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

PRIDE Shockwave 2006 NYE

Since the turn of the century, Pride FC has been recognized in MMA (mixed martial arts) circles as the leading promotion in terms of talent worldwide. Recently, the tides have started to shift slightly, but only slightly, thus far. At present, Pride's line-up of talent is still daunting to those who aspire to obtain such names as Emelianenko, Barnett, Filipovic, or Nogueira, (4 of the world's top 5 Heavyweights) just to name a few... Shockwave, their New Year's Eve show, and biggest of the year, promises not to disappoint.

If you have never watched an MMA event in your life, this is the one to catch. Throughout the card, you will be witness to many, both intriguing, and exciting match-ups; the Heavyweight, and Lightweight belts will be contested, and for the two Champions defending, there will be more than just their titles at stake.

The Lightweight Division

Since Penn's departure from the LW ranks, Takanori Gomi (25-3) has since been recognized as the world's number one lightweight fighter. With the creation of an official LW division in 2005, Gomi was finally able to realize the dream of becoming Pride's first LW Champion, after toppling Hayato Sakurai in the finals of the inaugural LW Grand Prix Tournament. In just a few days, he will put that title on the line against a very capable Mitsuhiro Ishida (14-2-1), who respectively, is currently ranked number 7 in the world by MMAweekly.com.

Currently, I still believe that Gomi, (at just 28 years of age, and most probably, just entering his prime) is the best that Pride has to offer for a LW. His wrestling is great, and his hands could be the division's fastest. However, if there has ever been a question mark about Gomi, it's in his desire; Gomi, who lost in a non-title contest earlier this year to Marcus Aurelio, cited "lack of motivation" as an excuse in post fight interviews.

Was that loss the medicine Gomi needed to fix his issue? I for one, am willing to bet that "the Fireball Kid" has found that motivation since, and will retain his LW title come NYE.

Prediction: Takanori Gomi via UD (Unanimous Decision).

Antonio Rodrigo "Mintotauro" Nogueira (28-4-1)
vs Josh "The Babyface Assassin" Barnett (20-4-0)

Let me just start by letting out a primal yell in excitement, "Ahhh!" Alright, now that we've got that out of the way, lets break down this fight.

Nogueira, until this past summer, held the # 2 HW ranking in the world for over 3 years (only taking a backseat to Fedor Emelianenko). He has widely been recognized as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters ever in MMA, and showcases his vast arsenal of skills every time he steps foot in the ring. A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner first and foremost, Nogueira has rounded himself into the complete package; his boxing is sharp and very technical, although he lacks that 'one punch' KO power, and his wrestling is strong as well. Of his impressive 28 wins, 18 have come by way of submission.

At just 30 years of age, one would think that the Brazilian Top Team member, and former Pride HW champion, would just be coming into his prime. However, years of hard fought wars inside the Pride ring have began to take their toll on the future legend, and recently, health concerns (vision) have come to the forefront. The current world # 4 seemingly, is starting to wind down, and when he attempts to avenge this past summer's split decision loss to Barnett (in the semi finals of the Open-weight GP tournament), one might question whether or not a loss could bring about talks of retirement.

With the rumoured departure of Mirko "Cro-Cop Filipovic (current world #2, and Pride Open-weight GP Champion 2006) from the Pride organization, the winner of this fight could very well find himself in a title fight against Pride's HW Champion; With 2 of his 4 losses coming to the hands of Fedor, you can be certain that "Minotauro" is hungry for another shot at regaining his title.

His task will be a tall one. At 230lbs, Nogueira will be giving up between 20 and 30 pounds to Barnett who is renowned for his wrestling; but one thing is certain, he will be as prepared for this rematch as he has ever been. Minotauro has never been stopped early in a contest, and I don't expect this one to be any different. Expect a 3 round war, and expect excitement, as both guys like to finish their opponents before the final bell!

Josh "the Babyface Assassin" Barnett is the current world # 3. With his finals loss in the Open-Weight GP tournament this past summer to Filipovic, and semi-final victory over Nogueira, Barnett has resurrected a career that had gone stagnant.

The former UFC HW champion is merely 29 years of age, and of his 4 career losses, 3 of them have come at the hands of Cro-Cop. This is significant, in that his only 4 losses have come to the hands of world class strikers; Cro-Cop and a young Pedro Rizzo (former Brazilian Muay Tai Champion) in the UFC years earlier. Scary for Nogueira? It should be... because Barnett has NEVER been stopped by another grappler. He's slick, he's strong, he's well versed in submissions, and as of this past year, he is in the best shape of his life.

I fully expect this fight to look very much like their first; Both fighters enjoy all facets of the game, and I believe that despite giving up a significant size advantage, Nogueira should get the better of the stand up action. Both of these men have never been submitted, so I don't feel like an early stoppage is likely to come from the ground. Barnett (being the stronger wrestler) should be able to maintain top position for the majority of time spent on the mat, so if Nogueira is to take this one, he better make a statement with his hands.

Prediction: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via UD

The Heavyweight Title

It has long been said that "styles make matchups", and if that is indeed the case, then MMA fans should be in for yet another treat when reigning, and undefeated, Pride HW champion and World # 1 Fedor Emelianenko takes on World # 9 Mark Hunt. This will be Fedor's first title defense since August of 2005, when the Champ defeated then number 3, Mirko Filipovic in a convincing 3 round unanimous decision. Since that time, Fedor has fought twice, but in contests that were meant to showcase the Champion's talents, moreso than present a legitimate challenge to him.

Mark Hunt (5-2-0) at 32 is relatively new to the MMA game, coming over from the ranks of K-1 (the World's premier striking/kickboxing organization), where he won the K-1 World GP Tournament in 2001. Like Cro-Cop, his striking is among the world's best, however, his evolution as a complete fighter has not caught up to that of his K-1 counterpart (Filipovic). That is to be expected, after all, he has far less experience; but one thing is constant, his chin is iron, and his hands are heavy.... very heavy!

At just 5'10, his 250lbs frame can often be deceiving, but make no mistake, this New Zealand native is quite agile on his feet. We have seen Fedor get caught once before, but Mark Hunt is anything but Fujita, who is known for his wrestling prowess. Fujita, with a powerful right hook, gave Emelianenko the worst case of rubber legs I have ever seen without a fighter actually hitting the mat; if Hunt happens to land a similar punch, you can be sure that the mat is exactly where Fedor will end up. It's a puncher's chance, but nonetheless, it is a chance.

The 30 year old Fedor Emelianenko (24-1-0) is everything the hype promises. The World # 1's only career loss came in his 4th fight, and was due to an accidental illegal elbow (not caught by the ref in charge of action) in the first exchange that cut Emelianenko right above the eye. The fight never got off the ground as the contest was stopped by the ringside doctor, and the loss was never overturned to read as a 'no contest'. Years later, within the Pride ring, Fedor brutally avenged that loss to Kohsaka, and all that was questioned has been put to rest.

Besides being widely recognized as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter, he is the Pride HW Champion for over three years running, and also the 2004 Pride Heavyweight GP tournament Champion. His list of victims include many of the "who's who" in the HW ranks, and when we talk about well-roundedness, Fedor's name should top the list.

A thinking man, Fedor himself claims that he has never gone into a fight with a specific game plan; rather, he analyses the way his opponent is reacting on that night, inside the ring, and builds a game plan as he sees fit. He will be the overwhelming favorite in his fight against Hunt, and is expected to take the fight to the ground. Giving up 20lbs to the portly Hunt, this is where Fedor will take control, through his notorious 'ground and pound' technique and submission ability. Hunt's two losses in the Pride ring have come by way of submission, and this contest should be no different. Expect Fedor to stand with Hunt, until finding his moment to shoot in, but you can be certain of this.... He will clinch, he will trip, and he will shoot.

Prediction: Fedor Emelianenko via submission, Round 1.

The lineup of fights from top to bottom at this years Shockwave event, if nothing else, promises to be great entertainment for those of us who enjoy witnessing some good fights. From MMA's highest level of talent, to eye dazzling pyrotechnics, Pride knows how to put on a show, and Shockwave 2006 will be no exception.

- DD