For years, many of us have been saying Chuck's stand-up is sloppy and one day he was going to be exposed. I think that day has come. As the UFC ranks start to fill up with more technical strikers, we see Chuck heading in a downward spiral. Those looping bombs that have served him so well can no longer save him, because fighters now know how to get around them.
It's like a real life version of Punch Out! for the NES. Once you figure out how to get around Tyson's punch, it's just a matter of time. Still devastating if you get caught, but all it takes is some patience and good timing.
The blueprint for beating Liddell is out, and at 38 years old, I believe it's far too late to teach this old dog new tricks. He loves fighting too much to retire, so he better get used to losing.
I'm not hating, just speaking the truth.
Chuck's striking style has always been very unorthodox. He's been in the spotlight long enough that his opponents will no longer be thrown by his unusual style...the patterns have emerged and are now well understood. He's going to have to start mixing things up if he's to get back on top.
Hey. When I said Chuck's boxing is terrible everyone wanted to hang me. I like to see you all coming around now. It has never been a secret yet, for some reason, guys always chased Chuck around the cage waiting to get laid out with a windmill redneck punch. It is good to see guys use regular old boxing to beat him.
I agree 100%. Good thread.
excellent thread
The single greatest flaw he showed last night was how he faught against a back peddling fighter.
Chucks stance was WIDE OPEN fists completly not protecting himself and moving forward trying to pick his shots... thats a pretty arrogant and got him KO'd.
His power-based counterpunching style was perfectly fine when he was younger and humbler. As he got older, reflexes went down, pride went up and his style went out the window. Had he stuck to it and supplemented it with a little bit more of offensive wrestling, he would have been fine.
LOL at people just seeing this. I have always like Chuck but have hated him as a fighter because he got away with having the WORST boxing ever while people called him the best striker in MMA.
If anything, one could argue that Liddell's style has gotten worst over the years. Remember when he used to throw DEVASTATING leg kicks? When's the last time Chuck has even thrown a kick.
He's become completely one-dimensional, and the sport has passed him by. Like I said, he better get used to losing.
His style has been exposed for a long time.
That is why they fed grapplers with horrible standup striking to fight him.
Everyone knows he is a counter puncher off the takedown sprawl kind of guy.
true,
said it many times myself as well.
Allistar Overeem was the first who really explosed him and almost got the win was it not for the big mistake he made.
nothing against Chuck himself. great guy and charchter. but in the evolution of MMA he is getting passed.
basicly Rashad played the same game as chuck and this time lured chuck in.
Exchanging strikes in a fight is playing Russian Roulette.
He needs to go back to his style from the late 90's...where he wasn't just banking on 1 punch the entire fight. His style back then (lots of kicks and movement) combined with the power he developed would be pretty dangerous.
^^^
Only if your defense is lacking. They're quite a few boxers who have yet to get KO'ed and all they do is strike.
If he brought his hands back to his head instead of dropping them to his hips none of this would have happened.
Mister Brooks - Chuck is old and slow and getting older and slower.
Guys like him(Pedro Rizzo, Igor Vov, ect.) all eventually go the way of Tank Abbott.
So true.
Chuck wasn't winning any portion of the fight. From the start it was obvious that Rashad's speed and footwork were giving him problems. Rashad was sticking and moving all the first round. The times that Chuck hit him, Rashad rolled with the punches to take away the power. Look at how Chuck's eye was all banged up in the first, and Evans didn't have a mark on him. Even better, Rashad's speed and "hit and away" tactic was frustrating Chuck and forcing him to chase Evans. That's how you defeat a counter-puncher is to either hit faster and get away, or make him chase you. Evans succeeded on both counts.
The counter by Evans was perfect timing. A straight punch always gets there faster. I actually thought Evans' plan was to go for the takedown once Chuck started chasing into him. Then it would really lower Chuck's chance to sprawl.
As someone said, Chuck is very successful against grapplers, but Rashad is also a faster, more technical, just as powerful striker. People forget that Rashad fought heavyweights on the show. His chin is solid, AND he was knocking HW's on their asses. People forget that he can strike because his wrestling is so good. And his coaches are great.
Anyways VICIOUS KO. The best kick KO in the UFC, and now the best punch KO in the UFC. A faceplant, double-head bounce, masterpiece. Rashad is a BAAD man!
However, I still feel that Chuck could fight Shogun. he could fight Hamill. He could fight Rich. He could fight Hendo at 205. There are plenty of fights left for him at 205. Other than Machida, there aren't really that many fast, powerful, technical strikers at 205 other than Evans.
Mister Brooks - So prior to this loss Rashad was just another wrestler being fed to Chuck.Who called Rashad a superior striker. He's just an average striker that capitalized on a horrible flaw in Chuck's game.
But now after the upset, this was Chuck being exposed by a superior striker.
Lmfao!
Chuck is old and slow and getting older and slower.
Guys like him(Pedro Rizzo, Igor Vov, ect.) all eventually go the way of Tank Abbott.
It's like the home run hitter that can't hit a curveball. Once everbody figures it out, that's the only pitch he sees.
Every fighter has a style. Nothing new there.... So exposed? No, his style just didn't work with
Rashads.
Mabe thats the time a fighter should have another style to use when fighting certain fighters?