The fact that Chuck Liddell is likely a victory away from getting another crack at the UFC's light heavyweight title is testament to how quickly the competitive landscape in MMA can change.
Last September, talk of retirement was swirling around Liddell, who had just dropped his second straight fight -- a split decision to Keith Jardine at UFC 76. The 38-year-old former champion said after the defeat that he needed to "figure out" what his next step would be in the wake of the stunning defeat.
Liddell then went out just three months later and turned in a performance that turned back the clock. He looked like "The Iceman" of old in a stand-and-trade shootout victory over longtime nemesis Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79.
As Liddell prepares to headline UFC 88 against Rashad Evans at Philips Arena Saturday in Atlanta, the veteran bomber appears to be a win away from earning a shot at the 205-pound belt he owned for a two-year stretch between 2005 and 2007.
"It don't take much to motivate me for a fight," Liddell said. "But the big thing is, I'm motivated to get the title back and end my career on a streak of wins. That's the way I want to do it."
Liddell (21-5 MMA, 16-4 UFC) says he's fully recovered from the nasty hamstring injury that forced him from the UFC 85 main event against Evans in June. While Liddell is already a lock for the UFC Hall of Fame, he never seriously considered retirement last year and believes he has another two to four years left in the fight game.
In sizing up his UFC 88 opposition, Liddell says Evans' best attribute is that he always finds a way to win.
The 28-year-old former Michigan State wrestler hasn't always looked impressive in the octagon, but it's hard to argue with the results. He has yet to taste UFC defeat and is coming off a split-decision victory over Michael Bisping at UFC 78 this past November.
Evans (11-0-1 MMA, 6-0-1 UFC) will need to demonstrate that his improving standup game can withstand "The Iceman's" heat. Evans was tentative the last time he was in against a big-name fighter, and while it didn't lead to a loss, Evans could have avoided the draw against Tito Ortiz at UFC 73 had he been more aggressive.
He should handle the pressure of the spotlight better this time around, and it helps to have Greg Jackson drawing up the fight plan. Jackson's blueprint for Jardine kept Liddell off-balance and was a difference-maker in that bout. Evans is a different fighter, but he can still gleam some wisdom from Jardine's approach.
Two other former champions will be on the UFC 88 fight card. Ex-middleweight champ Rich Franklin (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) moves up to light heavyweight to take on former training partner Matt Hamill (4-1 MMA and UFC), while past PRIDE twin titleholder Dan Henderson (22-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) takes on Rousimar Palhares (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a middleweight fight.
The 33-year-old Franklin is still considered by most MMA pundits as one of the sport's top fighters, but he is in MMA's equivalent of no man's land due to Anderson Silva's stranglehold on the 185-pound division. Franklin can't beat the lethal Brazilian, which means there's little upside for him to fight anyone else at middleweight. Franklin moves back to 205 pounds to face a tough out in Hamill, who's looking for a signature victory to stamp himself as a contender.
Henderson's stock rose significantly following his KO of Wanderlei Silva in 2007, but the reality is that he is a 38-year-old fighter who's only 2-3 in his past five. He needs a win to stay relevant in the conversation at middleweight.
