Axe Murdered or Put on Ice? Now We'll Know
Years of frustration for fans, fighters and promoters will be
washed away Dec. 29 when Chuck
Liddell (Pictures) and Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) step into the Octagon to fight,
UFC President Dana White announced Tuesday evening, appropriately
enough during SpikeTV's 2007 Scream awards.
"The Axe Murderer" will fight "The Iceman" as the co-feature for UFC 79 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The card will be headlined by a UFC welterweight title clash between champion Matt Serra (Pictures) and former 170-pound king Matt Hughes (Pictures).
"Chuck and Wanderlei -- two legends in the sport -- will face off in the most important match of their careers at UFC 79," White said in a statement published on UFC.com. "Chuck and Wanderlei have both wanted this fight for as long as they can remember, and this is definitely the fight that fans have waited for years to see. Finally, PRIDE's most dangerous striker will face the UFC's most dangerous striker, and the world will know after years of speculation who will win and who will lose this fight."
The UFC and PRIDE had discussed the bout for several years, but much to the chagrin of all parties involved, it never happened.
Representing the UFC, Liddell traveled to Japan in 2003 to participate in the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix in hopes of meeting Silva. "The Iceman" was stopped by current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson (Pictures) in the semifinals, and Silva asserted his dominance by brutally finishing "Rampage" in the finals.
In 2006 Silva appeared in the Octagon with Liddell, touting a possible cross-promotional fight, though it failed to materialize.
White repeatedly expressed how important the fight between Silva and Liddell was to him and the sport, and fans echoed the same sentiment. Though Silva-Liddell has lost some luster with both men on two-fight losing streaks, the highly anticipated clash will likely be the one discussed most as the card approaches.
Two of the most devastating strikers in MMA history, Liddell and Silva concurrently reigned as the top 205-pound champions in the sport, sparking debate amongst followers of MMA as to which fighter -- and in many ways which MMA organization, UFC or PRIDE -- would win if they met in competition.
"I'm excited this fight with Wanderlei is finally happening," the 37-year-old Liddell, 20-5-0, said in a prepared statement. "I've been saying for a long time that, given the chance, I would knock Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) out. I think this will be a great fight for the fans, and one that lives up to their expectations, because I'm going to hit him until he falls down and stays down."
To no one's surprise, Silva, 31, is equally confident in his victory.
"I've wanted to fight Chuck for a long time," said Silva, 31-7-1 with 1 NC, also in a prepared statement. "I think about this fight a lot; our styles are very similar -- we are both great strikers. I'm training very hard, because I want to give my next victory to my fans. After I beat Chuck, then I want to fight the champion."
Silva officially joined the ranks of the UFC in August, some five months after UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta purchased PRIDE.
"The Axe Murderer" will fight "The Iceman" as the co-feature for UFC 79 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The card will be headlined by a UFC welterweight title clash between champion Matt Serra (Pictures) and former 170-pound king Matt Hughes (Pictures).
"Chuck and Wanderlei -- two legends in the sport -- will face off in the most important match of their careers at UFC 79," White said in a statement published on UFC.com. "Chuck and Wanderlei have both wanted this fight for as long as they can remember, and this is definitely the fight that fans have waited for years to see. Finally, PRIDE's most dangerous striker will face the UFC's most dangerous striker, and the world will know after years of speculation who will win and who will lose this fight."
The UFC and PRIDE had discussed the bout for several years, but much to the chagrin of all parties involved, it never happened.
Representing the UFC, Liddell traveled to Japan in 2003 to participate in the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix in hopes of meeting Silva. "The Iceman" was stopped by current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson (Pictures) in the semifinals, and Silva asserted his dominance by brutally finishing "Rampage" in the finals.
In 2006 Silva appeared in the Octagon with Liddell, touting a possible cross-promotional fight, though it failed to materialize.
White repeatedly expressed how important the fight between Silva and Liddell was to him and the sport, and fans echoed the same sentiment. Though Silva-Liddell has lost some luster with both men on two-fight losing streaks, the highly anticipated clash will likely be the one discussed most as the card approaches.
Two of the most devastating strikers in MMA history, Liddell and Silva concurrently reigned as the top 205-pound champions in the sport, sparking debate amongst followers of MMA as to which fighter -- and in many ways which MMA organization, UFC or PRIDE -- would win if they met in competition.
"I'm excited this fight with Wanderlei is finally happening," the 37-year-old Liddell, 20-5-0, said in a prepared statement. "I've been saying for a long time that, given the chance, I would knock Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) out. I think this will be a great fight for the fans, and one that lives up to their expectations, because I'm going to hit him until he falls down and stays down."
To no one's surprise, Silva, 31, is equally confident in his victory.
"I've wanted to fight Chuck for a long time," said Silva, 31-7-1 with 1 NC, also in a prepared statement. "I think about this fight a lot; our styles are very similar -- we are both great strikers. I'm training very hard, because I want to give my next victory to my fans. After I beat Chuck, then I want to fight the champion."
Silva officially joined the ranks of the UFC in August, some five months after UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta purchased PRIDE.
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