc.
Such a pointless fight that I hope does not happen because once again if Anderson wins (which he would) it will be "Oh well he just beat an aging Chuck Liddell, no big deal."
What is everyone elses thoughts on this fight?
*UPDATED*
Bloodyelbow.com has the scoop:
A strong source indicates to Bloody Elbow that Chuck Liddell is currently in negotiations to move to heavyweight in order to fight Randy Couture. The proposed fight would take place on June 13th in Cologne, Germany.
The UFC wants to have Randy on their Germany show because he speaks the language and can do all the promotion. The winner of the fight would face the heavyweight champion in a big fight at the end of the year.
The Sun, a reputable newspaper from the U.K., reported the possibility of the UFC 95 main event overnight.
However, neither fighter has been officially booked for the Feb. 21 event, and the Silva-Liddell fight is only being discussed a possibility.
"SunSport understands middleweight champion Anderson Silva, 33, has been asked to appear on the card, with a potential bout with light heavyweight star Chuck Liddell already being mooted," the report stated.
If it does pan out, the fight is certain to raise some eyebrows.
While Silva, who's made easy work of the UFC's 185-pound division since his arrival in 2006, has been granted permission to fight in the 205-pound division once before, his fight with James Irvin was largely considered pointless. However, with UFC Fight Night 15 being a late-booked event and in desperate need of a main event to counter Affliction Entertainment's debut event on July 19, the circumstances warranted even a non-ideal booking.
The UFC 95 fight, meanwhile, could be -- and perhaps should be -- criticized on two fronts. Not only would the light-heavyweight fight put the UFC's middleweight title picture on hold again (Silva made just two title defenses in 2008), he'd also be competing against a fighter -- though surely a future UFC hall-of-famer -- who's lost three of his past four fights and whose stock has never been lower. In fact, the 38-year-old Liddell hasn't scored a knockout victory in nearly two years.
Liddell is still a draw, and the fight could be marketed. However, a loss for "The Iceman" could be a disaster and force him into retirement. Worse yet, a loss for Silva would greatly impact his standing as the world's top pound-for-pound fighter and would likely derail any future plans for the 33-year-old Brazilian to fight outside the 185-pound division.
Silva is currently riding a nine-fight win streak, which includes eight consecutive victories in the UFC. None of his UFC fights has gone to a decision, including his most recent title defense. Last month at UFC 90, he defeated Patrick Cote via third-round TKO due to a knee injury suffered by the Canadian fighter. "
this seems pointless. Why does the UFC continue to give Anderson Silva horrible fights when they are trying to bill him as the best P4P fighter in the world? If you want him to jump up and down between MW and LHW how about making some fights that people want to see. Seeing Silva fight a guy who just got KTFO by Rashad Evans doesn't exactly excite me. How about Silva vs. Rampage, Coleman, Griffin, Wanderlei..etc.
Such a pointless fight that I hope does not happen because once again if Anderson wins (which he would) it will be "Oh well he just beat an aging Chuck Liddell, no big deal."
What is everyone elses thoughts on this fight?
*UPDATED*
Bloodyelbow.com has the scoop:
A strong source indicates to Bloody Elbow that Chuck Liddell is currently in negotiations to move to heavyweight in order to fight Randy Couture. The proposed fight would take place on June 13th in Cologne, Germany.
The UFC wants to have Randy on their Germany show because he speaks the language and can do all the promotion. The winner of the fight would face the heavyweight champion in a big fight at the end of the year.
ing hilarious.
