5 Ounces suggests just that, in a great new article by Sam Caplan. Here's a snippet:
Even the best must continue to push themselves and continue to learn in order to stay on top. Liddell needs to make some changes and while I am sure I'll experience a backlash from some for questioning his training, I'm just calling it like I see it. I'm not suggesting "The Pit" isn't a great place to train; I'm just suggesting that Liddell might want to broaden his horizons and incorporate some new ideas into his routine before he's no longer relevant in this sport.
UFC President Dana White confirmed in the post-fight conference that Rashad Evans will indeed get an immediate title shot at Forrest Griffin, something that had been previously promised to Chuck Liddell.
Many thought that the elusive Evans and the elusive Machida should do battle to find the #1 contender, but White disagreed, granting the shot to Rashad Evans. The fight is expected to take place at UFC 92.
Like people are saying, this one is tailor-made for the Iceman. Chuck has been handling wrestlers of Rashad's caliber for years...with ease. This will be no different. Evans struggled against Tito, whom Chuck destroyed. Rashad's best bet is to use his head movement and whatever Keith Jardine told him to try to disorient Liddell. But Liddell, who seemed focused as ever against Wanderlei Silva, should be fine.
Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares
I'm not too bullish on Hendo here. He's still an elite player in MMA, but he took the fight with Palhares without even knowing who Palhares was. Another problem: Palhares is a ground wizard, which happened to be Henderson's downfall against Anderson Silva. Palhares shocks the world here.
Matt Hamill vs. Rich Franklin
I like Hamill a lot, but Franklin is one of the best fighters of all time. Let's not forget that. He'll be solid against Hamill, working effectively on the ground, keeping the fight on the feet, and eventually knocking out the Ultimate Fighter standout.
Martin Kampmann vs. Nate Marquardt
I know Marquardt is the technical favorite, but for me, it's a straight pick 'em. Marquardt has the experience and the strength, but there's something about Kampmann that has me nervous about picking against him. My brain says Marquardt, but I'd never put money on it.
RedSweat has a great new piece on the guy with the world's largest MMA collection. Here's a small snippet:
Saying that 38 year old Jeremy Couball is obsessed with MMA would be an understatement.
The Southern Cali native has what is likely the largest collection of MMA memorabilia in the world. His astonishing collection mainly consists of UFC and Pride memorabilia but also contains various other items from other organizations.
The roots of Couball's infatuation with MMA go all the way back to September 9, 1994, when Jeremy and his father witnessed UFC 3 in Charlotte, NC.
Jeremy's spectacular collection, estimated to be worth in excess of $70,000 at the time of this article, all started when he got his hands on a UFC 27 poster. The rest is history.
MMAPayout.com has learned that Countdown to UFC 88 drew 701,000 viewers Wednesday night on Spike. That is the second highest rated Countdown special of the year, trailing only Countdown to UFC 83, which drew 782,000 viewers. This was only the second countdown special all year to break the 700,000 level and suggests a strong PPV performance for this card.
MMAPayout.com projects PPV buys based on a formula that compares historical trends between Countdown viewership and pay-per-view buys. Our formula projects that UFC 88 will draw 590,000 buys (with a margin of error of +/- 30,000 buys).
The UFC officially announced during Friday's weigh-ins that a welterweight match between Matt Brown and Dong Hyun Kim, which had been scheduled for the preliminary portion of the card, has now been promoted to the televised portion of tonight's UFC 88 the pay-per-view broadcast. The bout will air as the show's opener.
