Liddell calls for match vs. fighter in rival promotion

Monday, Aug. 22, 2005 | 9:03 a.m.

Befitting their image as steely warriors willing to take on all challengers, competitors in the Ultimate Fighting Championship rarely speak at length about their possible forthcoming opponents.

They are more likely to utter a curt "It doesn't matter" or "I'll fight anybody" or "Whoever the UFC puts in front of me."

After defending his UFC light heavyweight championship by fourth-round technical knockout Saturday night at the MGM Grand, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell did deign to mention a possible future foe: wrestling specialist Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who competes primarily in PRIDE, a rival mixed martial arts outfit.

It seems Liddell and Jackson have some unfinished business.

Liddell, who owns a record 12 UFC victories and an overall mixed martial arts record of 17-3, has avenged two of those three losses in rematches.

The lone defeat not yet avenged came to Jackson in a 2003 PRIDE show.

"I would love to get Rampage in (the octagon)," Liddell said after dispatching Jeremy Horn in the main event of UFC 54 before a crowd of 13,520 at the Grand Garden Arena.

The victory by Liddell, a kickboxing expert who punctuated the bout with multiple knockdowns, avenged his 1999 loss by TKO to Horn (85-14-5 in mixed martial arts).

Most of the fight took place with both men on their feet, as several takedown attempts by Horn, a freestyle jiu-jitsu specialist, were easily countered by Liddell.

Liddell, who entered the octagon a minus-180 favorite according to odds in the MGM Grand sports book, used effective combination punches and a blistering right hand to keep Horn on the defensive.

"He's a tough guy to stop," Liddell said.

Liddell's other loss came to former champion Randy Couture in 2003; Liddell won the rematch earlier this year.

Couture stopped Mike Van Arsdale (10-2) by third-round tapout in a featured undercard bout Saturday night to put himself in line for another title shot.

"I'm gonna have my eyes on (Liddell)," said Couture (14-7), a 3-1 betting favorite against Van Arsdale.

In other featured undercard bouts, welterweight Diego Sanchez (15-0), a minus-320 favorite, beat Brian Gassaway (18-10-3) by second-round tapout; and welterweight Georges St.-Pierre (10-1), a minus-160 favorite, defeated Frank Trigg (12-4) by first-round tapout.

In a heavyweight "swing" bout, Tim Sylvia (21-2) scored a dramatic knockout of Tra Telligman (15-5-1), connecting with a left high kick to the side of Telligman's head at 4:59 of the first round. Telligman crumpled to the floor of the octagon and had to be carried out on a stretcher.

In UFC 55, the organization's next big event, heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski is scheduled to fight Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello on Friday, Oct. 7, at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. Also on the card, Forrest Griffin, the light heavyweight winner of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show, will face Ian "The Machine" Freeman.