Reply With Quote
will UFC 71 be on regular cable?
will UFC 71 be on regular cable?
no only ppv
Mike Tirico...I enjoy a good bit...try to come up with something remotely funny, PLEASE!!
From UFC.tv
05/20/2007
Right on Time - The 'Old' Rampage is Back By Thomas Gerbasi
“What makes this a big fight? It’s just two men going off to war, we fight for a large amount and we’ve danced this dance before. I’ve been in this predicament several times before, so what makes this a big fight? Millions of people are gonna be watching us, but it’s just gonna be me, him, and the referee inside that cage.”- Quinton Jackson
Quinton Jackson is joking, of course. He knows, perhaps better than anyone, how big his fight against Chuck Liddell this Saturday is. It’s a fight that pits two of the best 205-pound mixed martial artists in the world against each other, and not just in a battle for Liddell’s UFC light heavyweight crown, but in a rematch of the last bout the seemingly invincible ‘Iceman’ lost, in 2003, to the same man he’ll be facing at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
A man named ‘Rampage’.
A fighter who, perhaps more than anyone, showed that Liddell is human, that not everyone he hits with his thunderous right hand falls down. And despite the champion’s reign of terror since that November night in Tokyo - a string that has seen him win seven in a row, all by KO or TKO, over the likes of Randy Couture (twice), o Ortiz (twice), Jeremy Horn, Vernon White, and ‘Babalu’ Sobral – there is still unfinished business with a man who took his best shots, kept coming forward, and then stopped him in the second round.
As dominant as Liddell may be, that’s got to put question marks in his head.
“If I hit somebody with everything I got and they just kept coming, I would think twice before I’d sign to fight with that person,” Jackson told UFC.com from his camp in Big Bear, California last Tuesday night. “But Chuck is a courageous guy and that says a lot for his personality. He’s got some audacity, he’s got some canohads, some crocollas.
Chuck loves to fight, but maybe, just maybe, in his twisted mental cavity, he wants to lose. Maybe he’s tired of being champion and he wants to retire and go out with a nice ass kicking, so he can do his thing and hang out and do what he likes to do. You never know. And I’d be happy to oblige. I wouldn’t mind helping out a friend by giving him a nice farewell ass kicking.”
Jackson says all this with a straight face, emphasizing the words of his own creation such as canohads and crocollas. Suffice to say that he means Liddell has got heart for taking the rematch and looking to overturn the last unavenged loss on his record.
But Jackson has a pretty fair ticker himself, fighting someone who hasn’t been in trouble in the Octagon for close to three and a half years and who has pretty much cleaned out the current 205-pound weight class. Sure, there are young guns like Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Forrest Griffin and Michael Bisping on the way up, but they’re still seen as too green for the 37-year old Liddell. So the 28-year old Memphis native stepped in, despite his desire to get a couple more UFC fights under his belt to build up his Stateside profile after a career of fighting mainly in Japan for the Pride organization.
“I think I should have had a few more fights for people to get to know me, to see me crashing folks, knocking folks out, kneeing folks to the head, grounding and pounding with some elbows crashing to their skulls and noses, and me putting foot to backside,” said Jackson, who made his UFC debut in February with a second round knockout of Marvin Eastman. “They just got me one fight. What if people missed that pay-per-view? But I’m in the fight business and they’re in the promoting business, so they must know what they’re doing.”
Frankly, it’s the only logical fight for Liddell and for Jackson. The moment the World Fighting Alliance (WFA) folded and the UFC picked up Jackson’s contract, the only bout fight fans wanted to see was the rematch between these friendly rivals. Plus it’s a win-win situation for ‘Rampage’, who, if he wins, will obviously be on top of the light heavyweight food chain. If he loses, he’s 1-1 with Liddell and a couple fights down the road a rubber match would do big business. But he’s not thinking about losing; Jackson only has winning on his mind. Just ask him what he hopes fans take away from his fight on Saturday.
“I hope they take Chuck away with some smelling salts to wake his ass up,” he chuckles.
Seriously though, Jackson hopes to make a good impression.
“The fans, I hope they say, ‘Damn, Rampage is the real deal. He’s the new face of MMA, and he’s gonna be the one to change our sport.’ I hope they know that as soon as they see a little bit more of me.”
And if you’re a new fan of the sport, here’s the Rampage Rundown.
A pro since 2000, Jackson lost his first fight to the man he beat in his UFC debut earlier this year, Marvin Eastman, and then came up the hard way fighting in local shows in his adopted home state of California. He would get his first big break in July of 2001 when he was brought in to Pride to face Japanese superstar Kazushi Sakuraba, or more accurately, he was brought in to lose to the hometown hero. He remembers that day, when he got his first dose of the bright lights and huge crowds, something similar to what he’ll be seeing on Saturday.
“I remember my stomach feeling like I swallowed a brick,” he muses. “I still, to this day, think that somebody poisoned my room service or something like that. I was happy that it was my biggest paycheck to date, but I know they brought me there to lose. They made me lose all this weight when Pride didn’t even have weight classes. I knew there was no way I could win. But I knew I couldn’t turn back and not fight. I said, ‘I’ve got to go out there and put on the best show possible and do my best so I could at least make a name for myself and Pride would have me back.’
Jackson would get submitted that night by Sakuraba, but he was so impressive and exciting in defeat that 16 of his next 17 fights would be in Japan. It was an almost five year run that saw Jackson emerge as one of the best fighters in the world, and whether he was dishing out exhilarating defeats to the likes of Kevin Randleman, Ricardo Arona, and Liddell, or was on the receiving end of defeats to Wanderlei Silva (twice) and Shogun Rua, you tuned in to watch him fight because you knew you were going to get your money’s worth.
But after his win over Liddell in 2003 (which ironically was only his first fight of the night as he faced and was stopped by Silva later that evening in the Pride: Final Conflict tournament), things started to change for Jackson. He would convert to Christianity in 2004, shortly before his second loss to Silva (a loss undoubtedly aided by a pre-fight fast three days earlier), and people started to wonder if this kinder, gentler Jackson has lost his edge. The talk grew louder after he eked out a split decision over Murilo Rua and then was knocked out by Ninja’s brother Mauricio. But after four straight wins, Jackson has not only gotten his fight game back together, he scoffs at the notion that his spiritual life has anything to do with what happens in the Octagon.
“It’s done a lot for me and it helps me out,” said Jackson of his faith. “It’s kinda hard to explain, but it doesn’t have a whole lot to do with my job – it’s just my way of life and how I treat people, how I treat my family, my kids and myself. It’s just my way of life.”
As Jackson puts it, the less than stellar portion of his career has had more to do with his training situation than anything else.
“Since 2003 I’ve had my ups and I’ve had my downs,” he admits. “I had to go through some teammates and different trainers, and I wasn’t getting the proper training and sparring partners I needed. But now, I hooked up with Juanito Ibarra and he’s hooked me up with some excellent pad work for my hands and my speed, and now I’m getting good sparring and got guys to kick my ass. I got a nice solid team, and we’re happy with what we’ve got going, so I think I’ve grown more in the last year than I’ve grown in the other years. It’s a rollercoaster, but I’m on the ride, baby.”
That he is, and leading up to Saturday’s fight, Jackson also has a full cast of characters helping him get ready for his world le challenge, including UFC vets Cheick Kongo, Scott Smith, James Irvin and Hector Ramirez, former heavyweight boxing contender Jeremy Williams, and some guys named ‘Hercules’, ‘Lunch Box’, and ‘Chef Bad Breath’ rounding out the team.
And when you hear him talk about his team, the fight, and his life, one thing’s clear - the old ‘Rampage’ is back. What that means may not be something you can put into words, but those who have talked to him before the losses to Silva and after them will know what I’m talking about. It’s a feeling, an at ude where Jackson has his head on right and is ready for his fight. That’s a good thing for him and for fight fans expecting a war on Saturday. Tell him this, and he chuckles.
“Rampage never went nowhere, it’s just a new and improved Rampage,” said Jackson, 26-6. “I haven’t changed, I just watch my mouth and watch what I say. I got God on my side now, and he don’t like ugly. I’m already ugly enough, I don’t got to act ugly. I’ve got to talk right and be a positive role model, even though I like rolling models, I’ve got to be a positive role model.”
Now all he needs to do is fight, and if he’s in the right shape mentally and physically, he’s a tough out for anyone in this sport, including Liddell. But the way he sees it, what matters is what he brings to the Octagon, not what the ‘Iceman’ has in store for him.
“Maybe Chuck has improved or got a few more moves, but I don’t pay that much attention to him,” said Jackson. “I’m hoping for the best Chuck Liddell. I’m a real man and I don’t wanna fight somebody who says he’s dead or half-hurt. I want to fight the best because I want to know that I’m the best in my mind.”
And if he wins this Saturday, there will be no disputing that he’s the best – in mind, body, and in the eyes of fight fans. This is no easy ride though, and Jackson knows it. But he’s ready to walk through fire if that’s what it takes to get the win.
“Chuck’s one of the toughest guys I faced,” said Jackson. “He’s a destroyer, but most of the people he’s destroyed haven’t been known for their striking skills. I’m not saying I’m am expert, but I don’t mind throwing them dogs. Most people are scared to stand up with Chuck – but I’ll stand up with Chuck, I’ll sit down with Chuck, I’ll kneel with Chuck, I’ll roll with Chuck, I’ll ride with Chuck, it don’t matter. I get tunnel vision and I don’t even think about how big a fight it is or how many people are watching it on pay-per-view. Just let me know how big my check is gonna be at the end of the night.”
Yeah we should get a Vbookie on this.......anyone have pull on this?
Dude as much as I want to see Chuck lose, there is no way Wanderlei would beat him. o beat him and Liddell put a clinic on o.
I'll take a stab at it.
Right now it's...
UFC 71 Odds BOF BetUS Sportsbetting 5Dimes Bodog
Chuck Liddell -215 -210 -180 -215 -190
Quinton Jackson +175 +165 +150 +170 +155
-200 Chuck
+165 Rampage
1:2 Chuck
1.65:1 Rampage
*SIGH*
(on several levels)
What do you mean by this?
1. Severe case of MMA Math.
2. o beat Wand Silva over 7 yrs ago (Silva was just 23 yrs old).
3. It's hard to say that there is "no way xxx could beat yyy" with the way things have gone this year. Especially when talking about Wand Silva who is still an elite LHW that tends to run hot and cold at times.
UFC 71 Countdown and All-Access Rampage both air on e tonight, BTW...
Yeah I aggree with you but its a argument that most would say. Wand is a tough SOB and I think better now in his career than o.
I talked to someone about getting this a vbookie and they are going to take care of it tonight, so look out tomm and place your bets.
man, payperview that is gay
what do you expect?
If i was betting id probably go with rampage. he is a bigger underddog than i expected. i guess bookies dont know mma.
all access rampage should be intresting. he is definately chucks biggest challenge in a while.
LMAO...big MMA fan I see...
A bookie's job is to get half the money on one side and half on the other side. I think the odds are about right for this fight...
This is one of the biggest fights in UFC right now, look at PPVs for boxing. 9 times out ot 10 you will get your moneys worth in PPV UFC fights. Even the undercards are good on this one. One way or another there will be a knockout here, I dont see either being submitted.
I actually dont like the undercard this time, but with the main even so big I think its going to be worth it and yes I agree unlike boxing there is usually a KO or TKO.
Houston Alexander interview...interesting guy. He's a radio DJ and a single dad with 6 kids. 200 fights over the past 7 yrs?? Hmm...that's more than every other weekend?? Doubtful. I found it curious that his myspace space made little mention of being an MMA fighter...
http://ufcjunkie.com/2007/05/22/ufcj...ton-alexander/
Man, I'm really liking the undercard actually. It's not as good as UFC 73 will be, but I think it's pretty solid.
Karo - Burkman should be fireworks.
Salaverry makes his return against Martin, who looked great at 185 lbs in his last fight.
See what the unknown Alexander can do against Jardine (who I think is a little over-rated).
I'm not a huge Leben fan, but his fights are usually exciting. Starnes hasn't lived up to his pre-TUF hype as of yet, so we'll see what he's got.
Undefeated Chutebox fighter Thiago Silva making his UFC debut against Irvin. I hope we get to see this fight...
Thomas and Stephens could be great if we get to see it...
I hate Leben!!!!!!Houston Alexander interview...interesting guy. He's a radio DJ and a single dad with 6 kids. 200 fights over the past 7 yrs?? Hmm...that's more than every other weekend?? Doubtful. I found it curious that his myspace space made little mention of being an MMA fighter...
http://ufcjunkie.com/2007/05/22/ufcj...ton-alexander/
Man, I'm really liking the undercard actually. It's not as good as UFC 73 will be, but I think it's pretty solid.
Karo - Burkman should be fireworks.
Salaverry makes his return against Martin, who looked great at 185 lbs in his last fight.
See what the unknown Alexander can do against Jardine (who I think is a little over-rated).
I'm not a huge Leben fan, but his fights are usually exciting. Starnes hasn't lived up to his pre-TUF hype as of yet, so we'll see what he's got.
Undefeated Chutebox fighter Thiago Silva making his UFC debut against Irvin. I hope we get to see this fight...
Thomas and Stephens could be great if we get to see it...
No, you're right I'm just a very casual fan.LMAO...big MMA fan I see...
Since UFC 70 was on regular cable, I thought they might do it again, what the do I know.
a rampage to overcome liddell
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
