UFC 71-Liddell vs Jackson Card Thread

[Souljacker]

Original von Nefercheperur
-Middleweight Fight:
Chris Leben (16-3-0) vs Kalib Starnes (7-1-1)

Interessanter Style-Vergleich... Hier kommt es eigentlich nur darauf an, wo der Fight sich verlagert... Wenn sich alles auf dem Boden abspielt, wird Starnes, Leben relativ sicher submitten...

Allerdings ist das auch ad acta gelegt, wenn Starnes in Lebens, Schwinger laufen würde, wie es J.Santiago passiert ist.

... allerdings hätte mich Leben vs. McFedries mehr gereizt...

[Nefercheperur]

Fuer UFC 71 wurde nun ein neuer Fight bestaetigt, und zwar Wilson Gouveia gegen Carmelo Marrero. Gouveia gewann seine letzten zwei UFC Fights gegen Wes Combs und Seth Petruzelli, davor musste er sich knapp Keith Jardine geschlagen geben. Marrero gab bei UFC 64 sein UFC Debut und gewann damals gegen Cheick Kongo. Bei UFC 66 wurde er dann domminiert von Gabriel Gonzaga, und entschied sich nun von der Heavyweight in die Light Heavyweight Division zu wechseln.

-Light Heavyweight:
Wilson Gouveia (8-4-0) vs Carmelo Marrero (6-1-0)

[Nefercheperur]

Die UFC bestaetigte heute, das Ivan Salaverry bei UFC 71 ende May zur UFC zurueckkehren wird, und gegen Terry Martin antritt. Martin knockte zuletzt bei UFC 67 Jorge Rivera in 14 Sekunden aus, und gewann damit seinen ersten Fight in der UFC. Salaverry war einer der Fighter die die UFC von der WFA uebernahm ende letzten Jahres. In der UFC hat Salaverry einen 3-2-0 Record, 2005 bestritt er seinen letzten Fight bei der ersten Ultimate Fight Night gegen Nathan Marquardt. Nachdem Fight denn Marquardt gewann, wurde Salaverry entlassen, weil man ihm die Schuld gab das durch seine Passivitaet kein guter Fight zustande gekommen sein soll, und das obwohl spaeter herauskam das Nathan Marquardt positiv getestet wurde. Seit dem Marquardt Fight bestritt Salaverry in den letzten zwei Jahren, nur noch einen weiteren Fight bei der WFA im Sommer letzten Jahres gegen Art Santore.

Mit 9 Fights duerfte die UFC 71 - Liddell vs Jackson Show nun komplett sein.

UFC 71 - Liddell vs Jackson
26 May 2007
Las Vegas, Nevada
MGM Grand

-UFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight:
Chuck Liddell (20-3-0) © vs Quinton Jackson (26-6-0) (5th Defense)

-Welterweight Fight:
Karo Parisyan (16-4-0) vs Josh Burkman (8-3-0)

-Light Heavyweight Fight:
Eric Schafer (7-2-2) vs Sean Salmon (9-2-0)

-Light Heavyweight Fight:
Keith Jardine (12-2-1) vs Houston Alexander (6-1-0)

-Lightweight Fight:
Din Thomas (19-6-0) vs Jeremy Stephens (8-1-0)

-Light Heavyweight Fight:
Thiago Silva (9-0-0) vs James Irvin (12-3-0)

-Middleweight Fight:
Chris Leben (16-3-0) vs Kalib Starnes (7-1-1)

-Light Heavyweight:
Wilson Gouveia (8-4-0) vs Carmelo Marrero (6-1-0)

-Middleweight Fight:
Ivan Salaverry (12-4-0) vs Terry Martin (15-2-0)

[Nefercheperur]

Die UFC 71 Website ist nun online mit einigen interessanten Interviews.

http://71.ufc.com/


Vom Rampage Interview:
“Chuck is a professional when it comes to his fights. He might not be professional when it comes to his interviews........”

[Nefercheperur]

John McCarthy wird der Referee im Chuck Liddell vs Quinton Jackson Fights sein. Die Judges sind Glenn Trowbridge, Cecil Peoples, und Nelson Hamilton (Ouch!), das jedenfalls gab heute die Nevada State Athletic Commission bekannt.

[Nefercheperur]

Eric Schafer brach sich im Training eine Rippe, und kann bei UFC 71 in der kommenden Woche nicht auf Sean Salmon treffen. Als Ersatzfighter hat die UFC Alan Belcher gefunden, Belcher hat einen UFC Record von 1-2-0. In seinem UFC Debut verlor er gegen Yushin Okami, konnte dann ende letzten Jahres Jorge Santiago ausknocken, und verlor in seinem letzten UFC Fight bei UFC 69 gegen Kendall Grove. Sean Salmon wird bei UFC 71 sein Middleweight Debut geben, zuletzt ging Salmon zu Team Jorge Gurgel um sich auf seinen Fight bei UFC 71 vorzubereiten.

-Middleweight Fight:
Sean Salmon (9-2-0) vs Alan Belcher (9-3-0)

[Nefercheperur]

Hier mal das UFC 71 Preview von Stephen Quadros

UFC® 71: Liddell vs. Jackson
Saturday, May 26, 2007
MGM Grand Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada

By Stephen Quadros, “The Fight Professor”


Chuck Liddell (champion) vs. Quinton Jackson (challenger)

The history of the rematch® between Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has been pounded into our skulls to the point that I will only briefly touch on the high-points below:

1. Liddell’s corner threw in the towel after Jackson took Chuck down and thrashed him when the pair met in the semi-finals of Pride’s Final Conflict tournament in (November) 2003.
2. Since then Rampage was KO’d twice by Wanderlei Silva, stopped by Mauricio Rua and struggled in decision wins against Murilo “Ninja” Rua and Matt “The Law” Lindland.
3. After the loss to Jackson, Chuck started drinking Xyience…then KO’d Randy Couture (twice) and Tito Ortiz (twice).

It’s no mystery that both men have taken different paths since the first go round. Liddell has established his place at the top of the sport; Jackson has not.

Chuck Liddell is the rarest of breeds in that he has become famous and enjoys partying with the Hollywood types, yet can seemingly be unfazed by the cush living, return to camp (The Pit with trainer John Hackleman in this case), get completely focused and actually get better.

From my observation, most fighters who dabble in “acting” and the glitzy life that sometimes accompanies it (clubs, late nights, expensive women) usually start getting their asses kicked inside the (ring or) cage by a hungry soul without an acting career. The “Wild On” lifestyle usually leaves fighters soft, mentally at least, and distracted. Chuck has so far been the exception.

Plus Liddell has perfected his Sherman tank style that has worked so well when dispatching wrestling/grappling based MMA fighters (Couture, Ortiz, Jeremy Horn and Renato Sobral). He waits, defends the takedown (if necessary), swats his opponent upside the head and then poses with his belt in the aftermath. Chuck is truly riding high at the moment.

Quinton Jackson still talks the talk, but gone is the swaggering, cursing, rough-edged monstrosity of bygone years. He is now jovial, “charming” and humorous, which still makes for fairly good pre-fight TV. One note though: before his persona seemed a little bit less rehearsed. He seemed like he was flying by the seat of his pants. And his fighting style was problematic because of the same things – his opponents didn’t know what to expect.

But does he still have the fire? Was it the two KOs to Wanderlei Silva that sent him into a period of self-doubt and/or a future of pre-fight anxiety? Regardless he will need his full capabilities in this match. Liddell’s mind is thinking of one thing only, to set right his last unavenged loss.

I know that Rampage has redesigned his technical facility over the last couple of years. But this match is not about technique, it about getting to the other guy first.

To win this rematch® Jackson must take it back to the beginning and unleash the “old” Rampage, who frightened his adversaries with his raging unpredictability. He must stand right up to Chuck, get him into a street brawl and hurt the Iceman to get him out of his game, just like he did in the first match.

Quinton needs to fight with emotion, the kind of emotion that he refers to as when he “blacks out”…and the ‘other’ Quinton Jackson flashes into action, the one who has convincingly demolished past opponents (both professionally and in more than a few personal situations).

Breaking this down in general terms, Jackson has two things that may pose a threat (again): knockout punching power and the bravado to stand in the pocket and trade. When Quinton pulls the trigger and decides to hit you it can create a problem. In facing Chuck here “Rampage” must forget about ‘thinking’ and only ‘do’. He must push the tempo and incorporate low kicks to set up his punch combos. He must ‘be first’.

Depending on which Quinton shows up, Liddell just needs to keep doing what he has been for the last three years, counter punch with fistic destruction. A good deal of attention has been placed on Jackson’s ability to hit hard, but let’s not forget “The Iceman’s” abilities in this very department. He may be the heavier puncher at this point in time, based solely on his stats (7 straight KO wins).

In some ways this fight depends on how Quinton executes. If he comes to rumble it will be exciting and would probably end with whoever lands first. If Jackson comes in and fights a calm strategic fight though, this could actually be dull.

I believe that both gents have a strong chance of winning.


Terry Martin Vs Ivan Salaverry

It’s great (and overdue) to see Ivan Salaverry back inside the Octagon® again. Martin is a dangerous, if not predictable opponent. Ivan can outslick him but has to be careful of Terry’s powder keg punches.


Josh Burkman Vs Karo Parisyan

“The People’s Champion” (Burkman) against “The Heat” (Parisyan)…this fight has all the markings of a classic. Both men are fighting for title contention; both men know the other’s strength and weaknesses.

To win Burkman must set a torrential pace and get Parisyan moving backwards by using a lot of striking while standing. Karo can be victorious by going back to his roots and reminding people of why he was world ranked in Judo.


Houston Alexander Vs Keith Jardine

With a reasonable record of 6-1, Houston Alexander is stepping up quite a bit to face “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine. Jardine has faced and handled a considerably higher caliber of opposition than Houston has and that will be the biggest reason he will win this.


Kalib Starnes Vs Chris Leben

Kalib Starnes is a real threat on the mat, especially if he gets your back (3 of his victories have come by way of rear naked choke).

Chris Leben, A.K.A. “The Crippler”, was the driving force behind the first season of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show, mainly for his fowl mouth behavior while intoxicated. But he has lost two of his last three matches in the UFC.

I’m not saying Chris necessarily needs to start attending AA meetings, but he has to take Kalib seriously. A win here would surely set him up for the long anticipated rematch® with Mike Swick (Leben KO’d Swick a few years back and Mike has wanted revenge ever since) and more.


Thiago Silva Vs James Irvin

Thiago Silva (9-0, 7 TKOs, 1 submission) epitomizes the Chute Boxe style: he gets things done by bashing his opponents to smithereens. James “Sandman” Irvin (12-3, 9 TKOs, 2 submissions) used to have the same M.O., but has worked recently to round out his game and dropped a few fights along the way. I can’t see this one going the distance.


Sean Salmon Vs Eric Schafer

Sean Salmon could easily have become the overnight “Reverse King of The Highlight Reel” by his head-kick knockout loss to Rashad Evans in his UFC® debut in January (2007). But this affable gent (and highly decorated wrestler) is back to show that he is more than just a fall guy for TUF graduates.

Promising Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer is coming off a TKO loss himself (to Michael Bisping in December 2006), so his cause, like Sean’s, of getting back into the winner’s circle is urgent.

And just because both these gladiators like to end things with a submission doesn’t mean that we won’t see one of Salmon’s Chris Farley-esque “Beverly Hills Ninja” flying roundhouse kicks zip through the air at some point.

http://www.budovideos.com/shop/custo....php?pageid=93

[Nefercheperur]

Im Boston Herald gaben nun einige Fighter/Journalisten ihre Tipps zum Chuck Liddell vs Quinton Jackson Fights bei UFC 71 ab. Randy muss mal wieder aus der Reihe tanzen, und tippt auf Quinton Jackson. ;) Hier die Tipps von Couture, Ortiz und weiteren Personen:

Randy Couture
“My feeling is that this series of upsets in the UFC is going to continue and that Rampage is going to beat Chuck. I think Rampage is not intimidated and he has the skill set and the ability to make this a tough night for Liddell. I think on my picks for the main card fights on the Fight Network’s ’Natural Pick,’ I’m 35-15, so we’ll see how I do on this card.”

Tito Ortiz
“I expect a really exciting fight. I hope Rampage wins. He’s my boy. I think the only way he’s going to beat Chuck is throw those numbers. You can’t just throw ones and twos at Chuck. I’m going to the fight and I’m going to see if they can carry the same energy as when Chuck and I fought each other.”

Kenny Florian
“Liddell by knockout in the third round. I think it’s going to go back and forth -- action-packed for every minute, every round. I don’t know if Rampage has the ability to knock out Liddell. I do think he could possibly take him down and TKO him. But for Liddell, this is another fight with a similar game plan as the last eight fighters he’s faced. It’s a perfect opponent for Liddell -- a wrestler who’s going to try to take him down. He’s prepared for that.”

Heath Herring
“I’ve got Chuck because of his relative experience in The Octagon, as opposed to the ring that Pride uses that Rampage has fought the majority of his bouts in. But I wouldn’t put any money on that fight.”

Lance Pugmire (Los Angeles Times Reporter)
“This is kind of like Oscar and Floyd. I’ve spent a lot of time with these guys and know them both pretty well. Jackson’s showed he’s not going to be fazed by Chuck’s strength and skill. However, Chuck has been so dominant ever since their first fight, I pick Liddell by the end of the third round.”

Thomas Gerbasi (UFC.com Reporter)
“Liddell’s undoubtedly on top of his game, so he’s rightfully the favorite here. But Jackson has walked through Chuck’s bombs before, his only knockout losses have come from knees (not Chuck’s specialty), and he’s got everything to gain and nothing to lose in this fight. He’s a live underdog on May 26th, and as recent UFC history has shown, any ’dog’ can have his day.”

http://sports.bostonherald.com/ufc/view....id=1002169

[The Sandman]

-UFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight:
Chuck Liddell (20-3-0) © vs Quinton Jackson (26-6-0) (5th Defense)

-Light Heavyweight Fight:
Thiago Silva (9-0-0) vs James Irvin (12-3-0)

-Middleweight Fight:
Chris Leben (16-3-0) vs Kalib Starnes (7-1-1)

Eigentlich interessieren mich nur die 3 Fights wobei ich mich auf Liddell vs. Rampage natürlich am meisten freue. Auch wenn es in letzter Zeit einige Upsets gab ( mein Gott habe ich gejubelt als Gonzaga CroCop ausgeknockt hat; furchtbar wie einseitg zuvor dieser Kampf kommentiert wurde, da kam dieses Ende gerade recht. Ist schon klasse das die Pläne der UFC mit Crocop ersteinmal über den Haufen geworfen sind ... ) denke ich das es Chuck machen wird. Ich habe Jackson die letzten Male gesehen und da konnte er mich nicht überzeugen. Klar ist natürlich das er nächsten Samstag eine bessere Leistung abliefern wird ( müssen ) und natürlich auch mit viel größerer Motivation in den Kampf gehen wird, doch ich denke nicht das es ausreichen wird. Liddell ist imo einer der cleversten Fighter die das Octagon jemals betreten haben und das wird ihm auch dieses mal von Nutzen sein ...

[Nefercheperur]

Din Thomas ist heute in Las Vegas bereits eingetroffen, seine Corner Men Denis Kang, Paul Rodriguez und Dan Lambert werden in einigen Tagen eintreffen. Din`s Vorbereitung verlief gut, und er ist bereit fuer Stephens.

[Souljacker]

Randy ist einfach cool... Der setzt einfach nur noch aus Prinzip auf den Upset .

Aber Quadros bringt mal wieder alles auf den Punkt. Bei Liddell vs. Jackson trifft er den Nagel ziemlich auf den Kopf.

Was meint ihr, wenn Leben verliert... sehen wir Swick vs. Leben 2 erst wieder in der WEC? ;)

[Nefercheperur]

Leben wird imo frueher oder spaeter bei der WEC landen (oder ICON Sports ), weil ich denke das er nicht gut genug fuer die UFC ist. Aber bei Swick sehe ich durchaus noch Potential.

Ich habe ja auch schon 2005 und 2006 gesagt das ich Leben vs Swick II gerne sehen wuerde, aber mittlerweile habe ich da meine Meinung geaendert. Weil fuer Swick waere Leben mittlerweile ein klarer Rueckschritt, der trat eben schon gegen Loiseau und Okami auf, und hat sich dort bewiessen. Leben dagegen hat gegen jeden soliden Fighter wie MacDonald schlecht ausgesehen.

Wenn Leben jetzt gegen Starnes gewinnen sollte, dann vielleicht nochmal als FN Main Event ala Fisher vs Stout Refight im Herbst. Aber je laenger man wartet, desto mehr will ich den Fight eigentlich garnichtmehr sehen.


PS: Wenn Randy auf Rampage tippt, dann tippe ich auch auf Rampage. ;)

[Souljacker]

Sicher wäre es für Swick ein Rückschritt gegen Leben anzutreten, allerdings kommt es dann darauf an, wen das in den USA wirklich interessiert. Leben lässt sich UFC-technisch ganz gut vermarkten und Swick wirkt dagegen immer etwas farblos... Ich denke wenn das Publikum diesen Fight fordern würde, würde Dana ihn sofort booken... und das ohne mit der Wimper zu zucken.

Zu Rampage vs. Liddell: Irgendwie kann ich Randy trotzdem nicht zustimmen... aber wenn es wirklich so eintritt werde ich den Rest meines Lebens auf Randy hören