The UFC looked to be running short of victims to feed to the incredibly dominant champion until Pride fighters began to jump ship and appear in the UFC, among those Quinton Jackson, the only loss that Liddell hadn’t repaid. ‘Rampage’ hadn’t looked the same destructive force that dismantled Liddell since he was KO’d twice by Wanderlei Silva, the second time in truly brutal fashion. Most were picking Chuck to KO Jackson, seek out one or two mega-fights, and then retire as one of the most dominant MMA fighters of all time.
Then, and only then, would the division open up-no longer would top contenders do battle to see who was next in line to be KO’d by the champ. But something very unexpected happened during Liddell’s rematch with Jackson-after stalking Chuck around the ring for little over a minute, ‘Rampage’ threw a looping right hand counter that dropped the champion heavier than I can ever recall seeing him dropped.
Jackson pounced with some ground and pound, and a new champion was born, turning the division on its head. Now what?
The new champion is not being given a soft first defence. The UFC have secured Dan Henderson, fresh off two big wins at 205, against Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, is stepping up to fight Jackson. This fight will unify the 205 pound division for the first time. The fighters are very evenly matched, big punchers with great wrestling. While Henderson is the more accomplished wrestler, Jackson is the bigger, stronger fighter, and this can make up the difference in wrestling skill-as seen in Jackson’s fight with Matt Lindland. The match is a true ‘pick-em’ fight, and the winner will have a division of animals to contend with.
There have been rumblings that UFC have tried to secure Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio Rua, both of whom hold victories over Jackson in impressive fashion. While Silva has fallen on hard times of late, being KO’d in consecutive fights, his style matches up well with Jackson’s. A third match between the two has the potential to be explosive. Rua is unbeaten, though hasn’t looked his usual dominating self of late. He does, however, possess the Muay Thai game the Jackson has struggled with in the past. If he defends successfully against Henderson, look for Jackson to have all the big boys at 205 gunning for him.
And lets not forget Liddell. One loss can’t wipe away what a dominant force he has been. While he may always struggle against Jackson stylistically, he is a threat to any fighter in the division. A matchup between him and Silva may be likely-both need a win to remain near the top of the 205lbs ladder, and their styles match up well. It’s a fight that everyone has been calling for for years, and now it may finally become a reality. The fact that it won’t be to unify the 205lbs division doesn’t take away from the fact that it is a fight that all but guarantees non-stop action and excitement.
Apart from the new signings, the division is still stacked with big names. Tito Ortiz is matched up with Rashad Evans in what is a make or break fight for him. A loss to Evans could permanently remove him for title contention. For Evans, a win could thrust him near the front of the line for a crack at the belt. Provided Ortiz can win the match, which is by no means a certainty, he may find himself in a limbo.
A third match with Liddell wouldn’t prove anything, and he has openly stated that he won’t fight Jackson. If Jackson manages to hold on to the belt against Henderson (another stellar matchup where the result is anything but a lock), Ortiz could find himself stuck. He is good enough to knock off most of the up and comers, but if Jackson has the belt he won’t have anywhere else to go. It would be pointless for the UFC to have a fighter removing potential title challengers from a thrilling equation without shooting for the belt himself. For the first time in a long while, however, the title is not a lockdown. And that is no disrespect to Jackson, who is a tremendous talent. The simple fact is that with the UFC acquiring all of these big names, Jackson is a marked man. There are some tough matchups out there for him. If Jackson were to lose to Henderson, that would automatically thrust Ortiz (provided he is victorious) into a position to challenge for the belt again.
Or perhaps a match between Ortiz and Babalu, who is also in the wings, desperately seeking a win, could help develop a possible challenger for the belt in future. How about a rematch between Silva and Ortiz? Silva would be hungry for revenge, and Ortiz to prove that his win was no fluke. Or Liddell and Rua in another slugfest? Now that Liddell is no longer champ, Couture may even try his hand at 205 again, and he matches up well with everyone in the division.
One thing is for certain. Now that the long time King of 205 has been removed, there are a lot of people gunning for his crown.
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