Liddell Offered Fans One Last Glimpse at Greatness

I think if you ask most of Chuck Liddell’s biggest fans, the hardest part about Saturday night was that Liddell looked so good for the vast majority of the first round.

For about 4:53 seconds against Rich Franklin, Liddell was winning the fight. He did a better job of utilizing his kicks than he has in years- years! He continued his post-UFC 76 trend of mixing in takedowns with his striking, which would have continued to give opponents an extra thing to worry about when facing the knockout artist. He even appeared to have Franklin on the proverbial ropes as the final seconds ticked off of Round 1.

Appearances can be deceiving, of course, and Franklin was not as hurt as Liddell (or most viewers) would have believed. He was at least well enough to fire off an instinctive counter right hook that may not have been full force, but which did catch Liddell right on the chin, planting him on the canvas. A lack of any reaction from Liddell and two glancing shots from Franklin after the initial punch caused a startling and explosive end to what had been an impressive return to form for Liddell.

Consider that one of Liddell’s vicious kicks- which had barely seen any use during Liddell’s championship reign years ago- broke Franklin’s left forearm (his ulna, in particular). Furthermore, Liddell was widely regarded to have been in better shape than in previous fights due to an all-new focus on a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a consistently low weight. Add it all up, and rounds two and three wouldn’t have looked too good for Franklin. Of course, thanks to Franklin’s right hand, he didn’t have to worry about any of that, and the possible highlight reel knockout or decisive three-round victory that might have been for Liddell now only exists in the imaginations of those who loved watching him fight.

It probably would have been much easier for fans of Liddell to see him drop a three-round decision where he looked lethargic, out-classed or downright slow. Then, seeing their hero’s exit from the sport would still be a sad event, but one that would not have toyed with their hopes of seeing him return- if even just once more- to form.

Instead, we saw what appeared to be a new version of Liddell, who was prepared to use all of his weapons, including wrestling and the kicks that he had long ago forsaken in favor of his distinctive punch-intensive, head-hunting approach. He surely wasn’t as fast as he was several years ago, but he seemed to be willing to make up for that with a new found determination to win, even it it meant abandoning his partying lifestyle and love of slugging it out.

Fans were excited to be seeing a possible resurgence right before their eyes…until Liddell’s chin betrayed him again.

His chin wasn’t the only thing to blame, of course. No matter how much Liddell had obviously worked to mix up his once-predictable game plan, when he smelled blood in the proverbial water, he was unable to keep himself from going in all-out to finish Franklin. In doing so, he left the opening that cost him the fight. The great thing about fighters like Liddell also ends up being their ultimate undoing. Sooner or later, no matter what the age, an aggressive fighter will pay for throwing caution to the wind. Doing so when your chin doesn’t seem to be able to withstand a solid shot anymore is doubly dangerous.

I don’t think Saturday night’s loss hurt Liddell’s legacy at all. What I saw against Rich Franklin was a fighter who would still be very competitive in the sport, if he hadn’t endured the recent knockouts that have left him unable to withstand taking a well-timed shot. It’s unfortunate that to see a fighter who appears to have so much left in the tank perform so well before succumbing to his newly-emerged weakness. Like I said to my brother, though, who is a huge Iceman fan: don’t feel bad for Liddell. He has done more in this sport than most could ever dream of, and has earned considerable riches, as well as the respect and admiration of millions, in the process.

One day, we all reach the point where we can no longer do what we used to. However, to be able to say that you were the best in the world at that particular endeavor is something that very few share in common.

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Tags: Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin, UFC, UFC 115