Dana White Speaks About Liddel-Silva Fight

One of the most anticipated fights in mixed martial arts history is now a reality.

Last week, UFC president Dana White announced that former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell will square off against former Pride middleweight champion Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva at UFC 79: Nemesis on Dec. 29th.

The event will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be shown live on pay-per-view.

"They are the two biggest superstars in the sport for the last however many years," says White. "There has always been the question of who is better - Chuck or Wanderlei, Pride versus UFC. They're just so much buildup and anticipation for this fight. When Wanderlei Silva was in my office signing his contract with the UFC, it was seriously the biggest moment and happiest moment in my career. I'm very excited about this fight. It's going to be awesome."

White has been trying to make this dream fight for years only to run into road blocks. He could never work out a deal with the Pride promotion which previously had Silva under contract.

In 2003, White included Liddell in the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix tournament in hopes that his fighter would win the tournament and Silva in the process. However, Liddell suffered a TKO loss to Quinton Jackson in their second-round fight. Silva would go on to win the tournament, defeating Jackson in the finals.

Earlier this year, Zuffa LLC (the UFC parent company) purchased Pride and then signed Silva to a contract, paving a way for the mega-fight to finally happen.

"This fight is so big and the people that are into this sport and love it - I'm telling you, the night that Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva walk into that arena it is going to be the biggest moment in this sport's history," White said.

Still, there were still some doubts about the fight taking place with both men losing their last two fights. Last September, Silva moved up a weight class and was defeated by Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and then lost his Pride middleweight title to Dan Henderson this past February.

Liddell dropped the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 71: Liddell vs Jackson II this past May in a rematch against Jackson. In his next fight in September at UFC 76: Knockout, he lost a split-decision to Keith Jardine. Then there were questions on Liddell's future and whether he may decide to retire.

"I always want to get out there and prove that I can still fight," Liddell said. "This fight made it really easy. I've been waiting for this fight forever."

Both men have a lot to prove in the fight. The winner will immediately be in contention for the UFC light heavyweight title. The loser will move further back in the line for the championship in a division deep in talented fighters.

Normally, a fight between two men on losing streaks would not be a considered a big deal. However, these are two of the biggest names in MMA history and have dominated the sport over the past five years.

Hardcore MMA fans have been waiting a long time for this fight to take place. But White, the man responsible for putting it together, is more excited about it than anyone.

"You know how you're at a live UFC fight and when the guys walk in - when Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddell walk into the arena that night it's going to be the sickest live sporting event anybody has ever seen," he said.

Source: www.newsday.com