There was a HUGE UFC upset on Saturday night as Rashad Evans knocked out Chuck Liddell. The BIG knockout punch that Evans landed stunned everyone.
The thoughts on the fight from Jason Powell at prowrestling.net:
It’s easy to write off Liddell because he’s lost three of his last four fights. However, he was moving well and appeared to be in good shape (by his standards) before he ate the big punch. The finish reminded me of the painting at the end of Rocky III with simultaneous knockout punches from both fighters. Rashad’s punch landed clean on the jaw, while Liddell’s home run swing went lame the moment he took the shot.
This was not a one sided fight and I’d like to see a rematch between these two. Evans did nothing before landing the punch to make me think he was the dominant fighter. It was a one punch fight. For what it’s worth, I would given the first round to Chuck even though both fighters were tentative.
I’m not suggesting that Liddell is as good as he once was and his jaw is questionable at this stage in his career, but I still think he could do some damage in his division. That being said, I don’t know continuing to fight is worth the risk of damaging his legacy or risking his long-term health.