Not only are Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz former UFC light-heavyweight champions and UFC Hall of Fame members, but they each have firsthand experience against the stars of Saturday’s UFC on FOX 4 card.
In the main event Mauricio Rua takes on Brandon Vera and Liddell, who was knocked out by Rua at UFC 97, believes the Brazilian has the advantage in what could be a very exciting fight.
“I like Shogun in this one. I think the incentive to get a shot at his belt will really make him come out all guns blazing and of course he can hit. I know that after he hit me,” Liddell told the UFC Thursday. “They both kick very, very hard. I’d love to see them both kickbox in the centre of the Octagon, I think that would be a really exciting fight if they go ahead and go that way.
“I remember when Vera was mouthing off about winning the heavyweight title, then coming down to 205 pounds and beating me for my belt. He was always nice to me, though, he was just talking himself up. Now he has the chance to fight his way to a title shot. I expect to see the best Vera we’ve seen in a long time, but I think Shogun has this.”
Watch UFC on FOX 4 live on Sportsnet ONE, Pacific and West Saturday starting at 8pm ET / 5 pm PT and watch preliminary action starting at 7pm ET / 4pm PT also on Sportsnet ONE, Pacific and West
Couture has a win over Vera and knows what the California resident is capable of. “Vera is a very smart and instinctive fighter. He made adjustments very quickly against me in our fight (at UFC 105) to make it very hard to take him down,” Couture explained. “I had to fight the second and third rounds very differently than I planned to because Brandon was so good at adapting. He also hurt me very badly with a kick to the liver in the second round. I don’t think Brandon realized how badly he’d hurt me with that kick. He let me off the hook, and I was in great shape and was able to recover. But he can hurt Rua for sure with his strikes.”
Couture had success at 205 pounds and at heavyweight, as did Vera. Although Vera’s success in recent years has dwindled, Couture believes this is a big opportunity for Vera to turn things around.
“Brandon has been on the down and out for a couple of years, but there was a time when people were saying he could win the heavyweight and light-heavyweight titles at the same time. But something happened mentally and he went off the boil,” Couture said. “Now he’s got a big chance to play spoiler here. He’s got a great set of tools to make the upset. He’s the better wrestler, he can hang on the feet, and he’s got very little to lose. He can let it all hang out and — mentally — be right there, he has a shot.“
Another one of Couture’s past opponents, Lyoto Machida, fights in the co-main event against Ryan Bader. Couture came up short against Machida — getting knocked out by a spectacular jumping front kick at UFC 129 in his final MMA fight — and says Bader needs to use his wrestling to have success on Saturday.
“Machida is elusive with a very unique style. From fighting him last year I know he comes at you from a very different place with his strikes. It is not a boxing or Thai stance like most MMA fighters throw from, it is that karate stance. It is very distracting when you are trying to set up on him because his positioning is always not what you’d expect. Plus he’s a great athlete, a very underestimated athlete with explosive power.
“For Bader, same as everyone, the real challenge is finding out a way to get to Machida consistently. To do that, Bader has to wrestle him as much as possible. Bader is certainly capable of getting his hands on Machida — he’s a NCAA wrestler and — what’s more — he can really hit. Bader has to mix up his takedowns, wrestling along the fence and throw in the right hand; he has to make Machida guess. It is tough to predict how well Bader will do with scoring the takedowns, as Machida has great defense, but that has to be the key for Bader.
“Even Jon Jones — with all that speed and range — couldn’t really hit Machida in their fight. Remember Machida backed up and hurt Jones in that first round. I think Bader needs to get the takedown very quickly in the fight before Machida hits his stride or he will have problems.”
Ortiz has fought both Machida and Bader — losing a decision to Machida at UFC 84 and submitting Bader at UFC 132 — and believes both men are underestimated in certain areas.
“When I fought him, Machida was still on the way up, no one had really any time to work out and study his style, and it was a very frustrating experience for most of the fight. He throws some very unique strikes, and his wrestling, because of that sumo background, is underrated,” Ortiz said.
“He’s very dangerous up close, people don’t think about that because he’s so good at range, but let me tell you, that knee to the guts he hit me with was no fun at all. Thankfully I was in shape because that shot really took the wind out of me. He was a little easier to control on the ground and I was able to get him in a triangle. That was in deep, man, but he is very talented and has heart and he fought through it. I think Bader needs this on the ground as much as possible.
“With Bader, I had my way with him. I landed a big shot and tapped him out with a choke, but I think losing like that made him make adjustments and I think he can still be a champion some day. I think Bader could take this.”
UFC president Dana White said that whichever of the four competitors looks most impressive on Saturday will get the next title shot, so motivation will not be a factor.
UFC on FOX 4 takes place at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles and also features a lightweight bout between Joe Lauzon and former WEC champ Jamie Varner, as well as DaMarques Johnson taking on Mike Swick who is returning to the UFC after more than two years away from the cage.
