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Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:11 pm EST

Liddell gets Rua next ... UFC 96 and 97 main events set

By Steve Cofield

It is "must win" time for Mauricio Rua and Chuck Liddell. Rua looked awful today UFC 93 in downing Mark Coleman but he did earn himself a marquee fight at UFC 97 against Liddell in the main event of that Apr. 18 Montreal card. A huge win for Liddell, who many fight fans considered dead and buried after his knockout loss to Rashad Evans, could get him the revenge fight that he seeks against "Sugar" later this year.

We know that Liddell will be watching UFC 96 closely where Quinton Jackson must now get through Keith Jardine. Jackson will face "The Dean of Mean" Mar. 7 in Columbus, Oh. If Jackson loses, one can assume he falls behind the Liddell-Rua winner in the line of fighters awaiting a shot at Evans (pictured at the cemetary with the "Iceman"). It was rumored incorrectly during the week by some blogs that a Jackson-Evans fight was all but signed, sealed and delivered for UFC 96. Sources say that the Jackson-Jardine fight was officially locked in earlier this week.

So what does this mean for Evans? Will the UFC hold him out until the summer for his first title defense? Or is it looking more and more like he'll face the winner of unbeatens Lyoto Machida-Thiago Silva. That would be a helluva reward for Silva, who no one had in the title picture a few months ago. Machida and Silva square off in two weeks at UFC 94.

Even with a win over Jackson, Jardine wouldn't get an Evans fight, nor would he want one against his Jackson's Submission Fighting teammate.

Photo via Underground Forum's photoshop wizards

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39 Comments

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  1. joe C
    1. Posted by joe C Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:38 pm EDT

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    That picture was titos trademark at the end of his victory's.
    The way rua looked chuck should win it by KO 1st round.
    Lyoto Machida will win and if given the chance he would beat rashad by his Karate kid style.
  2. Zack D
    2. Posted by Zack D Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:15 pm EDT

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    the way rua fought today they might as well declare chuck the winner already.
  3. SouthCal21
    3. Posted by SouthCal21 Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:34 pm EDT

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    bs matchup.....chuck is def getting thrown a bone here....must payoff to do the no pants dance with Dana....what a poor attempt to keep the iceman valid..
  4. cmcc
    4. Posted by cmcc Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:26 pm EDT

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    CL rules............. hes gonna KO rua. act like a rockstar for a couple of months. push his wheel barrow around for a couple of months. he will probaly fight at ufc 100. lose. then retire. hopefully.
    Machida is the next in line. hes like [profane] everyones chasing him. he sucks em up and spits em out. tito happened to be his biggest dick yet.
  5. Farthammer
    5. Posted by Farthammer Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:07 pm EDT

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    Rua stands in front of people and swings with crap skill or defense, and can only do damage from the ground, aka perfect for Chuck. This is yet ANOTHER attempt by Dana to get Chuck back in the title picture. I would love this to be a loser goes home match.
  6. Shaun
    6. Posted by Shaun Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:44 pm EDT

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    UFC 95 is free on Spike right??
  7. swrestler
    7. Posted by swrestler Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:08 pm EDT

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    Hendo wasn’t impressive at all…these matchups are getting sick and stupid and boring…Get some hungry fighters and quit quenching the fighters with testicle constricting contracts and backdoor promises so they’ll “perform.” It’s simple, let fighters fight and quit making it about the business. Yes, UFC is a business but it DOESN”T HAVE TO BE ABOUT THE BUSINESS. UFC is shooting themselves in the foot. Quit making it about you, manage well but make it about the sport and the fighters and the fans…I never need to see (or hear about) a promoter. I eat at Taco Bell too, but I could care less who had the vision which made it successful...
  8. Kevin S
    8. Posted by Kevin S Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:54 pm EDT

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    It would be a helluva reward for Silva. Too bad he's going to lose! I even feel like Machida will finish this one when Thiago gets to aggressive.
  9. boxy55
    9. Posted by boxy55 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:49 pm EDT

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    Hey there NUTCRACKER!! If you are such a bad ass how would you like to fight me then? You are so quick to criticize legit fighters it is pathetic. Do you really think you are so much more skilled to be so critical? Before you accept my challenge you may want to ask the question put to me in past blogs. That is whether I am a woman or a man. I would no doubt be surprised to find out you like to abuse women!!
  10. Uncle Sizzle
    10. Posted by Uncle Sizzle Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:10 pm EDT

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    Hey Boxy55,
    I bet you look like PAT from Saturday Night Live. Even if we saw you we would still wonder what you are!!!
  11. Ricky C
    11. Posted by Ricky C Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:40 pm EDT

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    Farthammer, a loser goes home match? Seriously? Do you have downs syndrome? This isn't the damn WWE, this is real. We don't have bra and panties matches, we don't have loser shaves their head matches or any of that other crap. Get the hell out of here loser.
  12. Ricky C
    12. Posted by Ricky C Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:40 pm EDT

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    You idiots complaining about the quality of this card and a few up coming fights need to realize something. They are prepairing for UFC 100. This is going ot be the biggest event the UFC has ever put on. They are gonna have to put out a few events with less star power on them before and after 100 so that they can save most of their big names for that event. This isn't rocket science here geniuses.
  13. Steven W
    13. Posted by Steven W Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:47 pm EDT

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    Ican2, Nut complained the same way last UFC when just about every fight ended in KO or TKO........he finds a way to link the boxing or lack of boxing to every card. he's just the biggest UFC and MMA fan in the world and doesn't express it very well. It's kinda like in grade school when a little boy likes a little girl so he pulls her hair......just replace the little boy with nut and the little girl with the UFC.
    and boxy55 you better watch out, if you read carefully you can find nutcracker's entire resume, training history, life story and then some posted throughout these blogs.......he's a rock solid citizen didn't you know?
  14. Ricky C
    14. Posted by Ricky C Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:40 pm EDT

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    Nutcracker, there isn't one professional boxer that could go into mma and consistently win. Not one. If you take any one of the three hundred and sixty two HW champs in boxing, and put him in with Lesnar, Mir, Fedor, Oveream, or any other top mma HW, the boxer wouldn't last a round. I would bet my house on this. Face it man, your sport is dead. Boxers aren't fighters, they're punchers. A puncher will always lose to a real fighter.
  15. Dubya b
    15. Posted by Dubya b Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:12 pm EDT

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    Jackson vs Jardine? That's a sucky match. I hope it doesn't happen. No one wants to see Jackson beat up a journeyman. As for the Rua/ Coleman why in the world would they let Coleman fight a top notch opponent after 10 year lay off?
  16. fightchica
    16. Posted by fightchica Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:53 pm EDT

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    Look at all those CAPITALS
    Boy Nut your knickers really are in a twist
    Nutsy just loves to cause a ruckus and does just fine wouldn't you say? Boxy55 yer a chick. Just by your statement of how Nut would beat women and the phrasing of the word woman coming before the word man. Says it all. To tell the truth I was curious at first too, only figured you for a chick but now we know.
    Yes I agree though a straight boxer would have a bit of a go trying to keep pace with someone versed in using their feet (not just "footwork") Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu & Kick-boxing on top of wrestling. Sorry Nut but that is how I see it and you can be guaranteed I call it like I see it at all times.
  17. fightchica
    17. Posted by fightchica Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:53 pm EDT

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    Dubya b vengence, retribution, the guys wanted to fight each other to see who really could win without a bad fall
  18. The AxeMurder
    18. Posted by The AxeMurder Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:10 pm EDT

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    Their is no way in hell Chuck jumps ahead of Page with a win, if Chuck wins he has to get through Page no matter if he wins or loses. Still Shogun is going to smash Chuck, I don't understand how Chuck always ends up in the title picture their is alot of other young & deserving fighters out their other than Chuck, so please stop talking about a guy who keeps getting brutally knocked out. OH YA BOXING BLOWS- HA HA
  19. Farthammer
    19. Posted by Farthammer Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:07 pm EDT

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    AxeMurder - in a perfect world you are right. But Dana loves Chuck more than anything on earth. If Chuck beats Rua I bet he DOES get a title shot, or at least a #1 contender match.
  20. Steven W
    20. Posted by Steven W Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:47 pm EDT

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    hahaha, Ican....we can truce if you want man, until the next time you side with some self righteous senior citizen. ha, it's always all in good fun for me even though i get worked up it takes me about five seconds to cool off. things got busy here at work and i had to save the world...back now.
    and nutcracker, man you're hilarious you keep arguing with me about this card but i never even said it wasn't garbage!!! haha, you just NEED something to poke at don't you?! it was an overall crappy card yes, but i was entertained in one form or another.....and talking about how crappy it was and all the great ideas we all have of how we could make it so much better is even MORE entertaining. for real though, the horn/palhares fight was fight of the night in my eyes and exciting to watch. i was impressed with both kang and belcher in their fight, also entertaining and filled with action. the brit stomping the irish kid was entertaining although sloppy...but fun to watch nonetheless. and even the davis/lytle fight was entertaining but the hype seemed to ruin it for me, i appreciate mma matches not premeditated kickboxing clinics. what sucked about the card was the marquee matches didn't deliver to their full potential, or even half (in the main event's case only 3/5 of its potential)
  21. Karl A
    21. Posted by Karl A Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:47 pm EDT

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    Not the best card of fights but it did show Henderson is definitely better than Franklin. I can't wait to see Henderson - Bisping. The Rua and Coleman fight sucked. They both looked terrible. Even though I think Liddell is deifintely on his way down the competitive ladder he will destroy Rua if he doesn't improve his conditioning.
  22. Steven W
    22. Posted by Steven W Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:47 pm EDT

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    Karl i've buried the "old" hatchet with Ican2....and you as well i suppose but now i see that you think that fight showed henderson is definitely better than franklin?
    i would have to disagree with you there. i think it showed that henderson is a better wrestler. i also think it showed franklin is a better striker, able to avoid dan's only weapon standing...his right hand. and it also showed that franklin has superior cardio, and had it been a title fight franklin would've had the decision at the least but maybe even a 5th round stoppage.
    but don't get me wrong, i picked hendo to win and was a much bigger fan of his before this fight but i'm losing my taste for him as a fighter these days.
  23. cain91077
    23. Posted by cain91077 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:16 pm EDT

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    Is it just me or is the UFC going to alienate all but hard core fans with these exspensive boring cards.93 should have been on Spike.Dana White may know how to build a great MMA organization but it doesnt look like he knows how to maintain one.3 or 4 excellent cards a year are what should be the norm and the rest of it should be free on cable to keep intererest alive not just to hurt other promotions that actually put on good cards.45 bucks for that last night?LMAO.I hope the numbers keep slipping so the cards get better.just MHO
  24. Steven W
    24. Posted by Steven W Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:47 pm EDT

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    Ican, what you're saying is kinda true...but not the whole story. if we assess their fights against silva you see the same thing that we saw on saturday....hendo's wrestling is better, but he can't do anything with it, and apparently gasses out after using it for a round or two. he didn't show himself to be better in any other aspect than that one. so by saying hendo has the better chance to beat silva you're probably right because rich isn't a wrestler and his striking is far from anderson's. but by hendo being a better wrestler and winning the fight by takedowns while following up with no sub attempts and no damage on the ground, i'd hardly call that a better fighter. especially in this case. i think rich showed he was the better fighter who was less concerned with the 10-9's than he was with his performance and his fans. too bad for him and us the fight couldn't go another 2. think i gave rich the 3rd round but hendo won the 2nd fair and square...takedowns count, even though nothing else comes of it, if that's the only action in the round and the striking was about even....what else do you do besides give the round to the guy with the takedown? all i can say is that you really have to see it then i think you'd understand.
  25. Karl A
    25. Posted by Karl A Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:47 pm EDT

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    Steven W, ye man the hatchett is buried and hell I forgot where the shovel is. I'm sure we'll disagree again on something but it'll be just that, a disagreement. Nothing more.
    I thought Henderson did well in the first two rounds and really kind of coasted in the third. Maybe he was tired and winded but it looked to me like he was counter striking and trying to sit on the decision instead of fighting to END it. His effort in the third was dissapointing. No argument on Frankiln's striking, I said in my picks that Henderson would need to take it to the floor. Franklin really had no answer for Hendo's ground game. As good as Franklin is his ground game is still weak after all this time. I still think Hendo beats Bisping hands down. At least I hope. If bisping wins I'll have to do something painful to myself like castration with a dull rusty butter knife. I can't stand that fuker.
    Ican2, it wasn't a great card but what the hell, sports bar, cold beer...it was stilla good time. Man when you do get to see the Coleman Rua fight you're gonna say what the hell???Just a couple minutes into the first round Coleman was gassssssed and RUA couldn't do anything about it. He barely ended it with 24 seconds left in the third when Coleman couldn't hardly hold his hands up. That's too bad because I was pulling for Coleman but overall letdown by both.

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