UFC 115: How Rich Franklin Beats Chuck Liddell

This evening UFC 115 takes place in Vancouver and the main event is two of the UFC’s brightest stars. “The Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7) and “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) step inside the Octagon where one seems to be the clear favorite but I tend to disagree.

Chuck comes into this fight coming off back-to-back losses yet is amongst other mixed martial arts (MMA) writers and fans he seems to be the very clear favorite in this fight.

Chuck came into the weigh-ins looking better than Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio has ever seen him. He had a visible six pack which many see as a sign that Chuck is in the best shape of his life. However there have been times when fighters come in looking tight and very lean which could be a sign of a tough weight cut.

Chuck has always been a very big light heavyweight and this fight is one that will test Rich’s ability to seriously make a run for the title in the division.

Can Rich deal with the size of Liddell and/or the power of such a big fighter? I fully believe he will tonight.

Rich has always been a very cerebral fighter and one with good technical striking. He comes into fights with a very specific game plan and sticks to it, even if it doesn’t seem to be working. This has been a positive and negative for Franklin.

Rich did not leave his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio to train for this fight. The past few fights he has traveled out west to Seattle  to train with world renowned Matt Hume. Could staying home make the difference in this fight?

No, it won’t be the difference maker but will be is the stand-up game of both men.

Chuck brings amazing power into this fight which has been the Achilles heal of Franklin in his past fights. He tends to get lost when a fighter has more power and it has shown in his losses to UFC middleweight champion “The Spider” Anderson Silva (26-4) as well as “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8). This fight will come down to where Rich excels though and not what his weakness seems to be in fights.

Rich is a southpaw that has done very well working angles, moving away from big right hands and using kicks to the legs and body to wear opponents down. This strength is something Chuck has struggled with in the past, “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (14-7-1) ring a bell to anyone?

I see Rich circling away from the big looping punches Chuck throws with reckless abandon and using his kicks to work the lower end of Liddell and to drain him of some of the power he needs to win this fight. Rich will use his range to stay just out of the reach of Chuck’s big shots, which come very slow. Chuck has taken advantage of fighters pushing forward as they get frustrated and then landing the big, slow and looping counter punch to end the fight. Rich will not be suckered into this and will be content to grind out a victory here.

Will this fight see the end of Chuck Liddell’s career inside the Octagon? Only Chuck and UFC president Dana White have the answer to that.

Fighters.com wants to know who are you picking in this fight and why?