"Liddell won't be able to continiously stand-up everytime Tito gets a takedown. Liddell's sprawl is good, but he showed in the Couture and Rampage fights that he can be taken down and kept there."
Careful with that kind of logic...
Liddell sprang up like a friggin' Jack-in-the-Box the first few times Couture took him down, and Couture is 10x the wrestler Ortiz is. The reason he was eventually planted - as with Quinton - is because both of those guys were able to punish him standing. Once he was worn out on the feet, a successful shot followed.
Ortiz *cannot* do the same. He shies away from exchanging punches and there is no way on Earth he can clip Chuck on the feet.
I've been back-and-forth on this fight, but ultimately it comes down to this: with three rounds, Liddell shouldn't get too tired. He can tag Ortiz standing and avoid the takedown. And if he does get taken down, he'll get right back up.
Liddell showed up to the weigh-ins smiling last night. Ortiz, who is normally cocky and mouthy, kept quiet. He tried the ol' "made ya flinch" shot and Liddell didn't budge. Actually, Liddell gave him the fingers.
Tito is fragile psychologically. The Couture fight broke his confidence and he *never* wanted Chuck. In a loss, he can rebound when the UFC feeds him a 180 lb. Lee Murray in a grudge match.
Liddell takes this. KO of Tito's confidence two years ago. He'll just cash in his ticket tonight.
