MMA Fan
08-09-2008, 19:00
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Sports/1077660.html
Liddell suffers shocking loss to Evans
By The Canadian Press
Mon. Sep 8 - 4:45 AM
ATLANTA — It was the kind of crunching knockout punch that made Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell famous.
Only once again, Liddell was on the receiving end as Rashad Evans left the mixed martial arts icon senseless and crumpled on his side on the canvas in the main event of UFC 88 before 14,736 shocked fans at Philips Arena on Saturday night.
The 38-year-old Liddell has now lost three of his last four fights and has been stopped in two of those. He has not registered a knockout of his own in more than 20 months when a run of seven straight KOs ended.
Perhaps more worryingly for Liddell (21-6), he is becoming predictable. Evans caught him the same way Quinton (Rampage) Jackson did when he dethroned Liddell in May 2007 at UFC 71. Liddell threw a looping punch and left his chin wide open. Evans (17-0-1) caught him with a hammer-like right and it was lights out at 1:51 of the second round.
"My coach Mike Winklejohn, we went over that overhand right over and over again," said Evans. "He said ‘Man, this is the one that’s going to put Chuck down.’ ... It happened just the way he said it’d happen."
In a taped intro to the card, the 28-year-old Evans had said he was there to host Liddell’s retirement party. And he may have done it.
A stony-faced Liddell, his face swollen around the eyes, said he would ponder his future.
"I’ll definitely take a little time," he told the post-fight news conference. "I don’t know. I always said I’d decide if I’m going to retire in the training room not after a fight."
But he offered a different message later, saying he still wanted his title back before he retired — "Obviously it’s going to take a little longer now."
Time is definitely not on Liddell’s side. And others may urge him to call it a day.
The first conversation could come in Mexico. UFC president Dana White, a close friend and former manager, said he and Liddell were scheduled to leave Sunday for Cancun to "hang out."
"I think out of respect for him, I think he and I need to sit down and we need to talk," White said. "He needs to go home and relax for a while."
Liddell is essentially comfort food for MMA fans. Every time his menacing mug was shown on the arena big screens prior to the main event, the crowd erupted. Evans was booed for no other reason than he was fighting Liddell.
Liddell offered no excuses for the loss.
"I’m fine," he said. "I got caught, man. What do you want me to say?"
"I thought we had a good game plan for the fight," he added. "Obviously I just didn’t execute very well."
Liddell was a 5-2 favourite going into the fight against the unbeaten Evans. But the Evans camp saw their opening and were waiting for the overhand right.
"That’s what we planned for," said trainer Greg Jackson, also helped mastermind Keith (The Dean of Mean) Jardine’s upset win over Liddell in September 2007 at UFC 76.
Evans, a former Michigan State wrestler who won "The Ultimate Fighter" reality TV show, had not really fought anyone in the who’s who of MMA prior to Saturday night other than managing a draw with Tito Ortiz in July 2003.
Former champions Rich (Ace) Franklin and Dan Henderson also won on the night, as did Canadian middleweight Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald.
MacDonald (22-10) rebounded from a loss last month to submit Jason (The Punisher) Lambert in the second round.
Liddell suffers shocking loss to Evans
By The Canadian Press
Mon. Sep 8 - 4:45 AM
ATLANTA — It was the kind of crunching knockout punch that made Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell famous.
Only once again, Liddell was on the receiving end as Rashad Evans left the mixed martial arts icon senseless and crumpled on his side on the canvas in the main event of UFC 88 before 14,736 shocked fans at Philips Arena on Saturday night.
The 38-year-old Liddell has now lost three of his last four fights and has been stopped in two of those. He has not registered a knockout of his own in more than 20 months when a run of seven straight KOs ended.
Perhaps more worryingly for Liddell (21-6), he is becoming predictable. Evans caught him the same way Quinton (Rampage) Jackson did when he dethroned Liddell in May 2007 at UFC 71. Liddell threw a looping punch and left his chin wide open. Evans (17-0-1) caught him with a hammer-like right and it was lights out at 1:51 of the second round.
"My coach Mike Winklejohn, we went over that overhand right over and over again," said Evans. "He said ‘Man, this is the one that’s going to put Chuck down.’ ... It happened just the way he said it’d happen."
In a taped intro to the card, the 28-year-old Evans had said he was there to host Liddell’s retirement party. And he may have done it.
A stony-faced Liddell, his face swollen around the eyes, said he would ponder his future.
"I’ll definitely take a little time," he told the post-fight news conference. "I don’t know. I always said I’d decide if I’m going to retire in the training room not after a fight."
But he offered a different message later, saying he still wanted his title back before he retired — "Obviously it’s going to take a little longer now."
Time is definitely not on Liddell’s side. And others may urge him to call it a day.
The first conversation could come in Mexico. UFC president Dana White, a close friend and former manager, said he and Liddell were scheduled to leave Sunday for Cancun to "hang out."
"I think out of respect for him, I think he and I need to sit down and we need to talk," White said. "He needs to go home and relax for a while."
Liddell is essentially comfort food for MMA fans. Every time his menacing mug was shown on the arena big screens prior to the main event, the crowd erupted. Evans was booed for no other reason than he was fighting Liddell.
Liddell offered no excuses for the loss.
"I’m fine," he said. "I got caught, man. What do you want me to say?"
"I thought we had a good game plan for the fight," he added. "Obviously I just didn’t execute very well."
Liddell was a 5-2 favourite going into the fight against the unbeaten Evans. But the Evans camp saw their opening and were waiting for the overhand right.
"That’s what we planned for," said trainer Greg Jackson, also helped mastermind Keith (The Dean of Mean) Jardine’s upset win over Liddell in September 2007 at UFC 76.
Evans, a former Michigan State wrestler who won "The Ultimate Fighter" reality TV show, had not really fought anyone in the who’s who of MMA prior to Saturday night other than managing a draw with Tito Ortiz in July 2003.
Former champions Rich (Ace) Franklin and Dan Henderson also won on the night, as did Canadian middleweight Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald.
MacDonald (22-10) rebounded from a loss last month to submit Jason (The Punisher) Lambert in the second round.