Judas
12-07-2007, 23:46
Thursday, July 12, 2007
by Sherdog.com Staff
UFC president Dana White said Wednesday that Chuck Liddell (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=192) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=192@@Chuck Liddell)) would not fight Wanderlei Silva (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=209) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=209@@Wanderlei Silva)) Sept. 22 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Moreover, White told Yahoo!'s Kevin Iole the fight between former UFC and PRIDE 205-pound champions would now likely never happen after a Wednesday deadline to finalize the deal passed.
"I have done everything in my power I could do over the last six years to make this fight and it's still not happening," White told Iole. "I just don't see it happening now."
White said he was informed by someone representing Silva that the "Axe Murderer" declined a fight with Liddell.
The Liddell-Silva clash has been long considered a mixed martial arts dream fight. In 2003 Liddell joined the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix field with a chance to fight Silva. They were paired on opposite side of the brackets and Quinton Jackson (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=348) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=348@@Quinton Jackson)) stopped Liddell. "Rampage" met Silva in the finals, losing to the Brazilian by TKO.
In 2006, the UFC brought Silva, still PRIDE champion, into the octagon to hype a bout between the light heavyweights "at one of our biggest pay-per-views, at a time when [PRIDE] were really in a lot of trouble, because I wanted to make that fight," White told Yahoo!. "It shows you how incredibly stupid those people were, because they took what could have been the biggest fight in this sport's history and blew it up." A deal with Dream Stage Entertainment never materialized, and Zuffa eventually purchased the Japanese MMA brand from DSE.
Liddell's spot in the main event is tenuous. Silva's teammate Mauricio Rua (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=5707) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=5707@@Mauricio Rua)) will remain on the card to fight Ryoto Machida (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=7513) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=7513@@Ryoto Machida)), and White said he had not considered putting "Shogun" in Silva's place. Also, White said Diego Sanchez (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=4824) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=4824@@Diego Sanchez)) would fight Jon Fitch (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=4865) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=4865@@Jon Fitch)) in a welterweight clash.
http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=8242
Erg jammer dit.
by Sherdog.com Staff
UFC president Dana White said Wednesday that Chuck Liddell (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=192) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=192@@Chuck Liddell)) would not fight Wanderlei Silva (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=209) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=209@@Wanderlei Silva)) Sept. 22 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Moreover, White told Yahoo!'s Kevin Iole the fight between former UFC and PRIDE 205-pound champions would now likely never happen after a Wednesday deadline to finalize the deal passed.
"I have done everything in my power I could do over the last six years to make this fight and it's still not happening," White told Iole. "I just don't see it happening now."
White said he was informed by someone representing Silva that the "Axe Murderer" declined a fight with Liddell.
The Liddell-Silva clash has been long considered a mixed martial arts dream fight. In 2003 Liddell joined the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix field with a chance to fight Silva. They were paired on opposite side of the brackets and Quinton Jackson (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=348) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=348@@Quinton Jackson)) stopped Liddell. "Rampage" met Silva in the finals, losing to the Brazilian by TKO.
In 2006, the UFC brought Silva, still PRIDE champion, into the octagon to hype a bout between the light heavyweights "at one of our biggest pay-per-views, at a time when [PRIDE] were really in a lot of trouble, because I wanted to make that fight," White told Yahoo!. "It shows you how incredibly stupid those people were, because they took what could have been the biggest fight in this sport's history and blew it up." A deal with Dream Stage Entertainment never materialized, and Zuffa eventually purchased the Japanese MMA brand from DSE.
Liddell's spot in the main event is tenuous. Silva's teammate Mauricio Rua (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=5707) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=5707@@Mauricio Rua)) will remain on the card to fight Ryoto Machida (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=7513) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=7513@@Ryoto Machida)), and White said he had not considered putting "Shogun" in Silva's place. Also, White said Diego Sanchez (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=4824) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=4824@@Diego Sanchez)) would fight Jon Fitch (http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=4865) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/news/picture_gallery.asp?f_id=4865@@Jon Fitch)) in a welterweight clash.
http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=8242
Erg jammer dit.