UFC 115: Liddell Done, Barry Starstruck, Rothwell Doing Very Little To Help Cause
__________________________________________________________________________Rich Franklin still tickin’. Liddell, not so much. Chuck Liddell did everything right in his fight with Rich Franklin. Everything but take a routine punch. 
Liddell’s shape is not necessarily the problem as was bashed over your head leading up to this pay-per-view. Liddell has stopped drinking and trained harder than ever to get in shape for this fight, however after years of punishment, his jaw has become suspect and he simply cannot fight anymore with such a liability.
Joe Rogen said it best in his show closing mini tirade on Chuck. I don’t want to see Chuck fight anymore.
This just in: Canadians suck at home. Rory MacDonald, while putting on a show for two rounds in his fight against veteran Carlos Condit, became yet another statistic in an unfortunate recent trend of Canadian fighters losing at home.
This was an amazing comeback by Carlos Condit who looked absolutely lost for the first two rounds, and credit has to go to head trainer Greg Jackson who uncharacteristically got in his ass prior to the final round.
Ben Rothwell: On his way out? Ben Rothwell was brought in as a heavyweight “prospect” who was supposed to help push the top heavyweight fighters in the UFC. His debut saw him beaten like a Boston sports fan’s wife after a Celtic’s loss, by Cain Velasquez.
And while Rothwell nabbed a must-win victory over the dangerous Gilbert Yvel, he seemed to be holding on for dear life more than anything, and the fight probably should have been stopped in the second round when Yvel unleashed an unholy array of shots on the former IFL standout.
Rothwell’s win seemed to take forever. Rothwell smothered Yvel, working just hard enough to keep the decision (and Gilbert) under his belt.
Rothwell is far from a marketable fighter, and if his underwhelming style continues to mirror his bland personality, his next match (victory or not) will be his last in the UFC.
Pat Barry: Starstuck striker. While it was certainly amusing to see the admiration Barry had for Mirko Cro cop play out in the octagon, it quickly became an annoyance.
Barry looked good in the first round, and was presented with two ample opportunities to try to finish Mirko Cro cop after knocking him to the ground with stinging jabs.
However Barry refused, and would go on to hand pound, hug, and joke with Mirko throughout the fight!
Sure, Barry has no ground game, however after seeing how this fight played out I can’t help but wonder whether or not Barry was hesitant to put the finishing touches on his idol. Seriously.
There’s a fine line between being honored to be in an octagon with someone and just being happy to be there. Pat Barry’s performance at UFC 115 clearly appeared to have been influenced by the latter.
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Tags: Chuck Liddell, Chuck Liddell retired, Chuck Liddell's final UFC fight, Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell, UFC 115
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[...] to being knocked out, Liddell looked fantastic his final bout with Rich Franklin at UFC 115. His chin, however, did not and would sadly be the death of his [...]