The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to pay per view on May 26th when UFC 71 electrifies the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show is featuring a main event that has been in the making for several years and some think it will be the fight of the year.
The main event is a highly anticipated fight in the MMA world. Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell will defend his UFC light heavyweight championship against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The build to the fight is Liddell has only one unavenged loss in his career, and it’s Jackson. Jackson defeated Liddell back in 2003 by TKO in the second round in the PRIDE fighting promotion. Since then, Liddell has gone on to world wide fame as one of the best fighters in the sport. Jackson is looking to defeat “The Iceman” and become the UFC light heavyweight champion of the world. The favorite is going to be Liddell for the simple fact he has been so dominant in recent memory. Liddell is a fighter who loves to just throw down, he also has tremendous take down defense (as we all saw back in Decemeber against Tito Ortiz). Jackson is a powerful wrestler who is known for his big slams of opponents. He has 26 career MMA victories, 12 by knockout and 7 by submission.
The last time Liddell tasted defeat was against Quinton Jackson, spending the last three years doing nothing but winning fights in the UFC. He’s won each of his last four fights by TKO. His last fight to go the distance and to a judges decision was nearly five years ago so it’s safe to say this fight won’t be going five rounds. It should be an exciting fight worth the $39.99 price of the event on pay-per-view.
In welterweight action, Josh Burkman will take on veteran Karo Parisyan. Burkman is well known for his time spent on Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter 2. His MMA record is 8-3 (3-1 UFC). He’s known for his wrestling ability and stamina, winning his last two fights by unanimous judges decision (after three rounds). Parisyan was born in Armenia but has spent over the last decade in California continuing his training. His specialty is judo and has a good 16-4 MMA (6-2 UFC) record. His 2006 fight against Diego Sanchez is considered one of the best fights of the year. The last time UFC fans saw him in action was in December 2006 when he defeated Drew Fickett after three rounds by unanimous judges decision. Parisyan has a win over current UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra, the two fought in June 2005. The favorite will be Parisyan due to his vast experience. Still, Burkman will not be a walkover. He’s a strong fighter who will need his strength to contend with Parisyan’s grappling ability.
The lightheavyweights will be featured beneath the main event, when Keith Jardine (12-3-1 MMA) takes on UFC newcomer Houston Alexander. Alexander has a 6-1 MMA record heading into his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Alexander last fought as part of the Extreme Challenge show in March 2007. He’s 35-years old and is known for his striking power. On the other hand, Jardine is coming off a big win over fan favorte Forrest Griffin at UFC 66. Jardine is looking for his third consectuvie win in the UFC (after losing to Stephan Bonnar at UFC Fight Night 4). With a win, he could be in line for a title shot at some point in 2008 so the incentive is clear for him.
In middleweight action, Terry Martin (17-2 MMA record) will battle Ivan Salaverry (12-4-1 MMA record) in a fight amongst veterans. Salaverry hasn’t had a fight in the UFC since 2005 when he lost to Nate Marquardt . Previously, he was known for his submissions and wrestling. Martin was at risk of falling out of the UFC after losing his first two fights to James Irvin and Jason Lambert in 2005 and 2006, respectively. But at UFC 67, he scored a TKO win over Jorge Rivera. Martin will be looking for a knockout with his boxing ability. On a side note, Martin has a BA in psychology from Northern Illinois University and a Masters degree from Concordia University. He’s currently working to achieve a Doctorate in clinical psychology. This is the type of fight which could go either way. Both men will be fighting for their UFC future.
In a middleweight fight between former Ultimate Fighter competitors, Kalib Starnes battles Chris Leben. Starnes is 9-2-1 in his MMA career while Leben is 16-3. Starnes has had only one fight in the UFC that wasn’t one the Ultimate Fighter show. At UFC 64 he lost to Yushin Okami, who is fighting Rich Franklin next month for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Starnes is fluid in Gracie jiu-jitsu and wrestling. Leben is a puncher and a solid wrestler with good stamina. Only two of his UFC fights have gone the distance (three rounds). His last fight at UFC 66 was a TKO loss to Jason MacDonald. He will likely look to use his stand-up to keep the fight on their feet and cause damage that way. This should be an interesting fight as they are two of the more well known fighters from the television show.
Other fights which may get on the air include: Thiago Silva vs. James Irvin, Sean Salmon vs. Alan Belcher, Jeremy Stephens vs. Din Thomas and Carmelo Marrero vs. Wilson Gouveia.
The standard price to order this show on pay per view is $39.99 and will be available on select video on-demand services for the month following the event.
