Shogun vs Liddell At UFC 97
by Robert Sargent
After a dominant but uninspiring victory over the aging Mark Coleman at UFC 93, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will look to establish himself among the top of the light heavyweight division once again when he battles Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell at UFC 97.
Liddell, who has lost three of his last four fights, seems destined for an imminent retirement, but an impressive victory over Rua would at least keep his career alive.
Both men reigned among the elite of the light heavyweight division for many years, but the quality of competition was arguably considerably lower for Liddell. He made his career out of knocking out wrestlers and other fighters who possessed little or no striking ability. Best known for his overhand right, Liddell's best career asset was actually his takedown defence. Without it, he likely would have faltered against many of his past challengers. Still, wins over Randy Couture (twice), Tito Ortiz (twice), Renato Sobral (twice - a questionable pattern develops here), Wanderlei Silva and Alistair Overeem are not to be taken too lightly.
Rua, though largely unknown in North America until 2007, dominated the PRIDE 205-pound division from 2005 until it folded in 2007. He has victories over Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, Akihiro Gono, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Alistair Overeem (twice), Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona, among others. However, he has not looked the same recently, as multiple knee surgeries and a lengthy layoff from fighting clearly took their toll.
The fight marks a turning point in both fighters' careers. For Liddell, he must prove that his career was not just wins over grapplers with no striking skills. For Rua, he must prove that he can still compete at the same elite level that saw him defeat Jackson, Nogueira and Arona in 2005, en route to becoming the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight (205 Pounds) Grand Prix Champion.
If the same Shogun shows up as the one from 2005, it will likely be Liddell's final fight and he could very well be woken up by ringside doctors once again. However, if the Shogun from recent fights with Forrest Griffin and Mark Coleman comes to UFC 97, this could be the single most career-deflating loss imaginable.
Elsewhere on the card, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva defends his title against Thales Leites, while David "The Crow" Loiseau returns to the UFC to battle Ed "Short Fuse" Herman.
UFC 97 takes place on April 18th from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Québec, Canada.
