SFM October 2015_high reg - page 39

SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
October - 2015
39
While Ortiz was the face of the UFC in the early
2000s, Liddell and his rivalry with Couture re-
ally brought the sport out of the dark ages and
opened it up to the mainstream fans. A talented
wrestler with big knockout power, Liddell was
known for his “sprawl and brawl” style. By us-
ing his wrestling in reverse to keep the fight
standing, Liddell would headhunt his opponents
looking to land his big overhand right.
Liddell didn’t capture the light heavyweight title
until UFC 52 – nearly eight years after his UFC
debut – but when he did finally become cham-
pion, he made the most of it. After knocking
Couture out to claim the title, Liddell would go
on to defend the belt four times; knocking all
four of his opponents out.
Even though his title reign was not long, it was
dominant. Had Liddell been given an opportu-
nity to compete for the title sooner, there is no
telling just how great his title reign could have
been.
Forget about all of the personal struggles that
lead to Jones being stripped of his title and
suspended indefinitely. Let’s just focus on why
Jones is the greatest light heavyweight in UFC
history and quite possibly the greatest MMA
fighter of all-time.
Jones became champion at UFC 128. Jones
stopped Pride legend Mauricio Rua to become
the youngest champion in UFC history. Then,
Jones would go on to break just about every
UFC light heavyweight championship record;
defending his title eight times with four of those
wins coming by way of stoppage.
What’s truly scary is that Jones has accomplished
all of that and he is still only 28 years old. As
long as he can get his personal life back in or-
der, Jones has another half dozen prime fighting
years left to add to his legacy.
#2 – Chuck Liddell
#1 – Jon Jones
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