Liddell vs. Silva made official for UFC 79 in Las Vegas
Oh, it’s happening alright and it’s happening December 29 right here in Las Vegas at UFC 79.
UFC president Dana White made the official announcement last week: Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva will finally meet in the Octagon.
Liddell and Silva are widely considered two of the best fighters in the world and have been looking forward to fighting each other for years. And they’re not the only ones. Fans have been waiting with bated breath for this fight to materialize just as long as the fighters themselves.
At one time, each man was the undisputed 185-pound champion in their organizations, Liddell in UFC and Wanderlei in PRIDE. Although there were many cross-promotional appearances by both fighters, a deal couldn’t be reached between the rival organizations and the fight never materialized.
The closest the fight came to actually happening was in 2003, when both men participated in the PRIDE Middleweight (the equivalent of UFC’s light heavyweight class) Grand Prix. After finishing off Alistair Overeem in the first round of the tournament, Liddell was stopped in the semifinals by current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson (the two would meet again at UFC 71, where Jackson would beat Liddell a second time and take the UFC championship).
Silva would go on to win the tournament by dominating Jackson in the final round. One year later, they fought a second time with the PRIDE middleweight championship on the line and Silva would again overwhelm Jackson with superior striking techniques.
As it stands, Liddell has lost to Jackson twice, who in turn has lost to Silva twice.
However anticipated the fight is, I can’t help but wonder if it’s come too late or lost some of its meaning. Four years ago, a match between the two champions would have been the ultimate fight to determine which organization churned out the superior fighter.
Since then, both men have suffered back-to-back losses, PRIDE has been bought out by Zuffa, which owns UFC and many PRIDE fighters who made the transition into the Octagon haven’t found the success fans had expected.
I won’t say I’m not excited to watch this fight, because I am, but it’s no longer a meeting of untouchable champions. At this point, the fight is almost tinged with a feeling of desperation. Both men need this win, particularly Silva, who will be making his first UFC appearance since 2000, when he lost a decision to Tito Ortiz.
A win can catapult either man right back into championship running, while a loss could have devastating consequences in their careers.
I’ll stop just short of predicting a winner, even if I do have my favorite. Liddell is an effective counter-striker and can knock opponents out while backing away, but Silva’s hyper-aggressive fighting style lead him to 18 wins in a row in PRIDE.
UFC 79 will be held December 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Also on the card will be the championship match between welterweight champion Matt Serra and former-champion Matt Hughes.
