Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com
Chuck Liddell (right) has long
been considered one of the
hardest fighters to take down.
“The Iceman” has lost a step, but most of his problems come from his rigid adherence to the style that once garnered him UFC gold. Liddell set out to address those issues by diversifying his training and getting in touch with his inner wrestler. Contrast that with Rua, who walks around on a pair of bum knees and looked like someone dumped a gallon of cigarette tar into his lungs in his fight with Mark Coleman at UFC 93. The style clash favors Liddell anyway, as he can easily stuff Rua’s takedowns and force him into a brawl.
The X Factor: The MMA community has heard for what seems like an eternity that Rua’s back to his old self. If anything, he has regressed, and the schedule he maintains seems to be at odds with a proper rehabilitation. A prime Rua could beat most anyone, and while the MMA community can hope he has a Lazarus-like resurrection in him, do not buy into the talk that this is the fight in which he rises from the dead.
* * *
Bottom Line: You have to be pretty skeptical about Rua’s chances. It wasn’t that long ago that a tremendous lightweight prospect named Javier Vazquez had to walk away from the game thanks to genetics granting him million-dollar talent and dollar-store knees. The song remains the same. Only this time, Rua will be the one playing it.