"Fourteen days left to go! One of the most anticipated fights in UFC history will bring a fine closure to a very successful year in the UFC. This match-up is somehow expected because it has been in the works for years, but I can say for sure that no one expected both fighters coming to the cage without a belt. Two legends of the sport will square off with no title on the line, but there’s still a lot left to gamble on. They are both coming off two consecutive losses and the color of their future in this sport depends of what will happen on December 29.
The Axe Murderer took a long break after handing his PRIDE title over to Dan Henderson in February. He looked far away from his glory days in PRIDE where he had been demolishing his competition in dominant fashion. I bet Sakuraba can tell all about that - the same counts for the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion! The Axe Murderer is not just a regular MMA fighter. He’s a true warrior that never stops, a powerful machine that aims not only to defeat his opponent, but to knock his head off badly. His fighting style is based on powerful and well-timed boxing combinations, followed by vicious knees, kicks and stomps. Although a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Silva never looks for an early takedown and relies more on his stand-up skills, even against top strikers like Mirko “Cro Cop”, then on the ground game. More than a few MMA experts expect Wanderlei to try to take Liddell down as soon as possible, but I don’t think that this is the scenario he’s looking for. My guess is that Silva won’t make any substantial changes to his gameplan and he’ll look for a knockout.
And how about Chuck? Keith Jardine exposed more weaknesses in his game than most people thought possible. Chuck is simply not who he used to be, the ice has melted. His motivation is low, he has become slower, and his counter punching is clearly not on the same level where it used to be years ago. When I look at Chuck Liddell I see a man sinking down, not only in MMA, but in life too. This fight can really put him back on track, but is The Iceman today good enough to emerge victorious from this challenge?
Will the best of Chuck Liddell be enough to beat Wanderlei, or will the Axe break the Ice? Soon …"
From
Fortunal's log
