UFC 115 Liddell VS Franklin review

Though many may consider men who enter an mma proving ground little else than hired human pitbulls ripping each other apart for massive money and radical amusement, it seems easy enough to recognize that professional level mma is the combat of highly disciplined human spirits, opposing each other for but the duration of the bout. The ultimate declaration of one's will to express oneself as a fighter, demands the form of radical intimacy, circulated between fighter and rival in a cage where the damage one suffers is the wit one failed to exhibit. The reaction of one's opponent is the reaction to whatever one could offer as offense. That is how, in my opinion, the mma fighter fights against himself, by being subjected to his own image, reflected by his rival. Who is, then, ignorant enough to express honest disinterest in such delicious fun?

The will and desire to fight seeks no propagation of aggression, as once two consenting parties are present in a fight, then it is nothing less than an expression of the human spirit and body in the form of combat. The ripe spirit embraces and respects this consenting rivalry, as this is the only channel its will might be shaped and perfected upon, until it realizes that the will of the rival is one with the will he opposes that with. Who though, has the more intricate command of that will? Well, this is why fights are made for.

Notice that the ultimately glorious moments of mixed martial arts are not of those of KOs and submissions. They are of those of hugging the formal rival at the end of the bout, circulating the most honest, pure respect spirit and related intelligence may come upon, the limitless respect each fighter deserves simply by making an attempt of expressing themselves thoroughly, honestly on the proving grounds. The biggest respect one could give is the assumption that one needs solid skills and wits to neutralize the rival. A fight is the expression of these skill sets, put though to the test utterly and completely, instead of infinitely theorizing about them. The most glorious moment of the bout emerges in the form of the ensuing peace between the fighters, a legit, palpable sensation, unifying the former enemies and the grateful audience once the collision reaches its conclusion.

This is a review of the latest UFC event to date, UFC 115 - Liddell VS Franklin.



Introductory thoughts about the more significant lineups

UFC 115 puts Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell against Rich Franklin. As one of the most notable characters the sport gained its recent cultural fruition with, Liddell proved himself time and time again in an era that witnessed the current magnitude of mixed martial arts forming on the horizon, and the magnitude itself was: him. Is the Iceman still the fighter though who has what it takes to put hungry young lions or crafty veterans away?

Liddell's rivalry with Tito Ortiz is well known, and, following a couple of losses and a pronounced pause from the sport, Chuck finally had the hypothetical chance to find a home for those rights on Tito's jaw once again, silencing the Huntington Beach Bad Boy for a third time. As, - logically enough - Liddell already holds two victories over the crafty wrestler and world class ground and pounder. Fronting the respective teams of Team Liddell and Team Ortiz, the two UFC delicacies gave a solid performance on the Ultimate Fighter reality TV show, then Ortiz declared that due to injuries, he must pull out of his fight against Liddell the show should have been culminated by. Though Chuck initially took every opportunity to express hid disappointment, the promotion was quick to ensure that he will have his hands full nevertheless with none other than former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich "Ace" Franklin, who now battles The Iceman in his - Liddell's - weight class.

The co-main event of the evening puts mythic Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic against yet another hungry lion in the form of Patrick Barry, who brings nothing less than what seems to be staggering stopping power, capable to crush the opposition by releasing top level lowkicks - oops! - and finding a home for a series of sharp strikes that come out of nowhere, yet come with an agenda. Coming off from a bout in which Barry crushed experienced veteran Anthony Hardonk, he now faces with a CroCop who exhibited little more and little else than steep difficulties in the Octagon so far. Difficulties, the Croatian may have, but the reputation is still intact, and rightfully so: there is no doubt that CroCop's trademark high kicks remain uniquely lethal to this day, and the Croatian mma myth still has his effective DUE to deliver a kill with that left leg. This is what is expected from him, and this is expected to be unleashed on a fighter of Barry's caliber, who, no doubt, is forged out of top predator material. This match between Barry and CroCop will serve as a clear indicator regarding what it is required-, and what it is to adjust in the game. CroCop is vocal regarding his will of shutting the mouth of critics, who remain fervent to this day at stating that the prime time of the Croatian is behind the sport now. If we will see the CroCop tonight who was crushed in the Octagon on numerous occasions now, then I will be very curious of what he will have to say. Barry states that he - Barry - will look through the window for two consecutive years if he is able to defeat CroCop, a personal hero and example for him. CroCop assures Barry that if he is able to catch him with one of his left headkicks, then the outcome might very much be the same: Barry looking through the window for two consecutive years, with nurses around.

Rory MacDonald VS Carlos Condit

Rory MacDonald takes the first two rounds away by exhibiting a constant willingness to skillfully engage, forming dominant positions whenever the fight reaches ground level. After being forced to play the role of the hunted for little less than those ten minutes of the first two rounds, Condit comes out with an agenda in the third period, and this agenda is to subject MacDonald to a level of pressure the youngest UFC competitor was not yet subjected to. The talented up and comer indeed bends-, yet not breaks under this new kind of intensity, that which commands him to the ground, while Condit seeks and finds myriads of angles to administer strict punishment from. The Referee puts an end to this contest to defend MacDonald from further damage. Solid performance from the youngest UFC contestant, stellar comeback from Condit.

Ben Rothwell VS Gilbert Yvel

This heavyweight matchup is quick to form into a fierce initial collision, courtesy of Rothwell, who is relentless at taking the center of the Octagon to greet Gilbert Yvel with true intensity. The standup notability, though finding relevant success by the brief moments they spend on their feet, has tremendous problems preventing Rothwell from executing desperate-, nevertheless successful takedowns from the clinch position, causing Yvel to end up on his back with a massive chunk of offensive meat raining down on him on separate occasions. The story of the fight mainly is Rothwell's ability to dictate and maintain control, forcing The Hurricane to carry this massive amount of weight, with seemingly less and less chance to turn the tide of these seemingly non-eventful, yet quite intense tendencies. By the twilight of the second round, Yvel gains a momentary dominant position he truly shines from, landing a healthy amount of precision air to ground missiles on his rival, yet Rothwell absorbs the punishment, remaining able to tell the continuation of the story he invented in the first two rounds, but with even more pronounced efficiency: the conclusion period gives you a significantly exhausted Ben Rothwell laying atop on a significantly exhausted Yvel, but it seems that Gilber used up all the juice he had for this fight, and is unable to prevent the mildly successful ground and pound molestation he gets subjected to during the round. The majority of these assaults are administered from the highly submissive crucifix position, which leaves no doubt about him being controlled against his will. Decision W for Big Ben Rothwell.

Martin Kampmann VS Paulo Thiago

Martin Kampmann wins pretty much every second of every round in this here match that chronicles the Danish prospect's refined tool set, giving you more of a clinic than an actual match, as the skill level possessed and efficiently utilized by The Hitman proves much more than what dangerous hitter Paulo Thiago was capable to deal with tonight. A decision victory goes for Kampmann as result of outclassing the up and comer Brazilian in all areas of the sport. It remains interesting to see if Paulo Thiago will come back to the Octagon as a more versatile fighter.

Mirko CroCop VS Pat Barry

Pat Barry states that he does not hit hard - he hits scary. This notion tolerates no doubts whatsoever, as the talented heavyweight prospect knocks down the Croatian on two separate occasions early in the first round. CroCop does not fall out of the game though, and, after these initial public displays of Octagon ground level comfort control, the former Pride! Champion remains a competitive threat in the standup position, finding a home for a wide variety of kicks while in the process of having to deal with a whole lot of leg kicks introduced by the opposition. What forms into a competitive kickboxing bout, is occasionally colored by brief, relatively uneventful sequences at the fences in the clinch position, from which CroCop is able to maintain the role of the dominant competitor, dictating this kind of pace until the Referee instructs them to break apart. Though a balanced standup war it is, the third and final round inquires about the respective gas tanks of the participants, and it is the mma myth who seems to have more fuel and the related attack surge in him by the moments those are desperately needed: following a combination that is sufficient to stagger Barry up to the fences, CroCop swarm on his rival and connects on myriad occasions, yet administers these strikes with his palm, as opposed doing it with the fist. Explanation for this unorthodox method of punishment deliverance: probable hand injury. Barry, though seems to be bothered a bit by these successive palm strikes, is about to gain his wits back, yet these moments prove to be more than enough for the Croatian to sink in the hooks and apply the Rear Naked Choke. It is obvious that Pat tries to fight through this desperate position, but the clinch is textbook, and, as such, extremely strait, and CroCop shows no intention to ease on the grip: Barry is forced to tap out, Mirko CroCop emerges victorious by submission.

Chuck Liddell VS Rich Franklin

The Iceman shows readiness and desire to engage, inviting Franklin to a pronounced feeling out process in which both fighters exhibit well positioned caution that seeks openings in the defensive lines with constant awareness. It becomes evident that Liddell came to deliver a spectacular performance, as it is him who pushes the pedal to the metal when gaining the momentary upper hand, immediately expressing the will to move in for the kill. Franklin, though sent to the fence, shows no actual signs of being caught red handed, instead he greets diving-in Liddell with a strict right hand: opposing momentum values collide, that make Chuck a puzzled warrior: The Iceman is knocked down, and The Ace is chasing after him with two consecutive shots. There is no need for the third: Rich Franklin knocks out Chuck Liddell, leaving mma fans wonder if it was the last occasion to witness The Iceman perform in the Octagon. Interesting fact : in the post fight interview, Rich lets us know that his left arm was broken when he defended a kick Chuck threw at him early in the fight. Wow. It is not everyday average performance to knock an mma legend out when in a condition like that.

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