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Cant Wait!
http://www.cbssports.com/mma/story/11629676
Liddell, Rua battle each other for 'Redemption' at UFC 97
April 14, 2009
By Todd Martin
Special to CBSSports.com
"Few sports evolve as rapidly as mixed martial arts. One moment a fighter is on top of the world and the next he is wondering when and how the game passed him by.
It was just two years ago that Chuck Liddell and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua were the kings of the richest weight class in the sport.
Rua's UFC tenure has been a letdown so far. (UFC)
In early 2007, Liddell had won five straight UFC light heavyweight le fights via knockout. His victory over o Ortiz shattered MMA's all-time pay-per-view buy rate record. Liddell was the sport's biggest star and widely regarded as its best fighter.
Meanwhile in Japan, Rua was making history of his own. He sported a gaudy 17-2 record, with one of those losses coming via what was generally viewed as a fluke injury. Rua was not only defeating Pride's greatest fighters, he was destroying them. In winning the 2005 Pride Grand Prix tournament, he walked right through top contenders Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Ricardo Arona.
Liddell and Rua were on top of the world, but it has been a long and difficult road since. Liddell, once viewed as having a granite chin, has been knocked out twice in four fights and lost another fight via decision. UFC president and longtime Liddell friend Dana White has publicly questioned whether he should continue fighting if he loses his next bout.
For his part, Liddell doesn't view his recent struggles as part of a greater trend. He dismisses the notion that his style has become predictable.
"I think I just got a little impatient and overexcited and got in a bad position," Liddell said of his most recent knockout loss to Rashad Evans. "I'm predictable in that I'm going to throw punches at you."
Rua made his UFC debut in late 2007 and was expected to contend for the light heavyweight le in short order. That plan quickly fell apart against Forrest Griffin. Rua didn't demonstrate the same aggressive striking style that made him feared in Pride, he gassed out and was submitted. He needed to take over a year off to heal serious injuries, and in his return he didn't look much better against 44-year-old Mark Coleman.
"I was happy with my win but I wasn't happy with my performance," Rua said. "Coleman's a tough fighter and no one has ever knocked him out quickly in his career. He always provides good fights for everybody."
Only 27, Rua finds himself at a potential career crossroads. He needs to prove he is still the same fighter who was so dominant a few short years ago.
On Saturday night at UFC 97: Redemption, Liddell and Rua won't be fighting to prove who is the world's best at 205 pounds. But the stakes are arguably even higher, as the two proud and decorated warriors will battle to regain control of their careers as upper-echelon fighters.
Rua recognizes that his back is against the wall and he is in need of an impressive performance. But he feels that will play to his advantage.
"I think there's a great amount of pressure but that doesn't work against me," Rua observed. "It works in my favor. It will motivate me. I know my potential and I want to present my top game to the American audience."
In order to present his top game, Rua needs to be fully healthy. He believes that the fight with Coleman played an important role in regaining his top Pride form.
"I'm feeling much more prepared and confident in myself," Rua said. "I was injured and that hindered the rhythm of my training. I'm feeling much more ready physically and psychologically."
Psychological toughness is imperative going into a fight with Liddell. Liddell has a cool determination and doesn't rattle easily. He isn't concerned with outside distractions and insists he has nothing left to prove.
"I don't need to prove anything," Liddell remarked plainly. "I just want to go out there and fight. I love what I do. I have the best job in the world."
To prepare for Rua, Liddell has switched up his training slightly. He trained with members of the vaunted American Top Team, working on his footwork and defensive ability. He also has learned over the years not to over-prepare for fights or to train recklessly.
"I have [learned a lot] over the years," Liddell says. "You've got to train smarter and focus on different things you do. For this fight conditioning was a little different. A little more warming up. When I was 22 I put on gloves and went at it. Now I make sure I get a 15- [to] 20-minute warmup."
Liddell and Rua have fallen far since their 2007 peaks. In the rapidly changing world of MMA, they could fall farther still. But the flipside of that equation is they could also find themselves back at the top in rapid fashion. UFC 97 will provide one man with the opportunity to move in the right direction."
Cant Wait!
whoever loses is cut from UFC
oh well
UFC would never cut Chuck, they don't want him on a rival show, under any cir stances..
what rivals
but I get what you mean
I would bet most of my money on Liddell
shogun is way beyond his hill and is going down. Sorry Pride fans
This one is really tough for me, I really like both of these guys, but I think Im pulling for Rua since he has more left in the tank and Liddell is already legend. I would really like to see Rua succeed.
Pulling oh so hard for Shogun, but man...if he was to pull this off it would be a huge turnaround for him. Chuck going to ATT is a great move. He needed something new and different.
This fight should be great for 3 or 4 min's, maybe the 1st rd. But I just have no faith in Shogun's cardio.
He's only 27 Shogun, is a fighter as great as he was really done at only 27? Chuck is almost 40 and has had his lights put out badly in recent fights.
It's a very tough fight to call but listening to all the Shogun interviews, he is training his butt off, and wants to get back on track really badly. I hope he does..
Hope he does cause he was looking awefull in his last 3 bouts.
His cardio is even worse then mine I think, and I'm bit of a fat guy.
So what he is 27 when he is burned out?
We will see. Can't wait for that one.
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