After years of racking up highlight-reel knockouts, Chuck “The Iced-man” Liddell finally knows what it feels like to be someone else’s stepping stone. It’s safe to say the main event at UFC 88: “Breakthrough” at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia provided the most shocking upset of the year.
And perhaps the most brutal since Mirko Cro Cop was nearly decapitated by Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70.
For those of you just joining us, Rashad Evans delivered three cases of unconscious to Chuck Liddell’s doorstep nearly two minutes into the second round.
If you’re sitting there shaking your head, don’t worry. I can hardly believe it myself.
Had someone told me during The Ultimate Fighter 2 that both Keith Jardine and Rashad Evans would go on to defeat the once-invincible Liddell, I would have had them taken away by burly men in little white coats.
But it’s time to face facts, there is a changing of the guard in the UFC. It’s a new generation of fighters who are now making their mark - whether we’re ready for it or not.
Chuck certainly wasn’t.
Over the next few days there will be a lot of speculation as to why Chuck came up short against a fighter he was picked to beat. In my own personal opinion, I thought Chuck looked his age. Maybe a step slower. Perhaps another inch in the waistline.
Still gifted? Of course. Still capable of knocking out anyone? You bet.
But on Saturday night he got caught against a young and hungry fighter who truly believed he could pull off the upset.
And for the haters who call it a lucky punch, try to be gracious in defeat. It wasn’t a blind haymaker or a last minute swing for the fences ala Leben/Martin. Chuck and Rashad were exchanging in a round that up until that point was being won by Evans.
“Sugar” has not only proven that he belongs in title contention, but that his dancing is as spastic as those robotic mannequin legs that perform on a loop in Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit” video.
And speaking of rockets, Nate Marquardt was firing some nasty missiles at the head of Martin Kampmann. I figured “The Great” would be mediocre for awhile after the disappointing loss to Thales Leites at UFC 85 but in contrast he looked better than ever.
And credit “The Hitman” for his Teflon chin. I knew he could take a beating but Marquardt really had to earn the stoppage in that one.
Another person that earned something was Matt Brown when he took my respect with an impressive display of grit and determination against undefeated Dong Hyun Kim. I first saw a great deal of Post-TUF improvement in his fight against Matt Arroyo at last June’s TUF finale and now even more so here.
I know there are people going crazy over the decision but I had it 29-28 with “Stun Gun” winning rounds one and three. No matter, Brown will be back and if he continues to bring that intensity and stubbornness with him he’ll be racking up the W’s in no time.
And since we’re on the topic of stubbornness, what’s the deal Mr. Hamill? Like Sherk at UFC 84, you took your most valuable asset and left it in the locker room come fight time.
Late in the second round and into the third when you’re exhausted and wobbly from getting kicked in the legs I can understand why a wrestler would abandon the takedown. But round one? I’d really like to know what the strategy was in the Hamill camp prior to the fight.
How many shots to the face and body does it take before you decide “Hey, maybe the stand-up isn’t working out for me”? Unless the cut on Franklin’s eye gave him a false sense of confidence.
And who else among us was praying they wouldn’t stop the fight when officials examined the Franklin Flap?
So “Ace” is now back at 205lbs for the first time since he fought Ken Shamrock in 2005 and I was surprised at how small he looked. I suppose all that time walking around as a giant middleweight had me expecting more of the same. Even Franklin conceded that he needed more weight to keep from getting pushed around.
He also appears to have conceded to some kind of weird ‘happy cult’. Aside from that sort of glazed-over, Marshall Applewhite expression, what was with all the smiling and blowing kisses between rounds?
And his post-fight interview sounded like the intro to a kids show on PBS.
Anyway, Rich got his feet wet at light-heavyweight, how about that rematch with Lyoto Machida? Or a showdown with Dan Henderson?
Hendo may not have won ‘fight of the night’ (that honor went to Pellegrino and Tavares), but hot damn that was a pretty exciting second round highlighted by a brutal Palhares slam.
A cautious but purposeful approach kept Henderson out of trouble for most of the fight but let’s face it: Palhares is the real deal when it comes to grappling and if he can stop kicking like he’s Jean-Claude Van Damme and start stringing together some real combos, he’ll be nearly unstoppable.
Overall it was a good, but not great event. My head is still buzzing from the Liddell KO and I really felt the absence of the Yoshida and Parisyan fight.
What say you?
For complete blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 88 click here.
116 Comments »
wow….i said wow
Why “wow”? Why on earth is anyone shocked??? I’ve been saying for weeks: “How can you make a guy who is 38 and lost 2 of his last 3 fights a 3-1 favorite over an undefeated stud like Evans???”
How can anyone be surprised? How on earth is this an upset?
Um John.. Have you ever been wrong about anything in your life? Judging from the tone of your posts, you believe you are God’s gift to MMA blogs.
LOL…no really not just typing it but really LOL
that wasnt the real John, that was an imposter
Even if this wasn’t surprising to you John it doesnt mean it wasnt to other people. The MMA world does not revolve around your posts.
Spider, that’s a different John. The John you’re thinking of goes lowercase.
speaking of john, i wonder what he thinks about that split decision win for kim… not quite the result you had expected eh?
The reason everyone is surprised is because 95% of people gave Rashad a 0% of winning…which is ridiculous. Rashad came to fight and was more focused than we have ever seen him. He was calm and fought the smart fight. He had plenty of time to prepare for this and made the most of that time and it’s not like Chuck is an unpredictable fighter…unorthodox maybe…but you know what you’re getting from him. Everyone counted Rashad out just like they did to Forrest and now they are going to fight for the belt…who would have predicted that one?
even the guys that picked rashad to win, couldnt have thought it would go down the way it did. a 1 punch ko of chuck and their not surprised? i aint buyin it.
HAAA….
I am not one to toot my own horn by approx. a month ago, when everyone was saying they couldn’t wait to see Evans get his face shamsed in, I said…” DON’T SLEEP ON EVANS!!” I gave all kinds of reasons why I thought he had a great shot in this fight and this is no suprise to me at all. Forrest better watch out!
how about.. after watching his last fight with michael bisping or even the one before that with tito, who would expect him to ko chuck like that in the 2nd round?
you expected him to ko chuck like that after winning a boring split decision over a 205lb bisping?
Rashad Evens got straight up LUCKY. Out of every puch he threw maybe 2 landed, which is sad. One being the knock out. Yes all it takes is one but looking at the stats it was a lucky shot. We all saw what happened when he got hit and had to dance it off, we all know that hurt. I think he is a young fighter but defiantly not talented enough in the world of MMA. I dont think Chuck is that great either but his stand up game and able to throw a punch to knock you back to your child hood doesn’t hurt. I also think he is at that age where he needs to start coaching and bringing his guys up in the ranks. Once you get knocked out its easier the next time and the time after that.
Ahhhh,
Dry your eyes…
Don’t cry, Chuck will be back!
I’ve called this since the fight was announced in late April….in fact I said Rashad would break Chuck in half…I hate to say this but Rashad is the Roy Jones of MMA. He will have 2-3 boring fights then knock someone’s head off, 2-3 boring fights, then knock someone’s head off. I will say it one more time, going into the fight Chuck hasn’t scored a KO in his 3 fights and looked good only against Wandy who stood right in front of him. Rashad has speed, power and great foot work fighting a guy who is older and alot slower, this equals the younger fighter winning 9 out of 10 times.
Franklin vs Wandy for December is my pick
Hendo didn’t really do alot in a fight that may have been one of the dullest fights ever!!!!!!!
wow
If you watch how cocky Rashad was, it was as if he was the only one who knew all along how this fight was going to end. Why else would you twist your nipples in the Iceman’s face like that? Good final thought, Jesse.
I am not going to lie, I was very upset at how that fight ended. It was just upsetting to see Chuck get knocked out like that. Chuck was smart for fighting with the standup, but he should have stayed in his comfort zone with counter striking Rashad. I immediately noticed that Rashad was trying to bait Chuck into doing so about 2 minutes into the first round. When I saw that Chuck fell for it, I just kept my fingers crossed. I am a fan of Rashads, but I really want to see Chuck get the belt back. Don’t ask em why.
I was going back and forth on who I wanted to win because I like both of them. I was shocked to see it happen like that. I know what you mean about being upset…I think it’s because it’s hard to see the end of an era.
I think your right. It’s always cool to see a former champion make a comeback. I was also upset by seeing Matt Hughes lose as well, but it wasn’t as bad as this. Probably because Chuck looked as if he was dead on the ground. That was like when Rashad knocked out Sean Salmon.
Are you talking about right after the knock out? He was doing a “George Jefferson” having a heart attack routine. I understand why you may have taken offense, but I think it was something more in reaction to how deafening the silence in the crowd was and how shocked EVERYONE was. I mean Hamill said he was going to shock the world, he didn’t- Evans truly did. Even if you thought Evans was going to win- no one saw THAT coming. If he knew he had it in him- good for him and his team because no one else in the world did.
I agree D, I said Evens would win this fight and alot or people told me I didn’t know SHIT!!!! I did not see that result comming. I did want to see him get beat up for nipple thing. I never want to see that again.
the nipple thing wasn’t an insult to liddell. if you watch the last gsp fight he did a similar thing. they are both from the same camp and im sure it was something superstitious.
Except John.
And I told him to beat on HEndo. He just won’t listen and keeps on ridin’ on that PAlhares hype… But I really was shocked about that Rashad KO! I mean, who the fu*k was expectin’ that sh!t. Plus I really didn’t appreciate very much the showboatin’ of Evans. Just pisses me off. Hope he gets KTFO too by one of the other 205’s. I would really like it if he would face Thiago Silva. Thiago would slit his throat!!
To “bet” on Hendo that is…fu*k!
DSMITH. that was a fred sanford imatation.
Ahhh, yes- thanks b.w.
I said it once and got Gawked at… but I’ll say it again! Chuck Liddel is the Gate Keeper for the 205’s. Rashad may move up now that he has passed the Gate.
You got gawked because he is a long way from a gatekeeper. He would still knock the crap out of guys like Hamill and Franklin, who also fought tonight, and in his last fight he defeated Wandy.
you know somehow i think you has said the same thing about chuck KTFO’ing evans. he beat wandy only because wandy chased him…chuck counter style is so telegraphed now. hamill probably but he is green..your craz and sorry for using hat comparison…as for franklin…your wrong there as well. Franklin is WAYYYYY too smart of a fighter to fall for chucks outdated setups. Franklin would bait him in same as jardine…who no won thought stood a chance againts lidell and evans as well. let face it KO power alon wont get wins anymore…a gameplan will always prevail when you execute it right. if that were the case houston alexander would be on a tear…but he is too easy to telegraph now.
that’s right… because they aren’t ready for a title shot @ 205… Hence the Gate keeper label.
That was very surprising to see Chuck get knocked out like that. I couldn’t believe what I had seen. Rashad looked incredible out there. It was like we were seeing a new fighter.
The way he moved his feet, he moved like a butterfly and stung like a bee.
He really did. He was so quick!
Yeah for the first time - now I don’t calling him (eh hem *cough*) sugar.
phenominal head movement
More like float like a butterfly, sting like a sledgehammer.
For me chuck did look old, his gutt is bigger, his abs are fading, It’s rare to find someone who looks great at the older ages, but i think Hendo and Randy are the rare ones.
For Hammil to not got for takedowns early was dumb, You know Fraklin is a world class striker, and you are an OLYMPIC LEVEL WRESTLER, Yet you try to stand with him? I’m glad becuase Rish is one of my Favorite fighters, but still, fight with your strengths!
I thought that matt brown got robbed, the only thing “STUNGUN” did was get his back in round one, and the pounding at the end of the 3rd. I thought it was a BS Decision.
Hendo Beat Phalares Perfectly, John said he would get taken down at will, And I told him he wouldn’t becuase he’s an OLYMPIC LEVEL WRESTLER, and I was right, He looked great, and stuck to his GP. Why best against one of your favorite fighters who’s a beast?
I agree with Jesse about the fight with Matt Brown. He lost rounds 1 and 3. It only looked as if he had won because he was so dominant in round 2.
Tottaly Agree
Because Until last night I had not seen the grit, fury and aggression that Hendo had become so famous for in Pride….Last night, it was back and it was great to see.
Palhares is a tough SOB. His chin withstood some Bombs…THat slam was awesome. He is just some solid boxing away for being a PROBLEM for middleweights around the world. No shame in that loss!
Props to Matt Brown also, who fought my boy Stun Gun like a CHAMP! Much respect to Brown, and YES he is making some real improvement since the show.
Hammil is a stuborn idiot. No surprise that Franklin picked him apart.
Props to Rashad, I didnt know he had that kind of power in him.
Rashad is now the next in line for the title, as far as Dana is concerned.
http://www.fighters.com/09/07/sugar-gets-shot-at-title
He never said next, he said he will get one, witch means after he fights someone else and beats them.
Someone like Machida or Thiago Silva!
chucks afraid of black fighters thats why.the same thing they made mma because white guys are afraid of black guys..plain and simple
haha wow. Chuck didn’t seem too fearful of Kevin Randleman or Vernon White. Good call though buddy. Tell Kimbo I said what’s up.
Yeah, thats it. Chuck was afraid of him. Black people just scare the crap out of us poor white folk.
Are you talking in the 3rd person there Chuck???
What a jerk off comment…. got play in traffic
lol by far the dumbest observation in MMA thus far.
This is gonna sound really gay question.. but wtf is up with the Nipple twisting??? and funny thing is GSP did the EXACT same thing against Fitch…wtf is that all about??
and wow I for one really thought that chuck would knock out Rashad… Forrest VS Rashad and i can see it selling PPV TUF winner vs TUF Winner..
How dare you question the tactical genius and very secret methods of the Jackson camp! I said last night in the fight post that maybe Huerta didn’t get the memo during his training camp and that’s why he lost. I think it’s creepy and I don’t want to see a guy moisten and play with his nipples right before a fight, but I guess if it’s working I have no choice but to keep my mouth shut (*shaking my head** shrugging my shoulders*).
Marquardt didn’t do it know,did he?
Marquardt didn’t do it though,did he?
Thinipple twisting is what I was wondering about. I think Chuck was so distracted with the mental image of Rashad twisting his nipples that he could not get his head back in the fight and got KO’d. I know the image haunted me all night.
As far as the MAtt Brown fight goes that is what happens when you let the judges finish your fight. I thought Kim won the fight personally. He clearly won the first and soldified a close third with that take down near the end of the fight. Matt Brown only decisevely won the second. So why is everyone suprised?
I was super impressed with MArquardt. Kampman has excellent standup and the Dane was owned.
Rich Frankling looked great although he looked physically a little soft. I was just as suprised as everyone else that Hammil did not go for the takedown. Hammil did nothing to cover the gu or check the leg kicks, what the hell was he thinking. Deafness is not stupidity and why was his corner not pushing him to go in for the takedown. That liver kick was so brutal. I couldn’t believe he did not try to cover up. He got away with it when he was fighting guys like Bisping but you wont get away with thta when you are fighting elite fighters…
I was a little upset with Dan Hendersons fight. 3 fightback in the UFC and the third fight he did not push the pace. I mean I know he was stalking 90% of the fight but he really seems a little gun shy.
I actually think when the fighters come out of the warm dressing room, they find it cool standing in the cage during the announcements and their nipples harden. They lick their fingers and squeeze them a bit to warm them up.
I’m just fighting to justify the insanity of such disturbing behavior by these tuffies…..
…Now I gotta go empty my office wastecan and try to not drip any puke on the carpet along the way. Thanks, DJ.
F Rashad Evans and the antics he displayed following the fight, truly without class! I know MMA and I know fighters, and EVANS proved to me he is not about either!
He celebrated proving everyone wrong in a devastating fashion. Would you have preferred him to spread his arms out and run around the octagon screaming at the top of his lungs?
Or running over to his opponent, wiping then licking the blood off his hands? Or running out of the arena right after the knock out. He didn’t to a dig a grave routine either. If he wants to do a little George Jefferson heart attack dance let him. He shocked the hell of me and gave me a heart attack. If anything he was making fun the fan reaction- not belittling Chuck.
I think the only people who complain about post-fight celebrations are the people who are pissed off because either their favorite fighter got KTFO or they lost a ton of cash.
TRUTH!!!
if i was rashad evans i’d b ashamed of my behaviour. He’s learnt nothing from TUF 2 when matt hughes called him out on the idiotic showboating. Don’t get me wrong i applaud the KO and think that this is the end for Chuck (he’s too much of a legend to be peoples highlight reels).
I don’t think Rashad has earnt a title shot, he should fight one more top level LHW like Rampage, Wandy, Shogun or Machida (altho that fight would be a snoozefest).
He just KO’ed Chuck who just beat the piss out of Wandy. Where the hell have you been? He is undefeated…stop hating. He celebrated because he know how big of an underdog he was and that he shocked the world. He never displayed any disrespect to Chuck throughout any stage of the fight or post fight. I hope Chuck is OK and hopefully the Shogun fight happens next for him.
He celebrated sure….but his post fight with Joe was very respectful and humble. Get over it Holmz….Nobody is buying that crap.
Maybe he should have did the “rope em Cowboy” like Brock Lessner does,
Im in total disbelief right now. That was a brutal ko. The only thing that would shock me more is if that happen to anderson against cote.
Everyone was. I found myself holding my breath just sitting on the couch. The crowd was in total disbelief - totally stunned. It was like a funeral…. perhaps it sort of was.
couldnt agree more, i was sitting there completely in stunned utter disbelief for a good 15 minutes after that happened.
ditto. I could have seen Evans beating him with the decision but not by a knockout…..and such a brutal one at that. My girlfriend kept trying to talk to me afterwards and I was just speechless haha. She hadn’t realized the magnitude of what had just happened. I am still in shock. Congrats to Rashad..
lol that happned to me as well….i was just sitting there fuming with no words while other people around didnt get it….it was like a dream or something…I mean wtf? 3 rounds with Wanderlei and Chuck doesnt get KO’d or even TKO’d but Fing Rashad KO’s Chuck worse than anyone has ever done before??? Rampage didnt even lay Chuck out that bad! Chuck was OUT!! I think he ought to change camps if he thinks he can still fight for another year or two, but hes hard headed and I dont see him leaving Hackelman after 10-15 years? He’ll be back in the ring, I can tell after watching the post fight press conference he will be back, but as a HUGE Chuck fan, I wont expect him to win anymore…
Yh, my friends were like “O, nice knockout”, they are relativly new to the sport. I just sat there, in shock, I wanted Rashad to win, but I couldnt really celebrate, I was just so damn shocked.
I keep saying I do not think There has ever been a one punch KO that Brutal. How often do you see he ref. inbetween before the fighter even hit the ground? I ‘ve seen brutal kick KO’s but never ever a pne punch KO like that.
you know it’s funny i had the same reaction when she tried talking to me. j/k
…….sorry i couldn’t resist
evans proved to everyone who counted him out. and don’t lie, 80 percent of mma fans were going for chuck. THANK GOD we’re always with the underdogs and won some greens. chee hee! good luck on the next fight. evans definitely deserves a title shot! and yes, will be putting more greens on him as well. have a WONDERFUL DAY everyone! haha.
Always with the underdogs and won some greens, eh? How’d you do with Hendo and Franklins victorys? haha.
JESSE,
How come the little box on the right side of the screen that states what comments have recently been posted is no longer there? I kind of use it as a point of reference to find where the talk is going on haha.
Rashad didn’t take much punishment. Maybe he can be the replacement to fight Lyoto Machida? Winner gets a title shot?
hella good idea…won’t happen
Never happen, but I would go with Machida. It would have the potential to be a snooze fest though.
I’d like to see it happen. They are both undefeated so it still holds that idea of the two undefeated fighters going at it.
I’d much rather see Machida vs Silva, or Evans vs Silva (Damn you Thiago!!! ggrrrr)
WOW. What a bunch of sore guys. Chuck will be the first to admtit he fucked up?, But, yes everyone still has to make excuses for him. Chuck went flying into the 2nd round thinking Rashad was already hurt and Chcuk paid for it by getting KO’d. It happens peeps, its part of MMA, anything can happen. No one here, not even Mania, can defend that loss for Chuck. Rashad completely PWNT Chuck, and theres no IF, Ands, or butts about it!…
I have read lots of people say they were/are shocked. But haven’t heard one ‘excuse’ made in Chuck’s defense. I think everyone recognizes that Chuck got put to sleep fair and square. We’re all just suprised, anyone saying they saw that KO coming is full of it. You’re arguing against a point no one is making.
to me the chuck loss feels like it would if your favorite sports team or athlete was moving cities / retiring and this fight was the last home game (the one where you really feel the end… but that they still have a couple road games left to give you that empty “they’re playing, but for what” sense….
Yeah, I know exactly what you are saying because I am a huge Chuck fan, and a Yankees fan as well. haha. That is how I feel about the Yankees finishing this last season in the house that Ruth built.
NEXT FOR THE TITLE SHOT AGAINTS FORREST GIFFING WILL BE RASHAD EVANS = DANA WHITE WORDS THIS MORNING + BREAKING NEWS RAMPAGE JACKSON VS LYOTO MACHIDA.
Hope you are right about Jackson/ Machida, but I thought Jackson was gonna face Wandy?
source?
Actually I saw the same about Evans fighting Forrest on MMAJacked, but I sent it to Mania to maybe put it in. Guess I was not the only one to see it. haha
I figured that the Evans vs Griffin info was true, but I haven’t heard about Lyoto vs Jackson.