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[Fedorlei Gomipierre]

Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin Reportedly Set to Counter Program Strikeforce on CBS by Nick Thomas on Mar 13, 2010




Fightersonlymagazine.co.uk breaks the news:

Chuck Liddell will be fighting Rich Franklin in his next bout and not rival TUF 11 coach Tito Ortiz, Fighters Only has heard from a reliable source.

Rumour has it that the event will be staged in Nashville and be broadcast for free on the Spike TV network.

The Tennessee State Athletic Commission has not yet received an application from the UFC to stage an event in Nashville but the organisation has until Thursday to do so.

Ortiz is out of the fight but not because of injury; he is healthy and is not suffering back problems as some rumours claim. The reason for his withdrawal is known to Fighters Only is something that may significantly impact his future as a fighter, but we cannot report the details at this point.
HT: fightersonlymagazine.co.uk, fozo

Bloody Elbow - Pound-for-Pound the Best in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Commentary, News and Community

Take this for what it is at this point, but this is a fight I would sincerely not mind seeing and is a really cool matchup for both if it's true. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

[KevoOnTheRadio]

I dunno, not buying it right now. But it would be a great fight. I guess we'll know by Thursday.

[Tyreas]

First it was Kimbo, now its Chuck, next week its Fedor vs. BJ Penn.....in a bra and panties match.

I can't take it.

[MirJitsu]

Hope it's a fight that comes to fruition. Rich Franklin is one of my favorite fighters (if not my favorite), and I think it's definitely a win that he can pick up. I could be off base but I really think he's criminally underrated because of his two losses to Anderson. I thought he should have got the nod over Hendo.

[ckauffman28]

seen this on mmabay first so take it as a rumor at best right now...

[TBEAR]

Damn, I would love to see this fight. Rich is a fav on mine, and has good kicks. Rich can take Chuck ithink.

It is also a very smart move Chuck and Rich having huge darwing power, which is what the UFC needs for this event

[jlruthven84]

Bloody Elbow is carrying this, and they're generally pretty reliable. I'm down with the fight, but what really piques my interest is the mystery surrounding Tito. Not a health issue, but something that "could significantly impact his future as a fighter?" Strange.

[Repenter]

i can't say i care much about this fight at all. maybe it's just because i still resent both of them being shoved down my throat by the UFC for all that time. good thing we some brazilians sort that out.

anyway, franklin can take this pretty soundly if he plays the game right.

[tucker50]

i can't say i care much about this fight at all. maybe it's just because i still resent both of them being shoved down my throat by the UFC for all that time. good thing we some brazilians sort that out

Franklin certainly was taken out by Brazilians, but Chuck certainly wasn't. He had lost to 3 americans in 4 fights before beating Shogun, with his only win coming against Wand, a Brazilian. So, even through his streak of 4 losses in 5 fights, he's 1-1 against against Brazilians, which is hardly responsible for his downfall.

[Fedorlei Gomipierre]

Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin Reported for UFC April 17th Event to Counter Strikeforce by Kid Nate on Mar 13, 2010



Zuffa credentialed Fighters Only has the story:

Chuck Liddell will be fighting Rich Franklin in his next bout and not rival TUF 11 coach Tito Ortiz, Fighters Only has heard from a reliable source. The switch was initially reported to us just under two weeks ago but was only a rumour at that time.

However, the rumour hit message boards late last night and an industry source confirmed that Liddell will indeed be facing former middleweight champion Rich Franklin. The fight is to headline an April 17th Fight Night event which will counter Strikeforce's show on the same date.

They also report that Tito Ortiz won't be fighting Liddell, but not for health reasons and that the "reason for his withdrawal is known to Fighters Only is something that may significantly impact his future as a fighter."

Josh Gross has more on the situation in Tennessee:

According to Tennessee State Athletic Commission regulations, Zuffa has until Thursday, March 18, to file an event permit application should the Las Vegas-based promotional company wish to counter Strikeforce's April 17 date in Nashville.

Tennessee executive director Jeff Mullen told SI.com on Wednesday that promoters are required to submit an application with the state no less than 30 days in advance of their requested date.

After Strikeforce and CBS officially announced April 17 at the Bridgestone Arena as the venue for their next show, rumors swirled that executives from UFC and SpikeTV were considering adding an event on the same night in the same town.

Should UFC opt to move forward, and to this point it has not informed Mullen it would, April 17 marks the first time Tennessee is tasked with overseeing two major events on the same night.

"We would have to really look at how things are developing and we'd probably have to borrow some manpower from somewhere," Mullen said of the commission's ability to handle both events. "It would be way bigger than anything we've ever done, but I don't think it's something we couldn't do, we'd just have to make some unusual arrangements to make it work."

I really have to question the UFC's wisdom here. Not only are they losing the Tito Ortiz vs Chuck Liddell headliner for UFC 115 (although that may have been unavoidable due to Tito's mysterious issues) but they are also pushing the TN Athletic Commission to the limits of their resources and capabilities. If someone gets hurt in the cage because of poor oversight, Dana White should be held to answer for it.

They are also completely strip-mining any value that Rich Franklin has as a draw with this long succession of meaningless fights. If Anderson Silva ends up moving up to light heavyweight, it will all have been for naught.

And ultimately, what is the burning reason to destroy Strikeforce anyway? The April 17th show on CBS is already an almost certain ratings disaster thanks to the efforts of M-1 Global to keep Fedor Emelianenko off the card. With Jakes Shields as a headliner, Strikeforce is already virtually counter-programming themselves.

Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin Reported for UFC April 17th Event to Counter Strikeforce - Bloody Elbow

Looks like they're updating this story as it develops, so here's what I just found.