UFC 115 Betting Recap – Liddell Goes Down…Again

Franklin KO’s Career Of Liddell
It’s only in the UFC where a veteran way past his prime can deliver so much heartbreak. When you think about veterans in the four majors, or other sports, they can still inflict damage. Ray Lewis can stuff Darren Sproles to be a hero at 35-years old in the NFL. Tim Duncan can unleash tricks in the post move to be effective. Yet, as we’ve seen with Chuck Liddell, once your time is over the octagon bares no sympathy.

Rich Franklin belted Chuck on the chin in the first round, leading to the Iceman’s third consecutive loss via knockout and putting his career in serious doubt. Even more disheartening is the fact that Franklin earned the KO win with a broken arm. For Franklin, it’s a step in the right direction as he tries to avoid extinction. We can’t say the same about his opponent.

A long and illustrious career by Liddell helped make the UFC a household entity, and Chuck has become an icon in both the UFC and the mainstream. Indeed, he is one of the many faces of the UFC and perhaps the most recognizable modern day fighter that we know.

With a close knit friendship with Dana White, it’s almost impossible to imagine Liddell stepping in to the octagon to fight again. He doesn’t necessarily have the style to prolong his career, and trust me, it pains me to even write that. It’s been a storied career for the Iceman but it’s time we put this career on ice as well.

Pat Barry Gets Submitted By Idol Cro Cop
Pat Barry’s shining star is a little dimmer after he went toe-to-toe with a much slower Mirko Filipovic and was submitted in the third round by a hookless, rear-naked choke. Barry was severely gassed by the third round, and he’d withstood a barrage of kicks and potent punching combinations from the Croatian, but he wasn’t able to land anything too significant after he knocked Filipovic on his ass twice.

Cro Cop stuck to a gameplan and knew that Barry would burn through his tank in the first round to try and earn a knockout. The plan worked flawlessly and now we’re faced with the previously unthinkable reality that Mirko is the legend walking out of UFC 115 with his reputation somewhat intact instead of Chuck Liddell.

Barry is still one of the more marketable talents in the UFC and while putting him in the ring with Todd Duffee makes a lot of sense on paper, I don’t think Dana White would be thrilled about decimating one of his rising stars in the heavyweight division. The thrilling leg kick assassin still has a bright future in the UFC, and a matchup against Cheick Kongo might be right up his alley. One thing is for sure with Barry – he needs to learn how to wrestle.

Mirko won’t be seeing any title fights come his way anytime soon. Despite the victory, he still wasn’t the same marauding legend we knew from his days in Pride. He earned some extra coin with Submission of the Night, which is huge considering that the bonuses were raised to $85,000, but a fight against another listless heavyweight contender is likely in his future. It remains to be seen if he even broaches the idea of re-signing with the UFC now that his contract is up.