Chuck Liddell Vs Mauricio Rua: They Both Need a Win To Stay In

At UFC 97, most are focused on the main event for the ever-elusive middleweight gold strapped to Anderson Silva waist.  But the fight before it is far more compelling to me and thus I chose to write solely about the "Iceman" versus " Shogun".

Watching fights is a passion for me and I love to watch a good competitive fight be it Boxing or mixed martial arts.  That being said, we all have our favorite fighters and few things are as disappointing to a fan than watching one our beloved fighters fail to deliver as they once did.

I feel this way about both Chuck Liddell and Mauricio Rua. Having watched both from their early days until now, it's a compelling fight because both desperately need a win to stay relevant at 205 and likely to remain employed with the UFC (Though I believe this applies to Rua more than Liddell, if only from a financial standpoint).

The "Iceman" is 39-years-old with a 21-6-0 record.

Feared for his legendary take down defense and heavy handed unique striking style, this American fighter is also known for his cool demeanor, which is how he earned his nickname, and his mow-hawk hair style.

Former UFC LHW Champion with notable wins over Randy Couture twice, Tito Ortiz twice, Renato Sobral, Jeremy Horn, Vitor Belfort, Kevin Randleman, Alistair Overeem, and Jeff Monson.

Notable losses Quinton Jackson twice, Randy Couture (avenged twice), Jeremy Horn (avenged), Keith Jardine and Rashad Evans.

In the past two years, Liddell has a record of 1-3 with two of those losses coming by way of KO. He looked best in his win against Wanderlai Silva, which he earned a solid decision and showed he has an arsenal of weapons he rarely chooses to display, mixing up his striking in a very dynamic manner and even scoring a take down. 

The fact is the "Iceman" has all the tools of a great MMA fighter, (he was is a Division I wrestler in college) but with his legendary take down defense and heavy hands he didn't need to rely on these other weapons.

Now at 39 he has been in the pro MMA game since 1998 at UFC 17 . He is the veteran now dealing with the newer breed of MMA fighter, so he needs to tap into all those undisplayed abilities to show everyone at 205 he is still a man to be feared and not just with a right hand. One example would be if he just started going for take downs, seriously who would expect it?

Shogun is 28-years-old with a 17-3-0 record.

A former Pride fighter acquired by UFC when they bought the organization a few years back, Shogun is a young Brazilian talent whose dangerous Muay Thai skills gave him a feared reputation especially vicious in the clinch. 

He has notable wins over Quintin Jackson, Alistair Overeem, Kevin Randleman, Antonio Rogerio Nogueria(UFC Nogs little bro), and Mark Coleman.

Notable losses to Mark Coleman (avenged), Renato Sobral, and Forrest Griffin.

In the last two years he is 2-1 and one of those wins was in early 2007 against Alistair Overeem at one of the last Pride events.

In his fights in UFC, he has looked like a shell of his former self. Now some say it's because of steroid use since they didn't test for it in Pride. Until he tests positive in a UFC event, I consider those rumors irrelevant.

He was submitted by Forrest Griffin in the third round and looked gassed in the first round. In his win against Coleman, he barely got the finish in before the end of the fight and again looked to be gassed early.

In Pride he was one of the young guns considered a sure thing to rise to the top and grab the gold. He is young at 28, but also had a string of injuries to his knee keeping him inactive in the past few years. So if he pushes that cardio, I still think the old Shogun is still in there somewhere and he has time on his side.

But he needs to step up in this next bout and prove he has what it takes to be relevant in the LHW division.  A win over Liddell, in an exciting fashion, would open the door to more fights against better opposition and keep him employeed.

The Fight

Judging from their recent bouts, if the same Iceman and Shogun show up, this fight will be easier to call: Shogun gasses and losses a decision and the battle is unimpressive for either fighter. Maybe Chuck KOs Shogun if we're lucky.

But both know they need to bring their "A" game and show they want to be in there. I think both will be looking to bring all their skills to bear and be in top shape.

Scenario A

If Shogun can't get Liddell in the clinch and deal him some heavy damage and he can't go the distance, then Chuck will be the fresher man and win a decision or KO Shogun with ease. Perhaps looking like he is still a force to be reckoned with and shows his rarely wield arsenal of tools kicks, take downs and fierce overall.

Scenario B

Shogun is great in the clinch and should look to get inside (pressing Liddell along the cage would be ideal) to smother the Iceman's heavy strikes. This worked well for Randy Couture when he first fought Liddell. Possibly get it to the ground where the fight could go either way because Shogun can't use his knee's on the ground as he did in Pride, (he's only submitted one fighter in Kevin Randleman) and Shogun has lost twice to submissions plus he likes to fight standing up. Last, but not least, Liddell still has an uncanny ability to get back on his feet.

Scenario C

Best case scenario here is if both fighters show up and give us a fight where we see a bit of both of the above scenarios and someone goes out in a blaze of glory with one of those fights you won't care who wins because it's just a great fight. Unless, of course, your a betting man. So if you are my money is on Shogun.