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The UFC 85 card is now definitely in a mess, first with Shogun withdrawing and now Chuck , any suggestions about what the main event will be and who will be willing to step in at 6 weeks notice
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cool was wondering when someone would post this.
from mmajunkie.com.
Chuck Liddell, the Ultimate Fighting Championship's most well-known star, has been pulled off the June 7 main event at the O2 Arena in London due to a partial hamstring tear suffered in training on April 11.
The UFC made the official announcement Monday after Liddell told company president Dana White about the severity of his injury. Liddell had continued light training over the past week in hopes he could salvage his pay-per-view main event fight with Rashad Evans.
It was the first time in Liddell's 10-year career that he has canceled a fight, which has included fighting Tito Ortiz twice with a torn MCL, and fighting Quinton Jackson in Japan with a torn quadriceps.
Liddell said the injury, which won't require surgery, took place while doing light training, and he heard the muscle pop. He was hoping it wasn't serious but trainer John Hackelman immediately thought he had hurt it pretty bad as the entire muscle became discolored.
"I hyperextended it," Liddell said. "I probably didn't warm up enough, or it was a freak injury.
"I think I can fight by August," said Liddell, who will need four to six weeks to rehab before he can begin hard training.
"Unfortunately, Chuck Liddell tore his right hamstring during training last week, and being the warrior that he is, he still wanted to fight, which is the reason everyone in the world loves him," said White in a release. "But I wouldn't let anyone fight with his leg looking that way. Let him heal and come back and fight when he is 100 percent."
Liddell said he was lucky that the partial tear was in the belly of the muscle and not the insertion, so it should heal faster.
After the injury, he continued to train his upper body and was swimming without much stress on his legs, while doctors advised him against fighting.
"I can't walk without a limp," he said, but noted the pain is manageable, and in recent days has been able to ride the bike, but not at a fast pace, and has started throwing light kicks in the swimming pool as well as doing bodyweight squats. But he can't push off or do any kind of normal fight training.
UFC is attempting to both get a replacement to face the undefeated Evans, 16-0-1, as well as add a couple of matches to the show to make up for Liddell not appearing. They are going to schedule 13 matches instead of 11 as originally planned. James "Sandman" Irvin, who tied a UFC record with an eight second knockout of Houston Alexander on April 2 in Broomfield, Colo., is among those under consideration.
Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum in a heavyweight match was the scheduled No. 2 match on the show.
The O2 Arena in London, which holds 16,200 fans for a UFC setup, was a few hundred tickets shy of sold out as of Monday according to UFC officials, who noted that even with higher ticket prices, sales were ahead of the pace of the debut show on Sept. 8 headlined by the Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson UFC vs. Pride title unification match.
Liddell said he had never told White in advance about any injuries, but felt he had to tell him about this one. White, likely figuring if Liddell called to tell him about it that it had to be serious, told Liddell it wasn't a smart move to take the fight with the injury, which could worsen in training or fighting and threaten his career longevity.
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alot of people have stated that Irvin will b Chucks replacement....they better at least move Vera Vs Werdum up 2 Main Event if they do that. -
That's the problem with UFC. There's always an injury and we don't get to see a fighter for so long. I don't think their ratings will be good for the event and will probobly suffer badlyComment
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from mmamania.com
Preface: This is a theoretical post for the most part and not a fight announcement. UPDATE: MMAmania.com has just learned that Leben has signed a contract to fight in London … hmmm.
Sherdog.com is reporting that James Irvin is being considered as a possible replacement for the injured Chuck Liddell to take on Rashad Evans at UFC 85 in London, England, on June 7.
That doesn’t seem to make much sense … not as a main event, anyway.
Of course, options are limited because there aren’t too many marquee match ups that can headline a major UFC event with about six weeks notice. Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch for the welterweight title would be the logical fight — both fighters are in shape.
However, “Rush” has complained about some injuries (shoulder/hand) in some post UFC 83 fight interviews. And it’s doubtful that he would risk further injury and take a big fight less than 100 percent on short notice.
Moving the 205-pound showdown between Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine slated for UFC 84: “Ill Will” is an option. However, booking a 185-pound tilt between sluggers Michael Bisping and Chris Leben might be a better one.
Why not?
Sure, it doesn’t have a Liddell-type draw … but what fights do besides others that include Tito Ortiz? And we all know that’s not going to happen.
Leben called out Bisping and “The Count” is a popular local attraction. “The Crippler” is one of the best personalities to market a fight — love him or hate him — and is on a nice little run.
No matter what happens it’s safe to say that fans are going to complain short of a title fight. And those chances are slim. In short, the ace up the sleeve right now is to include Bisping on this card and hopefully add another solid match up (who knows — that could be Evans vs. Irvin after all).
Let’s remember: There are some nice fights already slated for this event such as Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick, Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum, Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites … this list goes on.
Add two more solid, high-profile fights — one that includes Bisping (who has already been a main eventer in New Jersey of all places) — and that might be the answer.
Time will tell.
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I wouldn't mind seeing Bisping getting KO'd by Leben.Comment
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Did you post that or get it off mmamaniaComment
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Bisping versus Leben is the logical fight and it probably means Bisping signed the contract in his dressing room after the fight , if he has signed the contract. Also there are other possibilites like Franklin who is never out of shape , Henderson who fought only a few weeks ago , Okami is another aswell fought at UFC 82 or maybe Anderson Silva , The UFC were lucky they have the top MW fighting on cards weeks apart.Comment
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Just looking at the UFC website Clementi is now fighting at UFC 84 , so we can expect one of those UFC 83 fighters to headline the main event.Comment
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I would be seriously pissed off if I had bought tickets for the event and this happened.Comment
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Bull****. Probably just not in shape.Comment
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