UFC 88: Breakthrough - Liddell vs. Evans

[Damaramu]

Joe Rogan really drove me crazy jumping all over Dong Kim and touting Matt Brown the whole fight. Then of course has to jump on the mic after the fight and go on about how the decision is controversial and then tell Brown he thought he won the fight.

I really wish they'd replace him with an announcer that doesn't play favorites.

[Downhome]

I don't watch much MMA, but the entire Brock Lesnar thing has me slightly more interested in it so I decided to check this fight out this morning. Wow, one of my favorite finishes to a fight that I've seen yet:

 

 

[The Niggardly King]

Joe Rogan really drove me crazy jumping all over Dong Kim and touting Matt Brown the whole fight. Then of course has to jump on the mic after the fight and go on about how the decision is controversial and then tell Brown he thought he won the fight.

I really wish they'd replace him with an announcer that doesn't play favorites.

 

Eh, nothing like the ESPN quick sum up of the event from Goldberg and Rogan where they actually try to sell the fact that Chuck was so close to ending the fight with that uppercut... that retarded wild uppercut was nowhere close to connecting.

[MillenniumMan831]

Yeah, I know I've never seen anyone hit the deck from an uppercut to the armpit.

 

I know it's never really a figher's instinct to stand back after downing an opponent, but it would have been that much more awesome if Evans just stood back and calmly raised his hands as Liddell was lying in a lump instead of rushing in.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

I've seen a hook near the armpit end plenty of fights. Catch someone just right, exposed and extended, and a shot to the oblique like that will utterly remove the wind from someone.

 

That was a lovely punch!

 

Little hyperbolic on the reactions I'm seeing here, but that was certainly a spectacular shot.

[Damaramu]

Joe Rogan really drove me crazy jumping all over Dong Kim and touting Matt Brown the whole fight. Then of course has to jump on the mic after the fight and go on about how the decision is controversial and then tell Brown he thought he won the fight.

I really wish they'd replace him with an announcer that doesn't play favorites.

 

Eh, nothing like the ESPN quick sum up of the event from Goldberg and Rogan where they actually try to sell the fact that Chuck was so close to ending the fight with that uppercut... that retarded wild uppercut was nowhere close to connecting.

 

You're serious, they really said that?

 

Everyone in the house I was watching it at went nuts when the KO happened (we're all tired of Liddell) so I didn't really hear the initial reactions of the announcers when he went down. What were they?

 

My fiancee' is a huge huge Chuck fan. It was kind of funny because everyone went nuts and then she sat there in silence. She sat there staring at the screen and they kept showing replay after replay and she got up and went to the bathroom and yelled "Do they have to keep showing it?"

[Lt. Al Giardello]

I still hope Rashad/Forrest happens at the end of the year... I think it will be a very good fight.

[AmericanDragon]

Give us Anderson vs. Liddell damnit.

[Lt. Al Giardello]

Give us Anderson vs. Liddell damnit.

 

You want to witness a homicide in the cage?

[AmericanDragon]

[Hunter's Torn Quad]

I still hope Rashad/Forrest happens at the end of the year... I think it will be a very good fight.

It's happening as the semi-main to Nogueira vs. Mir. Dana White announced at the post-show press conference that Evans gets the first crack at Griffin.

[Lord of The Curry]

Oh man, my voice is hoarse right now from screaming combinations of "OH NOES" and "OH SHIT". I'm glad that fight ended the way it did as it was well on it's way to becoming Rashad Running Away For 3 Rounds. Other thoughts....

 

- Dong/Brown was fun but I thought Kim took it albeit closely. Rogan pissed me off throwing in his comment about how he thought Brown won.

 

- AHHHHHHHHHH. Fucking Kampmann. Respect to Nate though, he looked like a killer and that final flurry was some heavy-bag throwing. Methinks Kampmann cuts to WW after this.

 

- Henderson looked like shit. I personally thought this fight was a lot closer then people are saying.

 

- Franklin/Hammil wasn't bad but I was completely shocked at how Matt had absolutely no gameplan, he just stood there and took it. Wicked body kick by Ace.

 

- BOETSCH!~~!!~

 

- Good for MacDonald, he deserves the win after the type of performance he put in against Maia. Bye bye Lambert.

[The Niggardly King]

Rashad Running Away For 3 Rounds.

 

You know... Machida vs Rashad would be awesome. Elusiveness vs Dancing

[Lord of The Curry]

When Rogan called Rashad elusive that's the first thing that came to mind. I think with Thiago Silva out of the Lyoto fight they should run Lyoto/Wanderlei on the Superbowl show for the winner of Rashad/Forrest.

[AmericanDragon]

[Lord of The Curry]

Nipple power.

 

Rashad and Marquardt win via GSP titty-twisting osmosis.

 

Re-watching the KO (over and over and over again) seeing peoples reactions are great but I think the best one is Kenny's. He looks like somebody shot his dog.

[Lil' Bitch]

They fixed it now, but you gotta love Wikipedia.

 

The shocking finish came at 1:51 of the second round. Liddell had backed his opponent into the cage. But Evans flashed a jab that he followed quickly with an overhand right. At that moment, Liddell was throwing an uppercut. Evans’ punch landed first, and it landed on Liddell’s chin. Liddell was knocked the fuck out and the fight was stopped immediately by referee Herb Dean.

 

[Hawkius Maximus]

I picked Rashad to win, but when I did on here I admitted I really had no idea how he'd win. I just had a feeling.

 

He showed me how.

 

The sound of that punch was like a gun shot. Just a scary ass KO.

 

People have discredited Rashad (and still do, Mr. Coughlin and his "Rashad didn't impress me because Liddell is old!" shit), but through his entire UFC stay it was pretty obvious he was getting better every fight. I missed the first round the first go around, but rewatching it, it's pretty clear what Rashad's strategy was. To make Liddell angry that he couldn't hit his one big KO punch (and when he did blast him once or twice Rashad did not fall), so that Liddell would only headhunt. Worked to a T, so that Rashad got him in range and threw the hook. Luckily for Rashad, Liddell saw it coming and tried to counter but was too slow. Rashad's forward momentium plus Liddell's forward momentium = KO.

 

You can look at it many ways. Liddell is done. Rashad is great. Combo of the two. Rashad got lucky. Etc, etc. I see Rashad as constantly improving, and I saw him avoid every single death shot that Liddell threw. His gameplan beat Liddell, not just one punch.

 

Give Liddell six months to a year to get his shit settled, quit drinking, get in better shape, and bring him back and see what he can do. The day's of the "OMG ONE HIT AWKWARD ANGLE KO~!" Liddell is over. He's got to evolve or fade away.

 

I find Forrest/Rashad FAR more interesting a fight. I'd actually favor Rashad, aside from the crazy improvement Forrest has shown. It should be a really good, heated fight for the championship if only for how popular Forrest is.

[Youth N Asia]

I went 7-2 on the night in picks. Picking Chuck and Thiago wrong as winning.

 

Hendo looked like he was fighting on ice last night

 

I'm going to take Neer for the upset at UFN

[Lord of The Curry]

Nate via getting his ass kicked and then tossing on the bird-flippin' triangle.

[Mik]

Pellegrino/Tavares FOTN is available now on UFC.com.

[NoCalMike]

I think me personally, I underestimated Rashad's boxing background. He looked like a boxer in there, a boxer taking on a fighter. Even though Chuck was the aggressor and often stalking Rashad, it looked like it was his gameplan the entire time, to lure Chuck into getting to close so he could counter.

 

Wow. My entire living room exploded whether they were for Chuck or Rashad. Everyone acknowledged the destruction they just witnessed as being awesome.

[AmericanDragon]

[RavishingRickRudo]

That punch was seriously a picture perfect punch, given the way he threw all of his weight into it and connected right on the money. Don't care who you are, you go down after that.

[Youth N Asia]

I knew Rashad could box, but I didn't think he had KO power like that in his hands

[Lord of The Curry]

Rashad dropped Imes but besides that and the Salmon KO he's shown to have good boxing but never the KO power we saw last night.

 

I legit have watched that KO at least 50 times today (bless my PVR) and that is honest to God one of the greatest knockouts in MMA history. I LOVE that it totally sucked the life out of the pro-Chuck crowd.

[AmericanDragon]

He also knocked out Lambert with G&P. I'll respect any fighter who uses low kicks and knocks people out with G&P.

[Lord of The Curry]

I'd count that as more of an barrage of punches rather then a one-strike KO but yeah, forgot about that one.

[AmericanDragon]

I'm pretty sure he knocked out Lambert with the first punch.

[Lord of The Curry]

Kenny just became SOOOO much more awesome because of his reactions. I die laughing every single time I watch the KO. I wonder if he bet an obscene amount of money on Chuck or something.