UFC 66 Final Card

[LWPD]

Here's an early odds snapshot.

UFC 66 Final Card

Andrei Arlovski -475
Marcio Cruz +435

Gabriel Gonzaga -275
Carmelo Marrero +255

Christian Wellisch -152
Anthony Perosh +142

Chuck Liddell -257
Tito Ortiz +237

Forrest Griffin -300
Keith Jardine +270

Michael Bisping -401
Eric Schafer +371

Yushin Okami -435
Rory Singer +395

Chris Leben -216
Jason MacDonald +196

Thiago Alves -119
Tony DeSouza +109

[LWPD]

Can Tito Ortiz defeat Chuck Liddell? Randy Couture believes it's possible...

Courtesy of HoustonChronicle.com

Couture outlines fight plan for Ortiz, eyes return to octagon if Tito succeeds....

After a first round in which Ortiz held his own against "The Iceman," a finger from a Liddell strike clipped Ortiz in the eye, and it was literally lights out for the former light heavyweight champion. His vision was impaired, and Liddell capitalized with an onslaught of blows that ended the bout at 38 seconds of the second frame.

At UFC 66, Ortiz (15-4) gets his long-awaited chance to prove that the loss to Liddell was an aberration. Trainer Saul Soliz commented yesterday on Brawl Sports that Ortiz is on track to enter the fight in the best shape of his career. The challenger also comes into the bout riding a five-fighting winning streak, although he hasn't faced the same caliber of competition that's been in front of Liddell (19-3) since the '04 face-off.

Style-wise, Liddell-Ortiz 2 is straightforward. Liddell wants to find his range, pick his shots, trade with Ortiz and drop his right-hand bomb. It worked the first time around, and his last eight victories have come via knockout or TKO.

For perspective on the Ortiz fight plan, we turn to a guy who knows a thing or two about beating both Ortiz and Liddell - "The Natural" Randy Couture.

"Tito has to be willing to step in and exchange and get Chuck to throw enough punches to try and hit him and then be able to protect himself, slip and move and then execute the transition and takedown off of that engagement."
"I don't think the knockout (by Liddell) will come through that engagement. I think the knockout will come if you stand around in front of Chuck and try to stay out of range. He's long and rangy and uses his long jab to set up his right hand. He likes that slower tempo where he can place his shots and get to you that way. I think it's a lot riskier to stay outside and not engage. No way around it, you're going to get hit, and Tito's got to make friends with that. If he stays outside and lets Chuck use his range, he's probably going to get knocked out."


Couture believes the more Ortiz can press Liddell, utilize his cardio edge and extend the fight into rounds three, four and five, the better chance he has at upsetting the champion.

"Absolutely ... the more he makes Chuck work; the more he makes Chuck swing and miss and swing and even if he hits him ... in those flurries of engagement, I don't think you'll see the knockout shot. You'll see Tito then be able to transition through that flurry of engagement and take the fight to the ground, which again, is ultimately going to make Chuck work to get back up to his feet, which he does very well. Tito's going to have to do that repeatedly; round after round."

That's the blueprint Couture employed to beat Liddell at UFC 43, when Liddell was frustrated by the constant pressure. However, Couture couldn't duplicate that success in two rematches. Liddell's takedown defense and freakish ability to get back to his feet once pinned or cornered is legendary.

If "The Iceman" brings his "A" game Dec. 30, he'll likely make it 2-0 against Ortiz, and Couture picks the champ to repeat. However, the hall-of-famer might just be pulling for Ortiz to spring the upset.

"If Tito finds a way to beat Chuck, I'm going to have to come out of retirement and give Tito a whack."

Asked if he was serious about lacing up the gloves again to fight Ortiz, Couture responded with an emphatic "absolutely."

[habbalah]

Why do I get the feeling if Randy would beat Chuck he most likely wouldn't have retired.

[LWPD]

Courtesy of Wrestling Observer

As things stand today (sometimes, based on how the fights go, the third and fourth TV match are flip-flopped), this is the match order for Saturday night:

Off TV

Anthony Perosh vs. Christian Wellisch

Yushin Okami vs. Rory Singer

Carmello Marrero vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Tony DeSouza vs. Thiago Alves

PPV

Eric Schafer vs. Michael Bisping

Marcio Cruz vs. Andrei Arlovsky

Keith Jardine vs. Forrest Griffin

Jason MacDonald vs. Chris Leben

Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz in a five round light heavyweight title match


LWPD (with Bisping, Arlovsky, Forest & Leben all on the undercard this one is loaded)

[blueraider2]

habbalah said:

Why do I get the feeling if Randy would beat Chuck he most likely wouldn't have retired.

yeah he probably would've but ya never know.grand

[Cosmic Crippler]

Hab, I think you're probably right. I'd imagine it would be hard not to want more after you beat somebody like Chuck for a second time. Speaking of Chuck, its hard to disagree with Randy's prediction. I think Tito is one of the best out there but as far as I can see I dont see anything new he has added to his arsenal from there first meeting. Though it was a long time ago, Chuck seemed to stuff Tito's takedowns effortessly. Im guessing he'll do so again. I really hope its a competative fight, but Im picking Chuck Round 2 TKO.

[habbalah]

Hell I'm just hoping for something new. I'd like to see Chuck try more kicks or something and Tito attempt subs if he does in fact get Chuck down. Rogan goes on about Tito's subs and how he never uses them. What a great time to bust one out.

[LWPD]

UFC 66 Weigh-In Results

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Chuck Liddell (205) vs Tito Ortiz (205)

Forrest Griffin (205) vs Keith Jardine (205)
Chris Leben (186) vs Jason MacDonald (184)
Andrei Arlovski (236) vs Marcio Cruz (236)
Michael Bisping (205) vs Eric Schafer (205)

Thiago Alves (170) vs Tony DeSouza (171)
Gabriel Gonzaga (244) vs Carmelo Marrero (220)
Rory Singer (185) vs Yushin Okami (284)
Anthony Perosh (236) vs Christian Wellisch (235)

UFC 66 Weigh In Video

[dukedave]

lwpd said:

[Rory Singer (185) vs Yushin Okami (284)

How fair is it that Okami has a 99 pound advantage? I realize that it is a misprint but I'm bored.

[LWPD]

UFC 66 Liddell vs. Ortiz Final Hype Video

tinyurl.com/y4cr6z

LWPD (mere hours away...)

[swarm]

I'm excited. Katrina and I are ordering it...we've been watching the hype all day in between football. This will be the first UFC I see in HD too, so that's cool too.

I'm pumped.

[swarm]

Main Event time...I still can't believe Forrest lost like that...wow...

[Eliath]

Can't believe Tito lost like that either...I really expected more from him.

[Eliath]

I think my favorite moment was Arlovski's punch following the stoppage..right across the jaw..you could see it in his eyes that he was waiting for the ref to say "fight" again and was loading up...WHACK!

[dukedave]

swarm said:

I'm excited. Katrina and I are ordering it...we've been watching the hype all day in between football. This will be the first UFC I see in HD too, so that's cool too.

I'm pumped.

How are you seeing it in HD. Didn't they say that next PPV will be their first in HD.

Great PPV
1. Tito gets KTFO.
2. Forrest loses. I love Forrest but the Dean of Mean kicked some a... Hopefully Forrest doesn't lose too many fans crying lick a baby and running back to the locker room.
3. Arlovski with the KO.
4. My personal favorite was Leben getting punked out. I loved it when Silva handed him his a$$ but this one was even more satisfying.
5. Last but not least - All Hail the future Heavy Weight Champion = Mirko Cro Cop. So much for him making his announcement after the new year.

[Eliath]

I loved that they started hyping Rampage vs. Liddell already...and the heavy hyping fo Cro Cop too was telling that both are slated for greatness in the UFC at least in the eyes of the promoters..

[LWPD]

Another great show. Bisping is for real. He took an early beating but displayed good ground defense and came back to win outright in a round he was clearly losing. The former champ Arlovski is young and still has a bright future ahead of him. It's good to see him back on the winning track as he deserves to play a role in the revitalized UFC Heavyweight division. Leben impressed me in a losing effort. Props to MacDonald for stepping up in back to back fights where he wasn't the poster boy. A wicked angle on that guillotine.

Forrest Griffin has tremendous charisma and from the commentary the announcers were trying to introduce a possible Liddell/Griffin Title fight for down the road...that's now gone for the time being. Jardine is a tough fighter who found a whole and took advantage. His stand up looks quirky but his record (not counting the Bonner fight where he was robbed by the judges) speaks for itself. I'd like to see him rematch with Rashad.

Ortiz looked good on his feet and showed heart. It's easy to say that he should have set up his shots better...but unless someone has comparable stand up to Chuck it's a losing proposition. His taken defense (cover up fetal position) looks horrible to the ref and judges and improving his ability to defend himself on his back has to be a top priority. At least pull guard.

Chuck Liddell has mastered the Sprawl and Brawl style. He's a deadly counter punch who is able to stuff nearly every takedown attempt thrown at him, he can do major damage in the clinch and it's proven suicidal to trade with him from punching range. When he does finally get taken down he has the best 'recover to his feet' time of anyone in MMA...bar none.

Tito has nothing to be ashamed of...he'll be back and continue to make money. Fans will pay to see him given the right promotion and match ups. Chuck is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He's earned his spot and I look forward to his inevitable rematch with QJ.

Chris Leben vs Jason MacDonald
tinyurl.com/yzk5pv

Michael Bisping vs Eric Schafer
tinyurl.com/ya6we5

Arlovski vs Cruz
tinyurl.com/ye2lxu

Courtesy of Wrestling Observer

Ed Schafer vs. Michael Bisping opens the show.

1) Bisping got a huge reaction coming out. Schafer took him down but Bisping back up. Bisping defended the takedown well. High takedown by Schafer off a kick. Schafer with some body punches. He Worked for a choke. Bisping tried a triangle from the bottom. Schafer on his back looking for the choke. Bisping escaped. Schafer with a few knees. Bisping with nice high kick but Schafer went for take down. Bisping seems in better shape. Bisping rocked him with punches. Schafer with another takedown. Bisping escaped and punches from the top. Schafter with great armbar attempt. Bisping throwing lots of punches from the top and he's hurting him. Ref stopped. Pretty much a standing ovation for this one.

They aired the Cro Cop commerical on television here. I'd call it a pretty big pop in the building for Cro Cop the second time. It appears people see Cro Cop as five times the star as Jackson, or at least the vocal minority does.

Andrei Arlovsky vs. Marcio Cruz is up next. Arlovksy is back to being the Wolfman instead of being the pretty boy. Major superstar reaction for him. I think his not shaving makes people think he's serious.

1) Arlovsky blocked the shot but ended up on top on the ground. Not where he wants to be. Cruz working hard for a takedown he can't get. Hard short shots by Arlovskyl. Cruz going for a leglock. Both are fighting over leglocks and getting nowhere. Arlovsky poundong him on the ground while Cruz kept tring for the leglock. Arlovsky hit him with 10 hard punches on the ground before ref Herb Dean stopped it.

They just showed Ortiz and Liddell backstage. This time Liddell got twice the reaction Ortiz got.

Chris Leben vs. Jason MacDonald is up next. They switched the order because of the two quick matches.

1) Leben has a dyed red mohawk haircut. MacDonald threw a kick and Leben took him down. Leben threw a few wild punches on the ground. Leben is being too agrressive. MacDonald backed him into the cage. MacDonald tried a takedown. Leben grabbed the cage to block it. Then got rewarded for it as the ref separated them. MacDonald backed him into the cage again. Leben connected with a punch befoer MacDonald backed him into the cage. Leben scoring with punches. Leben with elbows and a knee and MacDonald throwing back. MacDonald tring and failing to get a takedown. Leben with a Misawa forearm at the end of the ground. Andre Agassi & Seffi Graf are there. Gigantic reaction to them. Leben's round, by the way.

2) Leben is on top on the ground. MacDoald reversed. Trading. MacDonald again bulled him into the cage but can't get Leben down. Ref separated them. Small Leben chant. MacDonald rocked him with a punch and finally got the takedown. MacDonald with body blows. Guillotine by MacDonald in really tight. Leben refused to tap and went out and the ref had to stop it.

MacDonald called himself the TUF killer with wins over Ed Herman and Leben. Some fans booed Leben during his interview and he ripped on them. Other fans tried to drown out the boos with cheers.

Quite the show so far.

Forrest Griffin vs. Keith Jardine is next. Griffin looks in the best shape I've seen him in. Of course he got the rock star reaction when he came out.

1) Jardine connected with a good punch. All stand-up. Trading leg kicks. Both swinging. Nobody getting a clear advantage yet. Jardine started to get an edge. God leg kicks by Jardine. Jardine really rocking him with punches, particularly a left hook. A flurry put Griffin down. Jardine with nine solid shots on the ground and ref John McCarthy had to stop it. Huge win for Jardine.

The UFC poll on who wins the main event is 52-48 for Liddell. They did an incredible job of building Ortiz on Thursday and Friday because a week ago the same poll would have been 75-85% for Liddell.

They are showing Thiago Alves vs. Tony DeSouza now.

I guess no Cro Cop live. No Dana announcement either.

Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell is up as the main event. Nobody booed Ortiz coming out. Nobody booed Liddell either. Mario Yamasaki is referee. Wow, now they are booing the hell out of Ortiz with Liddell in the ring. The atmopshere at this moment ranks with some of the best I'gve ever seen. Liddell's reaction is louder than anything I've ever heard for Austin. I won't say more than Hogan, and not as sustained of course,k but in the same league. Loud Tito chant, however.

1) Whole placre chanting for Tito, then Chuck. Louder for Chuck. Trading, Tito got the better of the trade. Tito failed a takedown, mental edge. Chuck. Tito punched and kicked wildly, missing bad. Tito threw a punch to the shoulder. Chuck returned fire. Tito moved him back with a punch. Tito connected with low kick.. Tito with body kick. Titoi is not backing away. Throwing a lot of kicks. Chuck unloaded, Tito standing there. Tito cut over the left eye. Chuck connecting with more. Tito down. He's toast. Somehow he suriveed, but he's covered in blood. Mario let it go, should have been stopped. Can Tito last 25 more seconds? Left jab by Chuck rocked Tito. Tito survived the round. Place going nuts.
10-8 round for Chuck. Maybe 10-7.

2) Tito tried takedown, Chuck stuffed him. Chuck with right cross. Tito threw a few punches. Chuck caught him with a jab. Both tiring. Tito missing bad with punch. Great bodykick by Tito. Tito tried takedown, no dice, Chuck made him pay with a punch. Loud Tito chant. Tito scored with a big right. Tito whiffed on a high kick. Tito connected again. Tito got his back after a takedow. Chuck is back up though. Tito with a knee. Chuck with a hard shot off the break. Place will go nuts when this round ends. Bravo gave round to Tito. Place booed like crazy. I'd give it to Chuck.

3) Tito tried takedown. Chuck stuffed him and made him pay again. Chuck with low kick. Chuck controlling the ring. Good body shot by Chuck. Another good body shot. Overhand right by Chuck. Chuck nailed Tito in the head when he went for a takedown. Ground and pound time coming. Chuck is letting him up. Tito bleeding again a few cuts over the left eye. This match has lived up to the hype. Chuck rocked him with punches. Tito knows he's in trouble now. Trading and Tito's down again. More ground and pound. Tito knew before the exchange he was done. This time it's over as Yamasaki stopped it.

I can't believe people are booing Ortiz. He said Chuck was the best fighter in the world. "I fought my A game, I couldn't get a takedown. I'm only 31, I'm in this for 5-6 years." Ortiz said he thinks he broke his foot on a kick. Talked up the troops.

For the record, two judges gave Ortiz the second round. All three judges gave round one 10-9. I have no clue what a 10-8 round would be because that was as close as you were going to come to a finish without it being waved off.

[habbalah]

The show looked great. Despite loosing Leben, Tito and many others gave great efforts that night (including Forrest, and Cruz). It was annoying that they couldn't even show Cro Cop (lol) hell show him training and throwing some kicks for crying out loud!

[habbalah]

dukedave said:

swarm said:

I'm excited. Katrina and I are ordering it...we've been watching the hype all day in between football. This will be the first UFC I see in HD too, so that's cool too.

I'm pumped.

How are you seeing it in HD. Didn't they say that next PPV will be their first in HD.

Great PPV
1. Tito gets KTFO.
2. Forrest loses. I love Forrest but the Dean of Mean kicked some a... Hopefully Forrest doesn't lose too many fans crying lick a baby and running back to the locker room.
3. Arlovski with the KO.
4. My personal favorite was Leben getting punked out. I loved it when Silva handed him his a$$ but this one was even more satisfying.
5. Last but not least - All Hail the future Heavy Weight Champion = Mirko Cro Cop. So much for him making his announcement after the new year.

You seem to ride the tails of who evers winning. Forrest gave a great fight. So what if he cryed? Maybe all the preasure of being a big star is finally catching up with him.

Sakuraba after his second fight with Wanderlei broke down and cryed likea little girl (unless your going to pull some kinda of "well those are sacred tears of Bushido Spirit" bs).

Again should Mirko fall short I'm expecting you to be th be the first person to jump of his band wagon.

[swarm]

I thought I was watching it on HD because I bought a huge HD screen TV for Christmas...wasn't aware the shows were not in HD yet...still cool to see it on the big screen.

I felt for Forrest...we have to remember sometimes that none of here can ever empathize with being a young man, fighting in front of millions, and being paid big bucks to do so...combined with being shoved into the spotlight like he was, then having it seemingly come crashing down like that in one fell swoop.

Who cares if he cried...I'm sure it hurt...I respect that. He lost, didn't have any excuses, and went to the back.

He's still one of my favorites.

Pretty good show. I'm glad I bought it.