Liddell Looking Toward Title Shot After Rashad
During a recent chat with MMANews.com, “The Iceman” Chuck Liddell responded to a question regarding where he thinks he stands in terms of getting another crack at the light-heavyweight crown:
“After I beat Rashad I think I deserve the next title shot.”
Liddell went on to discuss Anderson Silva’s venture into the light heavyweight division, as well as a hypothetical match up between the two:
“Anderson Silva is a tough fighter. If anyone can move up and do it I think he could do it. It’s another 20 lbs to him, so it’s a big jump. I think there are a lot of good fights for him at 205…Sure, it could be a good fight but I think I’m too big for him. He’s a tough fighter and I have all the respect in the world for him but I think I’d be too much for him.”
So there you have it. Chuck thinks that a win over the underwhelming Rashad Evans should put him next in line for a title shot, and believes that he would be able to handle “The Spider” at 205 pounds. I don’t know that I agree with Liddell on either matter, but confidence is always a vital commodity for a fighter. Liddell is also pretty chummy with Dana White, so who knows, maybe he will get that ever-sought-after title shot sooner than later. Don’t they always say its not what you know…
Tags: Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell, Rashad Evans
Chuck will get Rashad but i dont think he would mtach up with the Spider to well… truth Rashad had a hard time with Tito and chuck walks through Tito like a warm knife in cold butter…
I like chuck and all but I dont think he deserves another title shot when he beats Evans… I think he needs to fight Shogun and the winner gets the title shot unless Griffin wins……
That would be a great fight .. would love to see it I am not so sure chuck would handle the spider but I know it would be a great fight
I think he needs to fight one more after Evans then the title shot… but for his sake he better pray Forrest wins the title cause Chuck hasnt been able to beat Rampage
i think chuck would beat both of them and he does deserve a title shot if he beats rashad he cant wait for shougun he wont be ready til december with his injury chuck will fight rampage at ufc 91 dec 27 chuck will knock him out very fast
I agree with Krav about Chuck needing another win after Evans.I add that at least one of the two wins needs to be awe inspiring to get the fans to pay for a card.This is if Rampage holds next week.Personally I think he drops it and its Forrest Liddell on Superbowl Saturday 2009.
chuck and silva was one of the best fights ever
I dont know if he needs another fight or not he is the greatest light heavyweight champion in ufc history. if he does have to fight again i think it does need to be either shogun or anderson silva depending on the outcome of his fight with the sandman and i think liddell vs. jackson III will playout a lot differently than the second fight as long as he sticks to his game plan and doesnt fight jacksons fight. i am a huge fan of the knockout but if he takes rampage down a couple of times like he did against wanderlei just to keep him off balance the knockout will come at the hands of chuck liddell this time but he also need to throw a lot of leg kicks and then mix it up with some kicks to the body and maybe a high kick once in a while. but this is assuming jackson gets past forrest and i know everybody is counting forrest out but not me because if they knew who was going to win they wouldnt fight. and i dont know who i want to win because i hate to see rampage win i would rather it be forrest but i like forrest enough that i dont want to see him have to fight liddell and i dont mind if rampage wins because chuck needs to avenge that loss.
i tink it is close to call with chuck and silva but if he beats evans there is still wanderli silva thiago silva sogun and even though he is boring and i dont like hime i hate to say LYOTO MACHIDA.
I disagree with you guys in a way. It was his title for awhile. At one point in time it was thought that he would make a Matt Hughes like run with the title.
He was the face of the UFC. He was in interviews and even on the cover of ESPN magazine.
If Hughes, Sherk, Franklin (2nd time), and Randy got a title shot when they did I don’t see a problem with Chuck.
As for Shogun… I don’t think he deserves a shot at Chuck right now. I think he is one win away from Chuck. Sure he got beat by Griffin, but he is 0-1 in the UFC…
liddel is good but im not so sure how much the spyder is going to lose while going to 205 but we will see and i agree i am sure that liddel will be getting a shot soon i am not sure that it will be after defeating rashad but hey like you said they are pretty chummy lol
i agree and chuck i think would have only needed one win except how brutal the loss to rampage was but even still maybe one win but that was his second loss to rampage and even still maybe only one win then he lost a not so great fight to keith jardine but the wanderlei silva fight was great and the division is stacked so it is tought to say. lets not forget i think i am the biggest iceman fan on here and he had 4 consecutive title defenses and if he beat rampage he would have tied tito ortiz and matt hughes record of 5 consecutive but i am not worried about it he will get his title back regardless of who holds it
the thing about liddel is he always sells his pay preview that would explain the chumminess between him and dana chuck is great for buisness. but rashad may counteract that lol
Curtis is right in that we are confusing what’s in the sports interest vs the company.I just think too many people know Rampage beat Chuck twice so a third is a hard sell.While a fight with Forrest is a cash cow.
The way he’s talking he is already looking past Evans.. He might get beat looking ahead
I like Chuck ,but 1-2 ,and he thinks he is the number 1 contender ,no way !He should have to fight like 3 more matches ,there is lyoto machida ,thiago silva that are undefeated no loses ,not 1 especially not 2 .he should have to fight lyoto machida then he deserves a shot .His only victory is over silva who had lost his last three until jardine ,so how does he get a shot
I agree with Sean. He sounds almost over-confident. He may look past Rashad, granted Rashad has had some lackluster fights (Bisping and Tito), but I think he has improved and could just pull it off. I am definitely cheering for him, mainly because I don’t want to see Rampage-Chuck 3. The light heavies are a great group, they could sell like 6 different fights as main events.
Your sounding like a real McAsshole. lol just kidding.
I want chuck to win, but if he wins he should def not get a title shot. A good fight after that is against machida for the number one contender spot.
at this point chucks chin is suspect. if he can’t land the bombs he is in serious trouble against a capable striker. funny how some guys can’t get by certain fighters, yet dominate others. i may be wrong but i think Anderson would bring too much heat for chuck at this stage of his career. i also think rampage has chucks number just like chuck has Tito’s.
Curtis brought up a good point…. I also believe that if he wins he gets another title shot
Scott,
Maybe Thiago Silva and Lyoto should fight with the winner fighting Wand to be the number 1 contender.
Chuck may be 1-2 in his last 3 fights but that includes a loss to the current champ and a war against someone that matched up with him stylistically.
Curtis, So, you’re saying after the Forrest-Rampage fight, we have to wait another year to see the best division in the UFC have a title fight. That would be retarded even for Dana, well, I guess I could see it happen. I agree with Scott, even though Chuck and Dana are boys or whatever, I cannot see Chuck getting in line ahead of Lyoto and/or Thiago.
i agree with joseph
Liddell is all sh**. He doesn’t deserve a title shot. He needs another fight. I think Lyoto Machida deserves a shot at the winner of Rampage/Forrest.
chuck would destroy thiago
I love Chuck but he is getting old. It seems he has been punched, kicked and dropped on his head far too many times. Confidence is great…….under estimating is a terrible mistake. I hope to see Anderson vs Chuck and I will definitely put money on the Spider. I won’t even be surprised if Rashad beats Chuck…..Hopefully Chuck wins but if he is going in over confident he is in danger of losing just like he did aganst Keith Jardine.
I think after Chuck beats Rashad he deserves the title shot because he beat the man (Wandy) who is gonna make a violent comeback and be the number one contender very soon.
I can’t wait to see Liddell vs Jackson 3 and Silva vs. Jackson 3. I would also like to see Rampage fight Shogun again.
chuck is going to murder rashad.. though i DO NOT wanna see him fight rampage again. nothing good will come from that. lol. chuck’s punches are too acurate for lyoto.. he could run all that he wanted but chuck would catch him…
and those of you that think that dana would make chuck wait till after lyoto or thiago, you are in denial of how strong chuck and dana’s friendship is…
Since it’s always about the money wouldn’t Chuck Vs. Spider be the most marketable event for the Dana? Seems the right test for both if they get Win vs. their next opponents. A win for Chuck shows he belongs in the top 5 205’s and a win for Spider shows he’s got some crazy Michael Mayers/ Jason Voorhees gene’s. He wants to challenge himself - Chucks’ the right fight.
ofcourse dana and chuck are good friends they basically both made eachother who they are (chuck made the ufc and dana white wat it is right now)
But to say that chuck deserves a shot after he beats rashad is a long shot in the dark, i mean im a hardcore fan of the sport, and if rampage wins against forrest (which he will) I wont even be interested to see him fight chuck again, i mean c’mon rampage killed chuck (twice) its not even a rubber match, doesnt make no sense, thats like asking to see franklin get his face smashed in by anderson silva again, who wants to see that…. in short terms i wont even by that ppv i wont even illegally download it, Chuck jus cant beat rampage it wont ever happen.
On another note why should chuck get a shot, wat about the others that are knocking at the door like Thiago Silva Or Machida, they should bang it out and the winner of that fight should be next in line for a shot at rampage…. I guess its all about that paper chase in the ufc and thats what is killing our beautiful sport.. :’( am I wrong here???
i agree with chuck he will be to much for evens and would beat silva. chuck is back!! hes got the hunger back and is not going to stop until he gets rampage again, mark my word chuck the iceman liddell will be champ again!!
Chuck would be better off letting Wand fight for the title cos Wand will beat Rampage and then taking the title of him. Silva’s style suits Chuck better, I think it would be a shame for Chuck to get dominated off Rampage for a 3rd time.
ravine you dont know much about the sport chuck was hurt the first time they fought and the second he just got caught it happens no diffrent from sera knocking out gsp i think its funny how people are so quick to write of chuck he is one of the best fighters of all time i think he will beat rampage but for you to say he has no chance agaisnt him you dont know much about the sport
I think if we ever see Chuck and Lyoto fight, that could possibly be the most boring fight ever. Yes, Chuck is an exciting fighter when someone is engaging and attacking him. they both are great counter punchers, both cautious, and both would put me to sleep in that fight. Chuck would destroy Thiago, watch the Houston Alexander fight again and you’ll see why. So, Shogun needs to take Lyoto,a nd Chuck and Thiago, than who ever looks better get s the title shot.
Probably true - being chummy with Dana White trumps any sort of fighter rankings as far as the next LHW title shot. But I don’t think Chuck’s title shot is a foregone conclusion. Shogun, Thiago Silva, and Lyoto Machida are also in the running, and Chuck has stated that he wants a rematch with Jardine. A few more fights need to happen before the next contender is determined.
LETS GO CHUCK AND GET YOUR BELT BACK… WALK THROUGH RASHAD AND GET THE BELT BACK
If Griffen wins the title this weekend, and Liddell beats Evans, chuck will definitely get the next title shot. Griffen-vs-Liddell is a very compelling match up with a good story line….First TUF alumni to win a world title….first ever match up between TUF contestant and TUF coach….TUF season 1 winner versus his coach from that season….coach versus student….teacher versus pupil….and so on and so forth!
If Rampage defends his title successfully this weekend, and Chuck beats Evans, I don’t think Chuck should be given the next title shot. I think he needs at least one more solid win if Rampage is still the champ by then. To be honest, I think Machida deserves the shot first, if Rampage is still the champ at that time.
Please dear lord let Chuck beat the snot out of Rashad. I’ve disliked Rashad since his c*cky antics in TUF where he was sticking his chin out to his opponent and thinking he was Ali. Bah.
However, not sure if you guys noticed, but the Tito/Rashad fight had an incredibly funny moment. When the ref was giving them instructions both of them were dancing and dancing and dancing at each other. I laughed so hard.
blane
agreed
Dannyboy, I remember something like that. I did hate Rashad on the show, but since then he seems to have gotten his cockiness under control.
please refrain from insulting other posters, people.
Blane,
Chuck is the man isn’t he? He is back alright. I mean, his win over wandy was the best fight I seen in ages. Rashad will get stomped on, and shown up for the not so good fighter he is.
As for machida, well, he was just far to bloody slow and boring for me against Tito, tito was getting so damn frustrated cos he was almost running to fight him. Machida could do with getting his teeth knocked down his neck, preferably by chuck. But, I do think chuck should have another shot after he beats rashad, ( yes he will beat him )
Like Blane said, chuck is one of the BEST p4p fighters still in there. He got caught with rampage, big deal, chuck has KO’d the best before this. I don’t want to see him fight machida, cos machida will only win by running away alot and just scraping thru.
I rekon machida ought to fight bloody kalib Starnes, now that will be an interesting fight, even if they are in a different weight class,lol.
Who will run into eachother first??lol.
I’m not sure Chuck will get past Evans, If he does, the excitement he adds to the sport will be good.
There’s nothing unusual with Chuck believing he deserves another title shot after he beats Rashad. Previously dominant champs always get a fast track to a rematch. Sure, he lost to Jardine, but the fight was a very close decision. Then he comes back and beats the guy who beat Rampage twice and looks great doing it. That erases the Jardine loss and then some. So, then he’s matched up with Rua, the last guy to beat Rampage. He gets past him and a title shot is a certainty, since he would have cleaned out Rampage’s top competition before he could get to them. But Rua gets hurt and Rashad becomes his replacement.
Rashad is good, but a 100% Chuck (still concerned about him coming back too quick from the hammy injury) KO’s him every time. If Chuck is a little off from the injury Rashad might actually be able to outwrestle him. If he tries to stand, Chuck is light years ahead of his striking game. Back before the Bisping fight I heard some nonsense about the winner being top 5 in the division. I didn’t agree with that, but it shows that Rashad is fairly high on the food chain at this point. If Chuck beats him in impressive fashion he deserves another title shot.
Let’s face it, Chuck is getting up there in years and there’s no need to run him through the gauntlet to get a rematch with Rampage (guess I shouldn’t assume he beats Forrest, but he’s such a huge favorite I will for now). Their last fight was very disappointing. I hate flash knockouts in highly anticipated fights. Those guys need to do it again and Chuck deserves a last shot at glory. He needs to fight Rampage when he’s the hungry contender, not the PR-extended, talk show dozing champ.
At his best, he gives Rampage a run for his money like few can. Machida isn’t going anywhere, he’ll get his shot eventually.
mburtoni
i agree with the silva an machida in line for a shot but how do u get that shogun is in line for a shot?? he needs to beat at least 2 names before he gets put in the picture!
whats up ryan-s no doubt chuck is the man he destroyed any in his path for years and he gets caught against rampage and losing a close fight to jardine which i think chuck won and people all the sudden dont think he is top 5 light heavyweight i would like someone to tell me 5 fighters better than him.
Evans finds a way to win…Its not flashy maybe that changes in Sept?
Here’s the top 5 LHW right now, IMO:
1. Rampage
2. Liddell
3. Machida
4. Wandy
5. Forrest Griffin.
And apart from Forrest, that’s the order I see them getting a title shot.
here is my top 5 1.chuck i know rampage is the champ but i have no doubt that will change in december 2.rampage it pains me because i cant stand him 3.silva i think he is great look at his recent losses liddell henderson cro cop not bums 4.machida boring but talented 5.rashad very good fighter i cant wait to be at ufc 88 i got pretty good tickets but chuck will be to much
Chuck can not beat Rampage J, hes had 2 shots at it once at Pride Gp 2003 and lost Horribly to him and the second fight in the ufc and same same result knocked out again. the fact jackson beat him twice in to different Orgs and in two different fighting surfaces the ring and the cage. i just dont see old man chuck pulling it off. rampage is a great fighter but if anyone could beat him its silva. i would love to see shogun fight him when he returns to his full potential.
anderson silva will not be able to overpower liddell like he does to the middleweights. liddell is to big and will knock him out
i agree with gino here is someone overrated tiago silva if he cant get it to the ground with a great striker it would be a short night for him take chuck or rampage who he couldnt get to the ground it would be a nightmare for him
If it wasnt for Tito grabbing the fence, Rashad has a loss on his record. And Look what chuck did to Tito. Who has Rashad beaten to prove himself? OK, Bisping barely? ANd who has Bisping beaten? Nobody. Rashad won’t last too long with Chuck. Evans is way too overreated and I cant wait to see Chuck walk through him. I hope they book a T.Silva/Machida match-up to see who’s for real! such a stacked division!T. Silva is not overrated. the guys a beast.
chuck needs a title shot but he has to earn it a little bit more, maybe he can fight another contender or if rampage loses then he can get the final chapter with him see if he can avenge the first two losses. i am excited to watch brandon vera smack some guys around at 205 when is his first fight at 205 gonna be anyone know???
Chuck KO’s Evans in the 1st.
And will Ko Silva in the 2nd.
Chuck is right he will be too much for Anderson as will be Irvin on July 19th.
We need a rematch on chuck silva.
Chuck will have to come out on fire to KO Evans in the first.I know he’s seasoned but it is only natural to be apprehnsive after that injury and Chuck will be a little slow.That plays into Evans hands.Rashad has had a name fight before so he will not be scared and the crowd will be in his corner.It could be a long night for Chuck.
Your sounding like a real McAsshole. lol just kidding.
I want chuck to win, but if he wins he should def not get a title shot. A good fight after that is against machida for the number one contender spot, I do think machida needs one more fight before getting a title shot. AND machida’s a good fighter. Just becuz people can’t figure him out doesn’t mean they can make excuses and **** about fighting him. BECUZ THEY KNOW THERE GOING TO LOOSE. IF YOUR A REAL FIGHTER YOU CAN BRING THE FIGHT TO MACHIDA AND NOT LET HIM DO HIS THING!
I DISAGREE I THINK CHUCK DOES DESERVE A TITLE SHOT… AFTER HE SMASHES EVANS…
revjames13 Your sooo off on your Top 5
Here’s the top 5 LHW right now, IMO:
Rampage(Champ)vs Forrest (Cause he’s getting a shot)
2. Wandy (should fight Machida for a shot)
3. Chuck
4. Anderson Silva (One win away from chuck)
5. Thiago Silva (Than man is a beast! no one wants a part of him right now! )
***I dont think that anyone deserves a shot right now. Everyone is ONE or TWO fights away from a tittle shot right now
Anderson Silva hasn’t even fought at LHW, so how can he be in your top 5? Forrest is tied for #1 with Rampage since he’s fighting him? How can Wandy be ahead of Chuck when Chuck just beat him decisively?
Thiago Silva is moving up quickly, but Machida is the guy no one wants to fight right now. He just beat Tito, who, while not the same threat he was a few years ago, is still the ultimate gatekeeper for the weight class. Silva took down Houston Alexander, who has since been unmasked as not all that by Irvin.
So Machida is a better top 5 because he’s undefeated and many top guys are hesitant to fight him. Machida should fight Wandy for #1 contender status AFTER Chuck becomes the next in line by beating Rashad.
I’m not 100% sure who does & doesn’t deserve a title shot at LH, hell i’m not even sure Forrest deserves his shot next weekend. I know he beat Shogun but does 1 fight earn a shot at Rampage? It wasn’t that long ago that Forrest had is ass handed to him by Keith Jardine.
Am I being ridiculous or would a good way to decide who gets their shot would be to hold a
pride style grand prix where say the top 8 guys fight each other in some sort of eliminator, not on the same night of course. I know that might mean that the title holder may not enter the octogan for the best part of a year but look at Rampage now, he hasn’t fought since last September !!
DUDE FLAKE WHAT ARE YOU TAKING ABOUT MAN THAT IS ALL MESSED UP.
ANDERSON HASN’T EVEN FOUGHT AT LHW WHAT THE F*CK ARE YOU SMOKING MAN AND WANDI IS NOT AHEAD OF CHUCK
don’t forget (no train/no wind) Lutter had Silva in full mount and was a couple of shots away from taking him out. Henderson was afflicting damage to Silva in the 1st round. People think he’s sooo unbeatable. Thiago Silva will destroy him. Bigger, great Jitz, and the best finisher in the business… and don’t even think about one dimensional Liddell being ahead of him.. another old schooler (Tito, Hughes, Franklin) who just can’t hang anymore.
Liddell have so very power hands but to Knockout Silva you got to be kidding me , Silva doesn’t get enuff credit for his chin , he has Never been Knockout, Ya Liddell beat Silva in a Decision, and will probably knockout Evans ,but a title shot after Evans NO. he can fight Thiago/ Shogun/ Vera after Evans then a title shot ,but If Machida wins over Wanderlei then its Machida first shot before Liddell, or if Liddell thinks he can “over power” Silva so easy then Silva after Evans
ok i think a lot of you guys are confused about who chuck liddell is so i’ll help you out. The most dominant 205lb. champion to ever step in the octagon. a man who has knocked out almost all of the top level competition in the sport and in stunning fashion with a highlight reel of the whos who in mma. ok so to say chuck doesn’t deserve this or chuck doesn’t deserve that you guys don’t know WHO you are talking about because he can knockout anyone on any given day and as far as a title shot i will leave that up too dana white and joe silva (the ufc matchmaker) to decide but to put machida or thiago silva or especially wanderlei silva in line ahead of him is crazy. and to say chuck CAN’T beat rampage is crazy because with chuck it only takes one punch and if it connects goodnight. i think rampage is overrated just because he beat liddell but i will give him the number one spot anyways just to avoid arguments and TOP 5 LHW goes something like this 1)Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
2)Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell (#1 by 12/08)
3)Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva
4)Hollywood Dan “Hendo” Henderson
5)Forrest Griffin
and lyoto machida, thiago silva, keith jardine, shogun and antonio rogerio nogueira rounding out the top 10 (not in that order) and sokoudjou- and brandon vera and anderson silva and rich franklin all right there depending on how they do at LHW