Liddell vs. Franklin
UFC 115 By Nick Spear
The main event of UFC 115 pits Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell (21-7) vs. Rich “Ace” Franklin (26-5). The prevailing thought was that this fight was going to have Liddell fight Tito Ortiz for the third time (Liddell won the previous two) to go with their coaching rivalry on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter. However, it was announced that Liddell will be instead fighting Franklin, who is also rumored to be taking over Ortiz’s coaching spot on The Ultimate 
Fighter. Both men are former UFC champions in their respective weight classes and are considered good all around fighters, but are beginning to show their age. The conventional wisdom, both by the sports bookies and commentators, is that this will be a well-contested fight that will see Franklin outlasting Liddell for the win. Who are you betting on. As a UFC bettor this is a tough fight to pick. All the lines are available at www.sportsbook.com where everybody bets.
Liddell is a UFC legend who at 40 years old has his best years behind him. He held the UFC light-heavyweight championship for two years in the mid 2000’s. He has beaten some of UFC’s biggest names, including two victories each over Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz. He is one of UFC’s most popular stars, extending his career into TV and movies, and is credited as one of the stars that brought UFC to the forefront. He is extremely well-rounded, with a background in karate, kick-boxing and wrestling and is known for his strength, holding the UFC record with 10 KOs/TKOs. In the last few years, his age is beginning to get the best of him. He hasn’t fought in over a year and has only had won victory in his past five matches, being knocked out in three of them.
Like Liddell, Franklin is a seasoned UFC veteran. He held the UFC middleweight belt for a year before losing it to Anderson Silva and has beaten top UFC fighters like Ken Shamrock and Wanderlei Silva. He is also highly polished, training in muay thai, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He coached in the second season of the Ultimate Fighter and it is widely believed he will replace Ortiz this season to coach opposite Liddell. He also hasn’t had his best stretch in the last year, losing two of his last three matches.
Liddell and Franklin of UFC’s premier fighters even if their twilight years and both have the ability to win against top talent. Liddell, while stronger, has also showed a recent weakness to being KO’d. There is some debate over whether or not Franklin has the strength to KO him, but most believe that Franklin will overcome Liddell, whether by TKO/KO or Decision. Franklin is not young at 35, but he still has a significant advantage over the older Liddell. It would be a huge mistake to count Liddell out, because if he comes out in good form it will be very difficult for Franklin to contain him. However, Liddell’s recent performances do not seem to suggest that this will be the case and it looks like the match will fall to Franklin.
