Chuck Liddell seized the UFC light heavyweight strap on April 16, 2005, knocking out future Hall of Famer Randy Couture in little more than a few minutes. It was Liddell’s third consecutive UFC victory, all by KO or TKO, and between that time and late-2006, “The Iceman” defended his throne on four separate occasions, winning all four by, yes, KO or TKO.
Liddell’s extraordinary run of light heavyweight dominance came at a time when the sport, still in its infancy on a national scale, needed it most. And while he stayed around just barely long enough to catch the tail-end of the eventual MMA boom, Liddell’s role throughout the process forever endeared him to fans as one of the greatest 205-pounders to ever compete.
But in his heyday, how would Liddell have fared against the man many consider to be the greatest of all-time?
“I would beat him,” Liddell told Fighters Only without skipping a beat when asked about his chances against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
“I always said that I would. I have the advantage in weight and height, so it would be more likely that I would beat him,” Liddell finished, adding. “But Anderson is one of my favorite fighters.”
It should be noted that both men are listed at 6-foot-2, and Silva actually carries a slight reach advantage. But Liddell, who retired in mid-2010, months after Silva’s sixth successful title defense, has never been accused of lacking confidence, so his answer isn’t altogether surprising.
Although “The Iceman’s” tone became a tad more dismissive when the topic turned to a hypothetical match-up between himself and a certain gangster from West Linn, Orgeon.
“[Chael] Sonnen has nothing to offer me.”
7 MUST-READ STORIES
Liddell on Silva. When asked how he would fare against Anderson Silva back in his heyday, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell told Fighters Only that he’d defeat “The Spider,” noting his weight and height advantage.
MMA Roundtable. My MMAFighting.com colleague Mike Chiappetta and I sit down to discuss the future of Velasquez-JDS, Glover or Gustafsson for “Bones,” and the moral complexities of forced retirement on this latest edition of the MMA Roundtable.
Cholish continues crusade. In an interview with Bloody Elbow, recently retired lightweight John Cholish estimated that almost 90-percent of the UFC roster share his opinions on fighter pay but are afraid to speak out. “It’s interesting when you look at an event that takes place over the weekend, and the reported salaries for the entire roster on that card, 24 fighters or so, can be covered alone with the in-gate ticket sales at the venue,” Cholish said. “That’s before you even get to the PPV, the licensing, the merchandising, the advertising and the contracted revenue with companies like FOX. I don’t know the exact numbers, but it’s pretty obscene when you look at the revenue that the UFC is taking in, compared to the portion that they’re giving back to the fighters.”
Mir vs. Barnett. It actually happened. The heavyweight fight everyone wanted to see, Frank Mir vs. Josh Barnett, has been booked for UFC 164.
Wrestling update. The International Olympic Committee Executive Board voted to recommend three sports to be “shortlisted for inclusion” in the 2020 Olympic Games: wrestling, baseball/softball and squash. Just one sport will ultimately make the cut, with a final vote scheduled for September in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
FS1 broadcast team. Play-by-play man Jon Anik and color commentator Joe Rogan are expected to fill the broadcast booth in Boston for the UFC’s August 17th debut on FOX Sports 1.
Daley rips Bellator. Welterweight slugger Paul Daley, who has only fought for Bellator once despite inking a multi-fight contract with the promotion in 2012, posted on Facebook a list of grievances he held against Bellator officials, including claims that the promotion impeded Daley from securing fights overseas while he awaits the resolution of his visa issues.
MEDIA STEW
If Anthony Pettis somehow knocks out Jose Aldo with a 540 kick, I think the internet might spontaneously combust.
Speaking of “Showtime,” our old friend NickTheFace has a little treat for you guys.
This is awesome. Eugene London lost his arm in a tragic farming accident when he was younger. Now he’s following in the steps of Nick Newell and inspiring others to follow their dreams, no matter what.
Props to Harry Williams for the find.
The Che Mills mini-documentary MTV UK has been hinting at for months finally hit the internet. Check it out and see what you think.
Okay Tommy, you got me with that Forrest Griffin impersonation.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS INDEED
Just finished with the foot doctor, got a lot to contemplate today.. Decisions decisions
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) May 29, 2013
Jump into a training camp in three weeks or recover more “@toby24salem: @jonnybones what are the options?”
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) May 29, 2013
THIS ONE, I LIKE
@bisping I know everybody is calling you out but I’m ranked #6and I have 5 wins in a row.can we make it happen?!!!
— Costas Philippou (@Philippou185UFC) May 28, 2013
TUF BREAK
First day, hooked up to motion machine for 6-8 hrs. Improvement day by day4 my @ufc comeback! Enjoy #TUF @danawhite twitter.com/CatZingano/sta…
— Alpha Cat Zingano (@CatZingano) May 29, 2013
Just posted a photo instagram.com/p/Z4dtSNhEfe/
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) May 29, 2013
As destiny would have it #TUF18 instagram.com/p/Z4Zq3hikn9/
— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) May 29, 2013
BIGFOOT’S ‘PUNCHES HIT THE BACK OF THE HEAD’ PROOF
Ganhar ou perder faz parte do esporte e todo atleta profissional tem q esta preparado p/ esses 2 tipos… instagram.com/p/Z6CND1mtSM/
— Antonio Pezao Silva (@BigfootSilva) May 29, 2013
IT’S OFFICIAL
Get tickets to the first ever WAR MMA show! Now on sale at nickdiazpromotions.com twitter.com/nickdiazpromo/…
— Nick Diaz Promotions (@nickdiazpromo) May 29, 2013
GREG JACKSON WAS MADE FOR TWITTER
One of my favorite game plans of the 1900s was Bugs Bunny’s perfect campaign against the evil opera singer. True tactical brilliance.
— Greg Jackson (@GJfightmaster) May 28, 2013
Me with @jonnybones instagram.com/p/ZqxbSXMDPu/
— Greg Jackson (@GJfightmaster) May 29, 2013
Kids dragged me to see Fast & Furious 6 today. Gina was good but I still liked the book better.
— Greg Jackson (@GJfightmaster) May 27, 2013
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Wednesday, May 29, 2013):
- UFC 161: Eddie Wineland (20-8-1) officially scratched
- UFC 161: Isaac Vallie-Flagg (14-3-1) out, James Krause (19-4) in against Sam Stout (20-8-1)
- UFC 164: Frank Mir (16-7) vs. Josh Barnett (32-6)
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes to us from JoshSBooks, who writes: Undercard Poverty and the Future of the UFC
The response to John Cholish’s statements about downcard fighter pay has been mixed. Some complain that undercard fighters aren’t making enough to make ends meet. Others respond that fighters aren’t paid for their pure martial spirit and love of the game but for their ability to put butts in seats, and those butts are paying to watch the headliners, not the undercard. If undercard fighters don’t like it, there are plenty out there that would.
Although this response is certainly true — the PPV draw is the headliner, not the undercard, and there are plenty of fighters toiling away in the salt mines of the regional scene that would love a chance to make $4,000 a fight in the UFC — it raises a broader question that hasn’t been so widely addressed: are most athletes willing to fight for peanuts worth watching? Not worth watching in the deep human sense — fighters at all levels of competition are working hard, sacrificing much, and worthy of fan support — but worth watching in the most shallow sense: would you pay money to watch them? Because if the answer to that question is “no,” then the UFC is facing an extinction level event somewhere down the road.
A prospect coming up from the regional circuit might sign a four-fight contract with the UFC for $4,000 in base pay and $4,000 win bonus per fight. If that fighter fights and wins twice a year for the next two years, he makes $16,000 a year before taxes. After taxes, the expense of training for two six-to-eight-week-long training camps, and the expense of getting cornermen and trainers to the event, he might have half that. If that eight grand doesn’t cover his living expenses for the time he spent in camp rather than working his day job, he has just lost money fighting in the UFC.
John Cholish did the math and decided that the money wasn’t worth the sacrifice. But who will replace him? Other athletes have done the math and reached the same answer as Cholish. Elite athletes with opportunities in a major sport already decline to have their limbs wrenched and faces punched for the money available in the UFC. Top-level collegiate wrestlers regularly decide against careers in MMA once their wrestling days are past. And athletes that did choose to fight for a living, athletes who have proven themselves capable of fighting at the highest levels — not champions, perhaps, but UFC-level talents — have run the numbers again and opted out. Cole Konrad abandoned his belt in Bellator after resigning himself to the fact that, as a fighter who was never going to be Anderson Silva or GSP, “fighting is a pretty dead-end job.” And, of course, Nick Diaz regularly retires, citing the lack of money in the fight game. Who are the eager up-and-comers in the regional scene?
Without a reasonable prospect of actually earning a living at the apex of the sport, the answer is: fewer and fewer people. Talent requirements aside, there are significant bars to entry at the top of the sport. If fighters can’t support themselves on fight money, they need jobs that afford them the flexibility to take several weeks off for training, sometimes on fairly short notice. Such jobs aren’t easy to find. And their families must be willing to make the sacrifices required for a fight career, as the fighter works that day job and then spends evenings away from home, training. Athletes with both the talent and circumstances to allow them to develop into high-level fighters are uncommon. The two grand that a fight in the UFC may earn them may not be enough incentive for these athletes to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. Add the years of dues paying in smaller promotions necessary to get to that two grand, years no less strenuous but even less profitable, and fighting in the UFC is not that enticing a career path. Eventually, the lack of athletes with options opting to pursue an MMA career will create problems up and down the card; headliners start out on the undercard.
Now, one would be right to say that this scenario doesn’t take into account sponsorship income (although my impression is that undercard fighters generally don’t land big sponsors, and reporting on this site provides plenty of examples of how difficult it can be for fighters to extract payment from the sponsors they do land). Nor does it include the mysterious discretionary bonuses touted every time the issue of fighter pay arises but never quantified. But neither sponsorship money nor discretionary bonuses do much to increase the appeal of a fight career because neither are publicized. The public numbers are the contract purses, and for the most part they’re pretty grim down the card.
The UFC needs to continuously stock its ranks with fresh, quality talent, and that talent will become harder and harder to come by if entry to the UFC doesn’t provide at least a living wage. At some point, the UFC will face a choice: reduce the number of events or lower the bar for fighter quality. Based on the direction the UFC is heading, it seems unlikely they’ll opt for fewer events. So for those who say fighters like Cholish are replaceable, remember: for all that he was an undercard fighter, no less a judge of talent than the UFC deemed him good enough to fight in the major leagues. Hundreds of regional fighters didn’t make the cut. I hope we’ll like watching them.
Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.