UFC 52: COUTURE vs LIDDELL 2
THE BOUT
UFC 52: Couture vs Liddell 2
Saturday, April 16
Distributed by Canadastar Boxing Inc.
To Canadian Commercial Locations
On Closed Circuit-Pay Per View
T.U.F. COACHES TO CLASH FOR LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE AT
UFC 52: COUTURE VS LIDDELL 2. APRIL 16
They compete against each other as coaches every week for Team Couture and Team Liddell in the new, exciting "The Ultimate Fighter™ reality show on Spike TV. Now, Ultimate Fighting Championship® Light Heavyweight Champion, Randy Couture and number one contender, Chuck Liddell will clash for the UFC World Light Heavyweight Championship in the main event of UFC 52: Couture vs Liddell 2, Saturday, April 16 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Team coaching aside, the Couture-Liddell rematch has been brewing for almost two years since the then 40-year old Couture, "The Natural" from Portland, Ore., made a dramatic impact on the light heavyweight division with a third-round technical knockout of "The Iceman" Liddell to win the UFC interim light heavyweight title at UFC 43: Meltdown.
Couture, the former two-time UFC heavyweight champ (13-6-0 in mixed martial arts), followed with a rampage through the light heavyweight division, defeating Tito Ortiz for the undisputed title with a dominating five-round unanimous decision in September 2003, losing the belt to Vitor Belfort in January 2004 due to a glancing left hook that opened a cut over his left eye only 48 seconds into the fight, then winning it back from Belfort with another dominating ground and pound performance in August 2004. couture is the only fighter in UFC history to win titles twice in two different weight divisions.
Liddell (14-3-0) from San Luis Obispo, California, didn't allow the loss to Couture to affect his game. He rebounded in April 2004 with a powerful second-round knockout of Ortiz to get back into the light heavyweight title picture and followed it with a first-round knockout of Vernon "Tiger" White on the same Couture-Belfort card in August. "It's going to be very different this time," Liddell predicts. "I'm going to win by a knockout and be the light heavyweight champ."
But, Couture is just as adamant. "This fight will end just like the last one. At the end of the night, I'm still going home with the belt," he said.
Both fighters now have the opportunity to claim the light heavyweight belt just one week after the conclusion of Team Liddell vs Team Couture Saturday, April 9 on The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV. The remaining all-star bouts on the UFC 52: Couture vs Liddell 2 card will be announced in the near future.
The Ultimate Fighter premiered in January and continues to wow audiences each Monday at 11 PM (EST) on Spike TV. Viewers can follow the remaining fighters each Monday night as they train, work out and live together before the final show on Saturday, April 9. At the end of each week, one fighter from each of the two teams must fight in the Octagon to avoid being kicked out of the UFC training center until only two remain in each of two weight divisions. In the end, The Ultimate Fighter will be determined by a live competition match - a head-to-head fight to the finish in the Octagon.
