First of all, does anyone know anything further? Second, does anyone else think it’s at the very least kind of unfortunate that the same day the news breaks about the fight probably being off, this article –http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/sports/homepage/article_1240156.php – appears featuring Chuck talking lots of shit, predicting a first-round knockout of Silva and claiming that Wanderlei has a suspect chin? (Wanderlei, by the way, was knocked out precisely ONCE, by Vitor Belfort, EIGHT YEARS AGO, and has since beaten or at least gone the distance with several big strikers, including Rampage Jackson who, if memory serves, had enough power to stop Chuck himself.)
Anyway, I have a lot of respect for Liddell, and I understand that he must have given that interview some number of days before it was published, but I also figure the UFC (and Chuck) must have known that the fight was unlikely to happen before they actually made the announcement, so… either way, it doesn’t make a fighter look too good when he’s caught talking shit (especially when that shit consists of some pretty outlandish claims) that he knows he’ll never have to back up.
I’m not surprised. Mark Coleman made some comments that there is some disagreement between Pride and UFC about how Silva is to be paid for this fight. This fight will happen before their careers end, but I don’t think it will happen earlier than next year.
I lost interest in last season of TUF. A big reason - the actual fighting ability of many of the competitors did not come anywhere close to either how they looked working out or their ability to talk smack before the fight.
My question - is it their fear of getting a beating or is it that they are so overmatched in skill, they look like fighters from a YouTube video?
[quote]cap’nsalty wrote:
We can always look forward to Forrest vs. Bonnar 2 and Tito vs. Shamrock 3. yawn The UFC is looking sadder and sadder.[/quote]
Well…there WILL be a Tito/Shamrock III, no question. But prior to that I think there will be a Tito/Lidell II.
And in other mma action…
Anyone see Diego Sanchez/Karo Parisyan fight last night? I won’t ruin it for you if you have not seen it. But it’s one of the best fights that I have seen in a long time.
The UFC has brilliantly created their very own “farm system.” They create the stars of tommorow and also generate great interest in the UFC at the same time. I think the current UFC management is brilliant. As I have stated on prior occasions, the UFC (and other mma) will soon replace boxing in America as the number one combat sport.
And…
Anyone watch Shoney Carter puke after some training? Ha ha…why would anyone enter a show like that and not already be in at least decent shape. And then there was the fight…
That is true, I suppose I was just in a negative mood. Some of the new talent is looking pretty exciting, specifically Josh Koschek, Diego Sanchez, Forrest Griffin, and Michael Bisping.
As for Shonie Carter, you have to consider that he’s 44 years old. According to the show, he has over a hundred fights under his belt. He ain’t exactly a spring chicken. Maybe he didn’t train hard enough, or maybe he was in shape, but just not good enough shape.
Well…there WILL be a Tito/Shamrock III, no question. But prior to that I think there will be a Tito/Lidell II.
[/quote]
Unfortunately, it appears that Ken/Tito will on the next UFN. At least it will be free. Shit, maybe they will do a best out of five. If they keep going, maybe Slamcock will get lucky and can retire saying he’s the best fighter in the world and owns Tito Ortiz. Go out gracefully? Hell no, that’s not Ken’s style.
[quote]cap’nsalty wrote:
That is true, I suppose I was just in a negative mood. Some of the new talent is looking pretty exciting, specifically Josh Koschek, Diego Sanchez, Forrest Griffin, and Michael Bisping.
As for Shonie Carter, you have to consider that he’s 44 years old. According to the show, he has over a hundred fights under his belt. He ain’t exactly a spring chicken. Maybe he didn’t train hard enough, or maybe he was in shape, but just not good enough shape. [/quote]
Shonie made a good point concerning his lack of conditioning when he said that in his gym he’s the “big dog”. If you’re the best of your peer group, it’s difficult to identify your shortcomings.
[quote]cap’nsalty wrote:
Some of the new talent is looking pretty exciting, specifically Josh Koschek, Diego Sanchez, Forrest Griffin, and Michael Bisping. [/quote]
You forgot Chris Leben! I know how fond of him we all are.
God, I hate Diego. Unfortunately, I have to give him respect after that last match. I want to see him go in with a top guy, which is guess means GSP or Hughes.
OK, a lot of stuff has been brought up, so I’ll try and comment on what I remeber reading through:
Not surprised that the Silva-Liddell match isn’t finalized yet. I had my doubts when Dana White announced the fight for Nov., considering he knew Liddell was fighting in late-August and Silva’s competing a few weeks later in Pride. That’d be an awfully quick turnaround time to prepare for a fight that both guys would want to come in at their best for.
I think the fight will happen, but I’d look for it to be in Jan.
Unfortunately, we have to watch Shamrock get rocked one last time. He’s fighting Ortiz on the 10/10 Spike TV special. At least it’s on free TV and Shamrock has announced that he’s retiring after the match.
My MMA instructor (Brad Gumm) fought Shonie Carter several years ago in the UFC. He said Shonie is a real nice guy and that he acts very differently when the cameras are on just to get attention.
I haven’t watched the episode yet, so I can’t comment on what he did or how he looked in the fight.
Sanchez-Parisyan was a hell of a fight…probably the best fight UFC’s put on free TV since they started the Ultimate Fight Nights. I’m still shocked that one judge had it 30-26 for Sanchez. The first two rounds were so close that I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the fight finish a draw, since Sanchez was so dominant in round 3 that I could see him earning a 10-8 score to even the fight. Sanchez won the fight and impressed me, as did Koscheck and Leben, who bounced back from his loss a few months ago.
I think Sanchez should get a title shot…he’d be a fresh opponent for either Hughes or GSP and right now I’m burned out on seeing rematch after rematch, so getting some new blood into the title scene is good.