Rashad Evans Could Upset Chuck Liddell At UFC 88

by Kelvin Hunt on Aug 20, 2008 9:45 AM EDT in News Comment 9 comments

I know I know...Liddell kills wrestlers and the prove is in the pudding. Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz both succumbed to ass whippings twice, as did Kevin Randleman. However, there are several factors that could possibly alter the outcome that we have become all to familiar with in this regard. First let's take a look at Rashad Evans and what he brings to the table in comparison to the other wrestlers Liddell has faced.

Rashad brings a decent chin, adequate standup game, questionable stamina, but is a much better athlete than Couture or Ortiz. I think the X-factor for Evans will be his stamina. If he comes into this fight in shape, I think his chances of winning go up dramatically. Now let's take a look some of the factors that could affect the outcome of this fight:

Liddell hasn't fought in what will be 9 months

Liddell is coming into this fight while tearing his hamstring just a few months earlier

Evans will have had about 4-5 months to prepare for this one fight(since it was canceled in June)

Liddell hasn't KO'ed anyone since Tito Ortiz at UFC 66(December 06')

Evan's training partner(Keith Jardine) has a win over Liddell

Evan's trainer(Greg Jackson) is great at developing gameplans

Liddell is now 38 years old

All of those factors are in Rashad Evan's favor. Will Liddell be able to sprawl as well as usual with the previous hamstring injury? Has that injury affected his ability to do the same amount of cardio training as he usually does? Will his timing suffer from the 9 month lay off?

I think Evans could be a great fighter if he would use all of the tools he has at his disposal. However, at times he has a tendency let his opponents dictate the pace of the fight. If he allows Liddell to work his angles and gauge the distance correctly, he could end up as a statistic just like all the other wrestlers Liddell has faced. The beauty of MMA is that we'll know the answer in just a couple of weeks.

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Comments

I agree with almost all of this…Evans is always tentative with his striking for some reason and thing is, he’s not that bad when he settles down and just lets them go…now he was super sloppy in the first round against Tito Ortiz but when he settled down he was pretty accurate and put a hurting on Tito…if he isn’t wreckless but puts together some in and out combinations and frustrates Chuck like Jardine did, he could very easily win it and maybe even score a takedown or two

by Charles Walker on Aug 20, 2008 9:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Rashad isn’t going to be able to take Chuck down and lay on him the whole match. I’d say Rashad had a better chance if he had in fact done a better job against Tito. I also dont think that training with Jardine is gonna help all that much. Jardine did win that fight fair and square, but I would bet my house that he doesn’t beat Chuck in a rematch. Chuck was definitely off that night. If anything at all, I do see the hamstring playing a role in the fight. I tore mine in a similar way about 3 years ago, let it heal, then 4 months later tore it again when kicking a soccer ball with the opposite leg. Hamstring are tricky. Overall I see Chuck wining this via TKO or unanimous decision.

by El_Felix on Aug 20, 2008 10:09 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

In regards to Evans/Ortiz..it’s pretty difficult to mount any offense when your opponent is constantly trying to take you down. Ortiz constantly grabbing the fence and Rashad’s shorts affected the flow of the fight IMHO.

by Kelvin on Aug 20, 2008 10:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No shot for Rashad. If you go back and watch the Rashad vs Tito fight, you’ll see Rashad back off Tito in the first, right after he took a solid Tito punch. Rashad didn’t turn it on again until Tito gassed in the 3’rd. If Tito can hurt you, Chuck can lullaby your ass. I see Liddell by (T)KO in the second.

by Tommy on Aug 20, 2008 9:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh no doubt Liddell could KO Rashad, I’m simply pointing out all the intangibles that Rashad has going for him here :)

by Kelvin on Aug 20, 2008 10:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I’m saying right now that I think Evans will win the fight. Liddell is 38 with a bum knee and a fragile hamstring. On one of the MMA talk shows, he bristled when asked how his training is going….something to the effect of: “Why do I always get these kinds of questions?” I think that Chuck’s cardo (which is never great) will be bad and his timing will be off like it was in the Jardine fight.

The perception is that Rashad is only a blanket who wants to lay ‘n pray his way to decisions. That’s plain wrong. Look at the Jason Lambert fight and the Bisping fight. He has a good boxing stance and good head movement. He takes advantage of openings. His shot is very good and he should be able to get Chuck down.

Chuck is going to lose. Straight up. The fact that he couldn’t KO Wand nor Jardine (even though he hit both of them repeatedly) is indication that his knockout power is declining. The sprawl won’t be as effective because of his injuries. Chuck will lose by decision or maybe even GNP stoppage.

by Fred on Aug 21, 2008 12:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Uh Oh!! Fred has spoken…thanks for commenting man.

by Kelvin on Aug 21, 2008 2:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Don’t count Chuck out just yet,despite the legit factors against him.Don’t forget the early in his career defeat of Jeff Monson on Liddell’s resume.True that aging sucks(im over thirty,when it comes to recovery times from constsant training.Even if Chuck is fading,they say a great fighter always has one good fight left in him.Buy his book,you won’t be able to put it down

by Icefan on Aug 21, 2008 4:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs