Liddell (20-3-0) vs. Jackson (26-6-0)

In one of the most highly anticipated bouts of the year, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell will defend his 205lbs UFC light-heavyweight title against 'God's Street Soldier,' Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Liddell (20-3-0) has been on a mission to avenge the three losses that blemish his impressive record in a career spanning nearly 10 years, fighting at the elite level that is the UFC. First, it was hall of famer Randy Couture, then, long time MMA stand-out Jeremy Horn; now, Liddell seeks to complete the trio this saturday night from the MGM Grand in downtown Las Vegas Nevada, predicting a first round KO of long time PRIDE FC contender "Rampage" Jackson (26-6-0).

Because there is history here, the fight becomes all the more compelling. When these two squared off last, it was in Japan (a market that was familiar with, and embraced Rampage as a superstar of the sport), and under PRIDE FC rules. At that time, Rampage was just 24 years of age and at the time considered by most MMA authorities as being the #2 ranked LHW fighter in the world (behind long time Pride Monarch Wanderlei Silva). Jackson brought the heat to Liddell that night, pressing him from start to finish. As the bout wore on, it was evident that Rampage possessed the better conditioning, and under PRIDE rules, where the first round is 10 minutes in length, he was able to utilize that advantage. The second round of action saw Jackson take Liddell to the mat, and pummel him with blows until a referee stoppage roughly 2 minutes into the round.

Expect this contest to play out differently though. Liddell has been pushing his conditioning hard, found new confidence in capturing a long sought after UFC title, and at 37 years of age, he hasn’t appeared to lose even the slightest step defeating his last 7 opponents by way of TKO/KO. The first round is only 5 minutes, and simply getting Chuck pressed up against the cage, does not by any means guarantee a takedown is inevitable. If there’s one aspect of his game that Chuck has mastered, it’s commanding the octagon and ring generalship.

The timing of this fight makes me believe that the odds are stacked slightly in Liddell’s favor for the following reasons; a) confidence b) activity, and c) awareness. Liddell’s streak of late has been impressive and confidence for him is at an all time high. Rampage has only had two fights in the past year, and just one inside of the UFCs octagon which is where awareness might play a factor. Regardless, expect sparks to fly, and expect excitement on all levels because neither of these guys are interested in squeaking out a decision.

Keys to the Fight

Liddell has to keep Jackson on the outside with constant jabs, and stay away from focusing only on the one big shot. Liddell is however, a former US National kickboxing champion, so needless-to-say, he knows how to throw em’. His takedown defense is among the best in the world, and this will again be a major key to his success. He cannot allow Jackson to get a body lock on him, because what goes up, must come down and slams are Rampage’s forte. Neither guy has a great submission game, but both are able to defend well against submissions, so don’t expect that aspect of the game to play a major factor in this one. Rampage is well versed in strikes, but he’s not as crisp as Liddell. Explosiveness, athleticism, and quickness has to go to Jackson, so pushing the pace will be a necessity in finding success.

“The Natural”, Randy Couture put himself out there this past week by declaring that he’s predicting the upset this weekend, with a belief that Rampage has all the tools to dethrone the reigning champ, but I’m going to lean in the opposite direction with this one. Although my heart will be with Rampage, my head says that the current circumstances under which this fight is taking place are favoring Chuck, and for that reason (timing), I’m going to predict a Chuck Liddell TKO victory via Ref stoppage.

DD