Rampage rules

I am eating a big dish of crow right now. I didn't see that coming any more than ole Chuck did. I never thought Chuck would get knocked down from one punch and Jackson wasted no time finishing him after that. My hat is off to Rampage and all the better prognosticators.

I thought Rampage looked nervous going into the cage Roman I guess not. He beat chuck up good. I agree good stoppage. Chuck was out, the last punch Rampage hit him with woke him up I think.

Pretty good night of fights.

Did Joe Rogan say UFC bought Pride?

Roman responds: Yeah, that was a while ago. Weird thing about the punch was Rampage didn't even step into it. Just threw it with his shoulder.
And it was nice to see Chicago's own Terry Martin pick up a victory. Some thought it was an early stoppage, but I think Salaverry was out when he was tossed on his head.

Roman, to me, there were two things that stood out in the Rampage-Liddell fight. The first was that Rampage fought the perfect fight against Liddell. He took the fight right to him and wasn't afraid to get in close. Just as Randy Couture said, that is the necessary strategy to beat Liddell, and up until yesterday all the figthers weren't doing that.

The second thing was that Chuck actually looked scared in the fight was doing a lot of back-pedalling. With all the living on the moon, maybe he has lost some of his edge.

Dan Henderson vs. Rampage should be a good fight. I think it's good having the PRIDE guys coming over cause it makes for more competition and new match-ups. It keeps things fresh.

And I thought the Keith Jardine-Houston Alexander fight was something. Both guys came out swinging, and it looked like Jardine had Alexander, but Alexander turned it on him and pounded the **** out of him.

Yeah that punch was not the most powerful one but I think it was just enough in combination with Liddell moving backwards to send him reeling. And Rampage did the exact right thing, which a lot of MMA guys don't do, and jumped on him immediately, gained side control, and finished him, all in the blink of an eye. I hope this is not the last we see of Chuck Liddell.

The Martin fight was fun. Always good to see a local dude do well. Martin is a monster! And Salaverry was out, maybe for less time than even Chuck was out for, but he was out all the same.

I was impressed with the stoppages in general last night. The fight between Din Thomas and Jeremy Stephens ended in good stoppage too. I don't think that kid tapped out, but like Din said, "I was taking that arm home with me" and he would have. The ref jumped in before the kids pride went before him. I think good judgement like that is what gets the UFC full coverage on Sports Center this morning (well that and ticket/ppv sales) that's a good thing too.

How about Din calling out Mayweather! ??

Jardine got massacred by um...who was that guy? Which is what Jardine is most likely wondering this morning too. I hope it wasn't beginners luck on Alexanders part it might be fun to watch him. He showed he can take a punch as well as throw many many hard and fast ones. His legs were wobbly and he came back instantly to beat the crap out of poor ole Keith.

Roman responds: All this parity and these upsets make Chuck's long reign even more impressive. I've been impressed with Din since TUF. He has so many skills, not sure why he's not in the elite yet.

Roman, and everyone else....I would like an apology. Go back a few days and look at my posts about the fight. I do believe I was the only person, or one of the few to say Rampage was going to knockout Chuck. Chuck is good like I had said before, but he has never faced a puncher like Jackson, except for their previous fight in Pride, and just like that fight, Chuck got whooped.

But now we have an awesome Super fight on our hands with Jackson and Henderson. Sure everyone is going to take Jackson, but lets not forget, Jackson lost twice to Silva and that is who Henderson just knocked out for Prides Middleweight Title. MMA is going to explode this year. Hopefully, the bill passes and that fight is held in Chicago!!

Roman responds: Kudos on your pick. I'm not sure an apology is in order, but good prediction.

losing a fight in MMA is not the end of a fighters career as it can be in boxing. no one is unbeatable. most of the big names have lost a few, with Fedor being the exception. Chuck has a bad habit of not keeping his hands up to protect his face. he was being sloppy and got caught. Rampage ducked under Chuck's wild swing and came up with a hook. the punch landed directly on Chuck's jaw with enough force to snap his head and bounce his brain. I thought Rampage turned his whole body into it. it's a basic countering technique. Rampage VS Henderson should be a good fight. how about a Wanderlei Silva VS Rampage 3? I look forward to seeing the next Pride. I wonder if they will keep the ring, the rules and the location?

Roman responds: Dana said UFC rules will apply when UFC fighters fight, and Rampage is the UFC champ.

It was a disappointing night. Between Burkman, Jardine and Liddell... I was not happy come time to go home. I couldn't believe the Liddell vs. Rampage fight ended so suddenly. Burkman looked out of shape and gassed... At least Jardine put up a fight.
Dana announced in the post-fight press conf. that the UFC's aquiring of PRIDE is official. The deal was premature when they announced it in April and it was locked Thur/Fri. He said all PRIDE's elite will now be part of the UFC, which differs from the initial PRIDE-will-remain-it's-own-entitiy statement Dana and the Fertittas made in April. It's been reported they are working out a deal with primier fighters like W. Silva and Fedor now and hope to lock everyone down shortly.
The coming months should be interesting.

Hey Roman,
I really thought it was impressive that not only did Rampage win with a first round knockout, but that Chuck Lidell actually look scared and did not feel comfortable getting close to Rampage to even try a takedown. I wonder how good Rampage Jackson is though'. Maybe it's just me, but his mechanics are weak. He punches while backing away, and from his earlier fights, his grappling technique needs work. Granted, his punches are powerful, and he has to be the one of the strongest fighters out there. This may be a bit pre-mature, but do they test for performance enhancing drugs in Ultimate fighting? I'd hate for a scandal to effect the sport as it really seems to be gaining momentum.

Roman responds: Kris, yes, the UFC fighters are tested just like boxers by state athletic commissions. Several have tested positive for steroids, including Stephan Bonnar last August. I do not believe, however, that boxers or MMA guys are tested for HGH.
And I don't know about Rampage's mechanics, but the fact he can KO a guy like Chuck with a punch thrown entirely with the shoulder - no stepping into it - shows how powerful a punch he can throw.
And Chuck's been rushed before only to throw devastating counter-punches. This time, Rampage blocked Chuck's punch and caught him clean.

Houston Alexander vs. Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine was definitely the fight of the night. I thought it an insult that Jardine had to fight some no name fighter because most of the other fighters in the weight class wanted nothing to do with Keith. Well look now! It appears there's a new dog in town who's even meaner than Jardine!!

Nice!

chuck looked like he was gonna crap his shorts during the staredown he was that scared n now he got his ass kod by evans which shows not how good evans is but how bad chuck has got