Couture vs. Liddell 4 Likely To Headline UFC 99 in Germany
Chuck Liddell is reportedly in negotiations to move up to heavyweight to battle UFC hall of famer Randy Couture for the fourth time in the main event of UFC 99 on June 13th in Cologne, Germany.
Bloody Elbow first reported the matchup yesterday, citing a strong source.
According to the report, Couture is against moving down to the 205-pound light heavyweight division because Xtreme Couture fighter Forrest Griffin currently holds the division’s championship and fellow team member Wanderlei Silva is already in the title hunt at 205.
A combination of factors, including the difficulty to cut weight at an older age and the relative thinness of the heavyweight division, led to the proposed heavyweight matchup where the winner, though unconfirmed, is likely to receive an immediate title shot.
After losing to Couture for the interim light heavyweight title in their first meeting at UFC 43 in 2003, Liddell has won their two most recent encounters, knocking Couture out at UFC 52 in 2005 and UFC 57 in 2006.
A rumored bout between Liddell and Anderson Silva at UFC 95 in February is reportedly no longer under consideration after Silva’s headlining fight against Patrick Cote at UFC 90 in October flopped, drawing just 300,000 PPV buys.
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Tags: Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture
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i ie chuck but to me hes going down in his carreer and i hope chuck gets more fights and beats lesnar so next time it wont be like he hasn’t fought in a year so i hope couture wins prediction not sure but i think someone’s getting koed/tkoed
The good news: Chuck Liddell is rightfully being displaced from the light-heavyweight picture. The bad news: He is moving to heavyweight. Sorry, I’m just not interested in watching these guys fight again. Blah.
Immediate title shot for the winner? Randy I barely understand giving another title shot to, but giving Chuck a heavyweight title shot after one fight? If you were pissed that Brock got a shot so quickly, there is no way you can defend this.
HA! The UFC thought the Silva/Cote fight flopped; who the hell wants to see this again? This shouldn’t be a main event. I’m disgusted.
well i dont see 1 thing wrong with this fight, yeah they’ve had 3 fights in the past but so fuking what, 2 of the most respected guys to ever step inside the cage faceing off for one last time, im down for watching that, plus b4 randy got beat by lesnar every1 wanted to see randy fedor cos people belived randy was the best HW fighter out there, now all of a sudden u got people calling him old balls?? u fuking jackass!! also a good move for chuck, i think he will do better against the bigger guy, imo chuck will beat randy then it will set chuck up against the winner of lesnar vs mir/nog, good fights something we never thought we’d see.
Glad to see I am not the only one confused by this. Not sure that is an interesting fight, even odder would be if the winner does get a title shot. What is chuck going to weigh in at?
I highly doubt that this will be the main event but more likely it’ll be one of the headliners or a co main-event
Here we go you f’res…
I WANT TO SEE THE FIGHT…
The UFC knows how to entertain. What better way then to make the opportunity for two old farts to have a best three out of five. Or just to fight because it’s f*****g entertaining you jerks. Man this get’s right under my skin…
Sorry Kris but I can’t help myself. We are entering new realms where fighters can be old and given a legal forum to fight under. Kinda like golf. F*****g great to have the “Seniors UFC MMA Tourney”. Womens mma. Midget mma. Soon to be out of the closet, Gay mma. I’m dead ass serious.
You people “love” mma. Well try to get on the band wagon that people like to fight no matter how old, the size or sexual preference.
I think this fight is great and I will watch, buy the PPV hook line and sinker!!!
Yeah …. the drum has been beaten one too many times for them . i not only want this not to happen ,, I want them both to say goodbye ….. BORING !!!!!
One more thing about the entertainment value until someone says something retarded.
If it’s Penn defending two titles the Shamrock freak show, Bimbo “Felon” Slice or Chuck and Randy. It’s also about entertainment and making money. If the UFC makes money then the fighters make more money. Does anyone watch any other sports??? The athletes are all exploited!!! This is nothing new. Ask them about there lifestyle before their professional career. I bet since becoming a professional they have to eat a little S**t and make a grip of cash, have nice cars and houses and women and stuff and things…
Everyone handles that stress differently. Those that handle it well succeed, progress and move on with their sport.
As promised, I’ll shut up now.
It’s ridiculous that a Silva vs. Liddell fight isn’t under consideration anymore because of the small amount of ppv buys for Silva vs. Cote. That is the UFC’s fault becuase they picked a lame opponent in Cote.
It’s ridiculous that a Silva vs. Liddell fight isn’t under consideration anymore because of the small amount of ppv buys for Silva vs. Cote. That is the UFC’s fault because they picked a lame opponent in Cote.
While I’m not really thrilled with the thought of Randy/Chuck 4, if it’s a co-main event with a really good other fight, fine. At some point, both fighters will retire, even if it’s after they should, in peoples’ eyes. The fact of the matter is that while I don’t really care for either one, they are both still good fighters, and maybe this is their best competition: each other. I think we’ve established now that there is phenomenal young talent that they can’t compete with any more. That doesn’t mean that there is no place for them in this organization.
I don’t think either one of them will really be serious title contenders unless it is at the heavyweight class where there is a shortage of talent compared to the other classes. I don’t think Chuck really has a chance to beat Lesnar. He’s got a puncher’s chance, but not a realistic one.
I agree Jerod. 3 times was enough for me. I don’t see a purpose in this fight; there are better fights for each of these guys out there. Put Randy against the loser of Mir/Big Nog and let Chuck have a couple of gimme fights at 205…let him try to build himself back up. Let Chuck fight Matt Hamill, Sokodjou, Houston Alexander, or Brandon Vera. Wouldn’t make for the most exciting bouts ever, but would give Chuck a chance to climb back up the ladder.
To those of us here(the more than average fan/hardcore fan) this match up is blah. It’s been done and is old news. Why revisit the past? On the business side of things you get two of the biggest names in MMA to headline an event. Business wise this is great. To us….not so much. Besides, Lesnar will run through Chuck like a Rhino. Chuck’s heavy “hand” is not going to hold up in any of his fights from this point on. The new era of being “well rounded” is here. A fighter can not live off being good at just one fighting style anymore. Wonder why Chuck never uses his wrestling background?!?!? Anyway, Chuck moving up to HW is cool and I feel very necessary for himself and the UFC. Why can’t Chuck fight the loser of NOG or MIR? Business would not do as well…..
ehh, Chuck can obviously beat Randy as we’ve seen in the past, but does he have the frame to bulk up and still be in good shape? Plus, there is no way Chuck has the strength to deal with Brock and he doesnt have the ground game to submit him, so why move up to heavyweight? I dont know if he will be able to beat Nog, Mir, or any of the other 3 heavyweights that are in the UFC.
Good points Arnold. I fear Chuck may be “done.” We will never know until he moves up and gives it a shot though. To me the UFC is milking all they can out of poor Chuck. He got KO by Evans and then rumored to be nearly force fed to Silva.(disaster to Mr. Liddell’s brain that would have been.) Anyway, Chuck is a HUGE draw and business is business. Unfortunately, it seems Chuck is at the end of the road with no where to go. Could he even be a gatekeeper at LHW or HW? For those of us who are more than the average fan, this Liddell thing may go on too long.
I’m not sure I want to see either of these guys fight again at all, much less fight each other. I’d like to see Randy take Mike Goldberg’s place doing commentary, and I’d like to see Chuck stop while he isn’t scrambled too badly.
Well said kouch.
hey KOuch im a big chuck fan so maybe im smelling blood abit on this fight, imo chuck will beat randy then get himself a shot at the champ whoever that will be, i just want to see chuck back on top again and if that means him fighting randy for the 4th time and beating him then bring it on!!
Interesting match-up. I think there is intrigue in this fight with Chuck moving up in weight and his past success at light heavyweight. However, fighting at heavyweight is different animal. Will his power carry up to heavyweight? Conditioning will be a factor. I’d buy it, depending on the undercard. My pick would be Randy, by the way.
Jerod said:
The good news: Chuck Liddell is rightfully being displaced from the light-heavyweight picture. The bad news: He is moving to heavyweight. Sorry, I’m just not interested in watching these guys fight again. Blah
AGREED ,WHO DOES THIS BENEFIT?NOT CHUCK OR RANDY..IF ANYTHING IT WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE TO SEND RANDY TO 205 AND CHUCK TO 185.,,,OR AT LEAST AS MUCH
If chuck was to fight at lght heavy again … it should be against Wanderlei . That is the only rematch for chuck that I would want to see . wanderlei having KO’d jardine will be a different animal against him then before . Wandy by KO in round 1
I’m all for watching this fight however I don’t believe either one of them deserve it. It seems the UFC is creating money making fights more and more these days. Which is good for them, but make the fans go “wtf?”.
What more would the UFC want then having their poster boy Chuck Liddell champion again no matter what weight class. I’ve always loved the Iceman and The Natural, and I think people will watch this fight, but I also think they won’t care to much. With both of them on the decline mostly because of their ages, this feels like an XFL match in the NFL.
do you need to be 18 to watch this event live in germany ? or are you also able to watch with the age of 17 ?
Wow another chuck-randy didn’t see that coming. Does that mean chuck didn’t want to fight Silva which would be more interesting. I can not see chuck being able to beat brock but thats why they fight. Gotta love it win 1 of your last 4 fights, get KTFO by rashaad then move up a weight class win one fight and get a title shot.
If GSP ever loses his title, this fight would be a lot like seeing him have to fight Matt Hughes for a 4th time with no title riding on the line. No thank you.
Dana should cut out the politics and let Joe Silva do his job.
Is this the Jurassic MMA that Brett Rogers was banging on about
I see Randy winning.
I’m not interested in seeing these guys fight again. I don’t think either fighter is done, it’s just most people will remember a fighter for their “last or most recent fight”. Regardless though, this isn’t too much of a big move for Chuck as he walks around 225-230, so he just won’t cut weight.
I highly doubt that this fight will actually happen, and I honestly think this is a bigger rumour than Anderson Silva vs. Liddell. Enough said.
I guess I’m alone in thinking that anyone vs Silva isn’t going to be a good draw. He’s just not a star. I’m sorry. He’s a great fighter, but it’s the same damn fight every time. I get bored watching him move sideways for a minute, slash like a praying mantis for 2 minutes, then dance like a spastic, retarded ninja in center the ring.
At least Randy-Chuck has some history. And it isn’t the same fight we’ve seen three times because this one is at heavyweight. So Chuck will stand there with an even bigger gut hanging over his shorts and gas even faster. Randy could take this one. And if he does, I say let him have another shot at that title, especially if it isn’t Lesnar holding it.
Really, I want him to have to finish shaving his head instead of basically wearing a skinhead’s mullet.
Well i wouldn’t mind seeing this fight to be honest, Yes 3 times is alot but this fight will be Legendary.
Also can you imagine Brock Lesnar vs. Chuck Liddell. I see $$$$ everywhere.
I wouldn’t be surprise if that PPV got 2 Million Buys.
Thanks dbiz, I was feeling a little lonely. I spaced the HW difference in the fight, duh. I don’t know, I guess I just like to see them fight. How much fun would it be to have someone you know, to fight every one or two years. The challenge being you know them but each adapting everytime. Kinda like fighting a friend…good times. I hope they can do it.
Big deal guys really, ok sooo Randy and Chuck are going to fight again in Germany…. Think of this semi logically ok if Randy and Chuck fight again win or lose that will be Randy’s 2nd of his signed 3 fights… If he wins he gets one last shot to go out a champion 3 fights done retire go out to pasture
If Chuck wins he get a shot at the Champ of HW and he can retire atop as champ if he wins… Its allowing the two most famous UFC former champs one last shot at a belt and a fairytale ending you like…. Get over it, its not like you’re watch Seth v Kevin for the 4th time shiiitt
Hey Kris,
The beginning of the article says Chuck is moving up to HW. But the beginning of the 3rd paragraph says Coutre is moving down to LHW. Explain?
Man alot of pepole talk **** about Randy.Man you sit here and look at what that guy has done.He is the champion of champions.How many times has he proved this!He has proved time after time He don’t deserve a title shot, But he wins and becomes the champ again. As far as him figting chuck,I really do belive,That Randy’s going to go in there and put a Clinic on Chuck.Chuck as far as I know still has a purple belt in Jui Jitsu,A good wrestling back ground,that was 15 years ago And still has His Sloppy Kick boxing.Not talking noyhing about Jhon hacklmen but, C’mon Chuck,Go get on youre private jet and fly out to train with a good camp,They would probaly welcome him.Randy runs one the top, if not the top M.M.A Schools in America,He has countinued to grow as a Fighter,chuck has not.Chuck will get exposed in this fight,Guarnated.
Explanation:
“According to the report, Couture is against moving down to the 205-pound light heavyweight division”
That means he won’t be moving to LHW. Happy to help.
I think this is an interesting fight simply because it is at a different weight class, and therefore changes the dynamics. I think Liddell will weigh in bigger than randy, because, 1. he’s always been a big LHW. 2. He’s got more height to put muscle on 3. I think he’s more capable of adding muscle than randy. I think it would be interesting to see Chuck against any of the other 3 HWs involved in the tournament, because none of the rest of them is really known for their stand up, so he might have that punchers chance. Also, Brock’s reach advantage won’t be so much against Chuck.
Though there is still that feeling of “again?!” if you really think about it, its not so bad, but if chuck wins it again, I definitely don’t want to see number 5.
I think there’s an aspect here of going to Germany and wanting to bring the fans a superfight. I don’t think the UFC has gone to Germany yet, and if that’s the case, I don’t think too many will disagree with me when I say that Dana wants to make a bold statement when he gets there. He wants to showcase two of the top guys who have done what no one else will ever be able to for MMA. In my humble opinion, we have a future light-heavyweight hall of famer and a present hall of famer going at it. Can’t go wrong with that, guys.
Josh V,
This will be their first trip into Germany. Definitely makes sense to have two of your biggest stars on the card when you go into a Foreign country for the first time, especially since they don’t have a German Michael Bisping to march out in front of the crowd.
If Randy wins he takes on Lesnar again (assuming he beats Nog/Mir)???
This doesn’t make sense unless Randy really feels he can beat Lesnar after that a$$ whoopin’… and maybe he can… Randy is about the smartest fighter out there so I suppose it’s possible… but will we care?
As a huge Couture fan, I will…but the majority of UFC fans will likely be upset with a Lesnar/Couture 2 so soon.
However, I’ve been wrong before…
“This is the last time you’ll see these gloves, and these shorts in this octagon, I’m retiring – again – for the third time…. I’m serious this time…”
All jokes aside, I’ll watch this one.
chuck should stop partying so much and focus on his training. Forget about a fourth fight w/ randy and look for revenge. First jardine, then rampage and evans.
He could do a much better job against these guys but his style has become so arrogant. He MUST realize that a punch to the face will ko anybody. chuck vs randy 4 would just be sad to watch.
why does everyone talk **** about liddell like he is some old fart that is gonna get worked every time he steps in the cage.let’s be real for a secoond and admit that we all thought that liddell would smash evens with little to no problem.and just cause he lost that fight,now everyone wants to act like he’s washed up.i agree that liddell vs randy doesnt really make sense at this point but i will still watch it to see what happens.i just wish that the liddell vs silva would have happended cause at the end of it alot of people would have been suprised.i would have put money on liddell.if he beats randy and does get a title shot,i see lesnar getting KTFO…..sorry WWE fans.
Scott,
Well said. I think Justin and I nailed it though when we said there’s a big aspect of Germany and 1st-time audiences…we want to bring them some top guys so Germany will get on the UFC bandwagon, LOL.
I DO think Liddell needs to raise his hands up a bit more, he needs to learn to block punches and he needs to use his legs more, possibly more wrestling. I think some fighters have figured him out, and, to my dismay, Greg Jackson’s camp MAY have given the “blueprint” for his defeat if you will. Frustrate him early, goat him in and let the hands fly.
That said, I think still think Liddell is extremely dangerous, and if you put him against Evans (again), Forrest Griffin, Jackson and Wanderlei, I’d still pick him. He’s a future hall-of-famer and I agree with you; we shouldn’t be saying he’s washed up.
at least somone agrees with me on this.and i do agree that he needs to put his danm hands up.thats the first thing i said as soon as the fight was over.if they did fight tomorrow liddell would smah him….IMO.not taking anything away from evens,but,that was like a 1 out of 100 type deal.chuck looked good up until that point.he looked sharp and he was aggresive.i know that people think thats his weakness.but i have to disagree.look what he did to Wanderlei when he was aggresive and stalking him.he picked him apart.he did alot of countering in that fight to though.im just saying that,that fight doesnt mean anything to me other than he got caught with his hands down and he paid for it just like any other fight in that same situation.evens could have knocked anyone out with that punch.it was the perfect shot at the perfect time so props to him.i hope his next aponent doesnt take him lightly cause there gonna wake up looking at the lights wondering what happened.and i would like to see that so he can get back on track.
take chuck lightly that is.
heres the thing,
Both of these guys have earned the right to be able to stick around for as long as they want. They are the Evander Holyfields and the George Foreman’s of MMA. They are still in top condition to beat MOST every fighter of their weight classes on any given night, including the current champions (except Lesnar, he’s just a freak, not overly talented, but a freak… and yes champions still is correct because currently the HW division has 2 of them… anyhow) And since they have earned that right then why not want another fight? It sells ppv’s, we have seen that. And if I was Randy I’d want another crack at chuck, being able to make it 2-2 sounds awful good to me. And if you lose then you can go out and maybe chuck has a run at the slower, less conditioned HW’s? Does anyone for a second believe that Mir could beat Liddell? Hell no or what about Gabriel “no stamina at all” Gonzaga? Lesnar is another story, I mean aside from Rashad evans, name a strong grappler Chuck didn’t beat? Randy, Tito, Babalu, Horn, and his win against Wand was pretty good. So he will do ok at least… All i’m saying is if they wanna fight 15 more times, they’ve earned it.
Muaythai4life,
I second that. While I’m a bit concerned that Chuck will get into SOME trouble with the likes of Lesnar and Nog, I am pretty confident that Chuck can knock out almost any heavyweight, with the exception of Nog (because, well, he’s Nog).
Going out on a limb, here: Chuck Liddell knocks out Lesnar if they fight. Any takers? Feel free to call me out on this one. Think of it: Lesnar’s a train and Liddell’s the best counterpuncher in the sport. Anyone?
yea i think chuck would probably KO lesnar.
I think Chuck could KO Lesnar, I don’t know that he necessarily would, it depends on where Lesnar is when/if they fight. It also depends on Lesnar’s game plan. Lesnar wouldn’t have the reach advantage over Chuck that he has over a lot of the other guys, and Chuck has made a career off pounding sloppy strikers, and less face it, at 275 you’re going to be at least a bit sloppy. But, I do think that if Lesnar landed a clean shot like he did on Mir, Herring, and Randy…Chuck would look like he did after Evans hit him again.
i also think that liddell would KO lesnar.and even if lesnar got him on the ground,chuck would get right back to his feet like he always does.it might be a little harder but he would still get up.that would be very,very interesting fight to watch.and very entertaining for me cause i would love nothing more to see lesnar get KTFO.he’s a beast and a great athlete,but when he started disrespecting randy by saying he was just to old to be here,that kinda pissed me off.i know they all talk s**t before a fight but that was below the belt to say that knowing what randy has done for the sport and that division.and then saying he was just gonna be a steping stone for him.what a chump!!!
i know that would be a good fight,but the one i want to see is Chuck Liddell vs Anderson Silva.that would be one of the biggest fight ever and if the UFC wants to make money thats what they should put together and no matter the outcome,then have Chuck go up to HW to challenge Randy if he loses and challenge Cock….oops i mean (Brock) if he wins.
See, that’s the thing that always gets me. Randy doesn’t talk trash. And the only time I heard Chuck really lay it on is when he fought the Huntington Beach Baby Boy. I love the humility of Randy, Chuck and GSP. It makes their wins so much sweeter. I don’t like Lesnar disrespecting Randy.
But back to your point, Scott…..I am really nervous to see Liddell/Silva. Silva is so elusive, and I can’t see Chuck connecting. Can you? It is easy to see Silva baiting him in (Evans-like). Agree?
you make a good point there.and by Anderson doing that, it might get Chuck a little frustrated and try to push the pace just like he did with Rashad. on the other hand though, he might not make that mistake again. he might just take his time and let Anderson come to him. the way i see it….there bolth gonna be wanting to make an example out of there next apponent because of there last fights, and that alone could make for a good fight cause there bolth gonna want to make a statement. i just hope that we get to see it in the future. and i think that chuck could connect with Silva but it might take a half to a full round to find the range and get the timing and antics down.
I think that if Chuck fought Silva there would be a high likelihood of a repeat of what happened in the Evans fight. Silva dances around and avoids Chucks strikes, countering as he goes, they go to the second, the fans boo
because they’re idiotsbecause they think the fight it boring, Chuck tries to step up the action and makes a mistake getting KOed.i dont see Chuck getting KO’d in this fight if it were to happen. if he did lose to Anderson, i see it being by TKO or UD. i dont see Liddell geting KO’d again for some time. anythng is possible espeacily with The Spider. i also think that Chuck has a little more power in his puches, buut Silva is danm close.
man i wish Dana could put this fight together cause that would be f*****g crazy. it would be an awesome fight for the fans.
I think well see the fight soon. But honestly, if Chuck wins, is he p4p the best in the world? No. If he loses, everyone will call him old again and we’ll hear more retirement talk.
I have to say that most of the comments I’ve read here are pretty out of whack. Fighters lose, they have to. No one wins them all. We weren’t hearing all this BS talk about Chuck untill he get caught with Rampage. Before that he had a 7 win streak. I’m gonna tell you all right now that whoever Chucks next matchup is, Chuck is gonna take it. Then I wanna see a rematch with Rampage, Jardine, and Evans Cause he WILL wipe the floor with each of them. I train at the same South Pit Chuck does and he is out for vengence. In my opinion he will get it.
wow! this really just makes me sick why people are dogging on these two guys! I mean are you kidding me? ya sure they are not in there prime but so what. These two guys are the reason why mma is as big as it is. Chuck is my favorite fighter and Randy is a close second. these two fighters were both the best in the world at one time or another and to read what some of you have written makes me think that you are all just front runners with no respect for any of the fighters. I bet most of you guys are just wannabe MMA fighters.
Couture – Liddell 4 is lame….BUT….it cant get any lamer than UFC 95 entire card…..has there been a worse UFC than UFC 95???? who are those guys and Stephenson and Sanchez, two non contenders as the main event???
Chuck vs. rashad(the hailmary puncher) evans after lyoto destroys him in ufc 97..anderson silva vs. gsp..cause lets face it..a hold your breath fight….and couture vs wanderlei..UFC 10? should be.
A few things are wrong imo with this statement ( I won’t even complain about the post being over 5 months old) 1. Ya I believe that Lyoto will win the title at UFC 98 (not 97 which is April 18th) the Anderson Silva v The Greatness (GSP) would be great 2. and with Wanderlei dropping to the MW division (after his catch weight fight against Rich Franklin @ 195lbs UFC 99) it will be difficult for him to face a Heavy Weight in Randy Couture who is facing Big Nog next…
You forgot to mention that UFC 10 has long since happened…
wow…props for bringin back a 11/28/2008 OP!!