MMA Crunch

With each passing day, UFC 88 is shaping up to be one of the best fight nights of the year. The past couple days has seen the addition of two new bouts to an already stellar event. Anderson Silva will take on Yushin Okami even though that fight will come less than two month after his bout with James Irvin.

It has also been reported that today Matt Brown was offered a fight against Dong Hyun Kim, the second Korean fighter ever to compete in the UFC. The September 6th event will feature a Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans clash in which the winner may wind up being the next in line to get a shot at light heavyweight gold.

Rich Franklin and Karo Parisyan will also be part of the card which could turn out to be a huge draw for the UFC. UFC 88 Breakthrough could in fact be the breakthrough event of the year when it airs on pay-per-view live from Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

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The light heavyweight division is really heating up in the UFC. Amidst the flames of Saturday’s Forrest Griffin-Rampage Jackson blowout, many eyes are now looking forward to Chuck Liddell’s showdown with Rashad Evans at UFC 88. The winner of that bout could be next in line to face Griffin, the new light-heavyweight champion.

There is no question that all the heat manufactured by Jackson vs. Griffin will ignite the hype surrounding Liddell-Evans. Furthermore, the inevitable explosion at UFC 88 will then carry over into the next light-heavyweight title match. But even if the winner of Liddell vs. Evans is forced to wait and watch a Griffin-Jackson rematch, the energy surrounding the match should be scorching.

Mma junkie.com poses that a Griffin-Liddell end of the year match-up could be huge. However, with so many talented light heavyweights at the top of the division, the stage is being setting for a torrid ending to a an already blistering year.

Before the notion of a Liddell-Griffin face off can even be entertained, Liddell must first get past Evans. But regardless of who closes out the year as Griffin’s next opponent, it figures to be one of the hottest selling items of the year.

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Not a day has passed after Forrest Griffin handed Quinton “Rampage” Jackson the seventh defeat of his career and talks of a rematch have already begun to surface. Such an event would be a use draw and would also turn the tables. But instead of Jackson coming in as the heavy favorite, Rampage would likely play the unfamiliar role of the underdog. Griffin, now the UFC light heavyweight champion, would also head into another bout with Jackson equipped with the full respect of the media, audience and fellow fighters.

One of the main reasons that a rematch would be a smart move on everyone’s behalf is because the previous fight was extremely entertaining. Why wouldn’t anyone want to see a sequel to what was arguably one of the best fights of the year? However, there are more contenders in the light heavyweight division hungry for a shot at the title. Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans are both waiting in the wings.

Liddell has been thirsting for quite some time to get another shot at gold. And Evans will argue that an undefeated record is more than worthy enough to warrant a title shot. So who should be next for Griffin?

Simply because Jackson was the former champion does not give him the right to be the next in line to reclaim his title. Jackson did not fight for nine months prior to UFC 86 and perhaps he should see some more action before receiving another shot at the title. A Liddell victory over Evans at UFC 88 would build a heightening momentum towards his championship run.

The only thing audiences love more than a rematch is a comeback. Liddell is putting together exactly that and it’s hard to imagine that a win over Evans wouldn’t land him in a title bout with Griffin.

Mauricio Rua is among the top light heavyweights in the UFC, although he fell victim to Griffin via a third round knockout almost a year ago at UFC 76. That loss kind of pushes Rua to the back burner as he will probably have to wait his turn for another shot at Griffin.

In the meantime, Griffin is putting together his own impressive run as he will look forward to defeating a third straight top quality opponent. Actually, it could wind up being his fourth straight win as he put down Hector Ramirez before notching victories over Rua and Jackson. Regardless of who is next in line, one thing has changed for Griffin. As the light heavyweight champion, he is now the man to beat.

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The Iceman was once the hottest name in mixed martial arts. The punching power of Chuck Liddell enthralled audiences and it seemed as though the sport was set to have a dominant champion for some time. Then came the Rampage. But that does not mean that Liddell is still not one of the top fighters in the UFC even though his super-stardom has dimmed out ever so slightly.

Part of the reason Liddell has faded into the backdrop is because he has not fought in 2008. And that lack of activity is mainly because Liddell was bitten by the injury big. However, it looks like he will finally get his chance during UFC 88 as he prepares to take on Rashad Evans. A victory over Evans would surely propel Liddell back up to the level where he was before two consecutive losses to Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine.

MMAnews.com recently caught up with Liddell and talked to him about his upcoming fights. Apparently, the Iceman is ready to return to the octagon and has more plans for the future.

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