In the UFC 115 main event this Saturday Chuck Liddell (21-7) will step back in the cage against Rich Franklin (26-5). This wasn’t supposed to be the headliner fight but after all is said and done the fans will get a better fight then the original would have been.
During the Ultimate Fighter season 10 Finale, Dana White announce that bitter rivals chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz would coach the 11th season and fight for a third time at season’s end. That night MMA websites exploded with a mixture of rage and boredom over a meaningless third fight between the two aging fighters. In their two previous fights Liddell walked away with two TKO victories, so why did we need a third fight. Seeing Tito Ortiz get TKO’d again just isn’t worth the PPV cost especially as the main event.
Fast forward to the present and Ortiz has pulled out of the fight to have back surgery, been fired as coach on the Ultimate Fighter and replaced by former Middleweight champ Rich Franklin. The UFC’s go to guy in a bind, Franklin finished up the last week or so of filming then moved right into training for UFC 115. Franklin will be returning back to the Light Heavyweight division after fighting his last two at a 195 lbs. catchweight.
Still not a sexy fight or overall meaningful within the light heavyweight division the Liddell vs. Franklin fight does hold some mystery and intrigue. The world knew Liddell was going to TKO Ortiz again but what’s going to happen with Liddell vs. Franklin is anybody’s guess. Liddell will look to keep his distance to avoid the clinch while trying to land that famous overhand right. Franklin will punish the legs of Liddell to score points similar to what Keith Jardine did against Liddell. Look for him to get inside, clinch and test Liddell’s chin with some dirty boxing too. Both fighters are coming off knockout losses but Liddell’s chin has clearly taken the heavier beating over the last couple years.
When the main event is completed and UFC 115 is in the books the fans leaving the General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada will be happy that Franklin was fighter and not Ortiz.
