12/16/2007
Team Rampage on Liddell vs Silva
By Thomas Gerbasi
As December 29th’s long-awaited showdown between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva, fans and pundits alike are looking at the matchup and breaking it down in every way possible, trying to find the single nugget of information that will illuminate everything and produce a clear favorite.
Well, it’s not there, and that’s what makes this not only a meeting between perhaps the two best 205-pound fighters in mixed martial arts history, but an intriguing bout between two fighters whose current standing in the game may not be the same as it was a few years back, but who still have the power and mystique to provoke heated debates.
Even a man who has been in the Octagon or ring with Liddell and Silva a combined four times – UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson – is stumped when it comes to picking a winner.
“I just see it being an exciting fight,” said a non-committal Jackson at the ‘Ultimate Fighter’ finale in Las Vegas on December 8th. “Its two good warriors coming off two losses, and their careers could depend on this fight. I’ll be watching and I’m anxious to see who’s gonna win.”
Liddell, the former UFC Light Heavyweight boss, reigned for two years before Jackson removed his belt via a first round TKO at UFC 71 in May. It was Jackson’s second win over ‘The Iceman’, with the first one coming in Japan in 2003 when ‘Rampage’ spoiled a hoped for bout against Silva by halting Liddell in the second round of their PRIDE Grand Prix tournament match.
Jackson went on to fight Silva later that November night, getting stopped in the first round by ‘The Axe Murderer.’ Silva, the former PRIDE 205-pound Champion went on to repeat that victory over ‘Rampage’ almost a year later in October of 2004, this time ending the bout by emphatic knockout with a knee to the head. Jackson says that it wasn’t the knee that did all the damage though.
“He dazed me with a punch and then he kneed me,” he recalled. “The punch was what started it. I took it, I know.”
Even now, the losses to Silva don’t sit well with ‘Rampage’, and you can see a serious look creep over his usually smiling face. So don’t ask him if he’s kept up on the exploits of his former rival since their time together in the PRIDE ring.
“I haven’t paid any attention to Silva,” he deadpans. “I’m too busy playing video games.”
And winning the UFC 205-pound title, unifying both belts by beating PRIDE champ Dan Henderson, and now preparing for a stint as a coach on the seventh season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, where he will compete against Forrest Griffin, the man he will next defend his crown against. But back to Liddell-Silva. Does the fact that Jackson beat Liddell twice and Silva beat Jackson twice mean that Silva beats Liddell on December 29th?
“That’s not the way it goes,” said Jackson. “I guarantee you that if I would have fought Silva both times in the UFC, I would have won.”
Because of the Octagon as opposed to the PRIDE ring?
“Not the cage, the referees,” he said. “I guarantee I would have beaten him.”
Plus, in this game, as in any combat sport, styles make fights. Liddell supporters could say that their man decisively beat Tito Ortiz twice, while Silva lost to him, or that Liddell owns a victory over a man who stopped Silva in under a minute, Vitor Belfort. As for the fourth common foe, Guy Mezger, both Liddell and Silva own KO victories over the Texan.
With that bit of combat calculus out of the way, the fight may come back to what both fighters have in the tank after each suffering two losses in a row each (Liddell to Jackson and Keith Jardine and Silva to Mirko Cro Cop and Henderson). Some say both have seen better days, but Jackson doesn’t agree, believing that the thought of getting a third loss in a row will be a huge motivating factor.
“I don’t see them on the tail end, but two losses in a row is bad, so three in a row is even worse,” he said.
Juanito Ibarra, Jackson’s trainer and manager, thinks that Silva’s 10 month break from the Henderson fight in February, along with his relocation to the United States, may be a deciding factor on fight night.
“Wanderlei is an intelligent man,” said Ibarra. “When I had Vitor Belfort back in the day, we fought Wanderlei and beat him (in 1998), and I’ve seen Wanderlei’s growth since then. He’s more spiritually connected now. It looks like he has a place in life for himself and his family, and he’s focused.”
Ibarra also thinks that Silva is more comfortable wherever the fight goes, while Liddell – who does everything in his power to keep the fight standing – may be putting himself at a disadvantage with such tactics.
“I just think mentally, he (Silva) is more elusive because he shows his whole game, where Chuck really depends on just one part of his game,” said Ibarra. “Even though he’s a roundabout fighter, he doesn’t show it a lot. I think Wanderlei has more confidence as a MMA fighter, if you will. I like both guys, but I’m pulling for Wanderlei because I want Wanderlei.”
Ah, the revenge factor…
“As we keep winning, we want to keep avenging our losses,” admits Ibarra. “To me it’s not as important – victories and our growth are – but to him, it’s really important.”
That’s obvious when talking to Jackson. As for Ibarra, he just wants to make sure his charge keeps focused on the task at hand.
“We can’t look past anyone though because all the kids in this division – every single one of them - I give credit to,” said Ibarra, who does admit that when his fighter’s on, it will be tough for anyone to get him out of there.
“I told this kid (Jackson) he ain’t gonna lose this belt for a while.”
So, how about some predictions on Liddell-Silva?
“I’m gonna take Wanderlei,” said Ibarra.
“I don’t gamble,” quipped Jackson.
