(“I’ll tell you what I’d do, man: two chicks at the same time.”)

MMAPayout released it’s 2007 Power Rankings today, which ranks fighters by adding gross pay-per-view revenue ($40 per buy) and gross live gate revenue of the events they headlined last year. Fighters needed to headline a minimum of two events last year to be considered, and only pay-per-view shows were counted, which means that pretty much every fighter was eliminated from contention besides the six names on this list — but it’s still an interesting metric to see which fighters can put fans in seats and get them to buy events at home. And the winners are…

Chuck Liddell – $81.1 million (3 Events)
Randy Couture – $48.7 million (2)
Anderson Silva – $38.3 million (2)
Rashad Evans – $33.7 million (2)
Wanderlei Silva – $32.5 million (2)
Rich Franklin – $24.7 million (2)

Combined with last year’s results, you get:

NBCSports’ Mike Chiappetta reports that Matt Serra and Georges St. Pierre will meet again in April. The welterweight match-up will be about a year after GSP lost to the now inflated Serra. As you may recall, Serra was to defend his belt against Matt Hughes at the recent UFC 79, but had to drop out due to injury. GSP promptly jumped at the chance to take on Hughes for a third time, beating him easily for the interim (aka, bullshit) welterweight title. Serra said his back is getting better and he’ll be ready in April.

The April event – possibly to be on the 19th – will be in Montreal, the first UFC event to be held in Canada.

MMA Madness gets all mathematical ‘n shit with UFC 79′s Liddell/Silva fight, analyzing the data from Fightmetric, the world’s first comprehensive MMA statistics system. The most interesting part is the round-by-round chart at the bottom of the page which shows how many of each type of strike the fighters landed to each section of their opponent’s body, but the breakdown is fairly insightful on its own. Some of the observations:

— “…it took Silva longer to throw his first punch (45 seconds) than it did for him to earn five of his 31 career victories.

— Although two judges scored the fight 30-27, “FightMetric clearly gives [the second] round to Silva by a score of 158-87, even after Liddell’s score is bolstered for the damage inflicted in the round that opened a cut on Silva’s right eyebrow.”

— “Silva’s jab-to-power strike ratio is absurd. Based on FightMetric’s database of statistics, the average fighter throws about 1.5 jabs for every power strike at distance, a ratio of three-to-two. Silva threw more than 2.5 power strikes for every jab thrown, a five-to-two ratio that is at odds with most fighters’ striking styles.”

Overall, Liddell wins the fight by a Fightmetric total score of 340-265. If you want to kill your productivity at work today, go to Fightmetric and start clicking around. Particularly notable is the insanely-detailed breakdown of the Michael Bisping/Matt Hamill match at UFC 75, which argues that Bisping did sneak off with rounds 2 and 3, though the first round was so lopsided that he would have lost if the fight was judged on total scoring, and not the outdated-for-MMA 10-point must system.

So, here’s something I’ve noticed while going through the massive pile-up of previews and miscellaneous hype for tomorrow’s UFC 79: Both Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva are convinced that they’re going to win. Which is totally strange, right? Because technically one of them has to lose. But it’s like…ah fuck, I just lost my train of thought.

Anyway, here are two more “Nemesis”-related videos, because you should be thinking about nothing else until tomorrow night. First off, Chuck Liddell’s appearance on ESPN’s Hot List yesterday: There’s nothing you haven’t heard him say before, but it’s worth it just for the moment at the 4:58-remaining mark where Chuck is clearly struggling to remember where he is and why the man in the suit is asking him questions. Still, it’s nowhere near the worst interview that the Iceman has done; whatever the cough syrup equivalent to methadone is, it seems to be working.

And then we have a segment from RawVegasTV, where Stephan Bonnar, Arianny Celeste, and professional BMX rider T.J. Lavin discuss their predictions for UFC 79 — or as the screen graphic calls them, “FIGTH PICKS.” (Speaking of typos, MMAFightline has an awesome one today.) Not sure what makes Lavin qualified to be on the panel — it surely isn’t the energy he brings to the discussion — but the gang gives a unanimous nod to Liddell and St. Pierre, and splits on Sokoudjou/Machida.

Just because every MMA blog has to make an official prediction, we’ll stand by our earlier claim and say that Sokoudjou, Silva and (the long-shot pick) Hughes are going home with victories tomorrow night. That’s right — the option we picked in the current CagePotato poll is sitting comfortably in last place. But we’re prepared to go 0-3, because honestly, who knows?

Chuck Liddell officially became a star at UFC 52 (4/16/05), avenging his previous loss to Randy Couture and taking the UFC’s light heavyweight belt, which he would go on to defend four times. Then somewhere along the line he discovered clubs and cough syrup, and the next thing you know he’s losing a decision to Keith Jardine. Let’s see if the Iceman can reclaim his past glory this Saturday at UFC 79 against Wanderlei Silva. Though Wandy’s knees might have other plans…

 

More importantly, we’ve watched as the octagon has inched closer to the mainstream and it’s cool to see peeps like ESPN giving MMA more and more web space every month – even if they are looking at it through Dana White-colored glasses. Stay tuned for our full preview of the night later this week where we’ll break it down all proper for you.

8. Fedor Emelianenko vs Josh Barnett
As Emelianenko climbed to the top of the PRIDE heavyweight ranks, the only fighter who eluded one of his signature ass-whippings was the one big name he never fought: the Baby Faced Assassin, Josh Barnett. When his name came up as a possible opponent for Fedor at Yarennoka!, our heart skipped a beat. Then, reality set in. Fedor would most likely do to Barnett what he does to everyone else — turn him into a human punching-bag for 2-15 minutes depending on how hard his skull is — but Barnett is an A-level fighter and it wouldn’t be fair to count him out against anybody (even though we just did).

7. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Andrei Arlofski
While every other heavyweight match the UFC books seems to feature Tim “Xanax” Sylvia, the organization’s two most exciting stars are sitting on the bench. Anytime you put two offensive powerhouses — neither of whom has much of a chin — in a cage together, you’re guaranteed to see fireworks. It doesn’t matter that Cro Cop is coming off of back-to-back losses and there really wouldn’t be anything on the line; fans would kill to see these guys bash it out.

#10. Keith “Satan” Jardine assaults Chuck Liddell

#9. Gina Carano weighs in

Your eyes do not deceive you — what you’re looking at is an an action figure crafted in the likeness of Chuck Liddell. If you’re not already convinced that this is something you need to have, allow Chuck himself to sell the hell out of it, via a bulletin sent from his Myspace page:

This is a prototype and these are price fixed because there was only 3000 made. This means the price will never change but will go up. Don’t buy those little six inch action figures, these are a full 12 inch haha. Seriously, these were made really well even if they exaggerated my body a little. Go to mmajacked.com to order yours and remember it helps a good cause as many of these go to charity.

I read those first two sentences four times before I quit and poured myself a glass of Scotch. Apparently, Chuck uses the word “never” to mean “sometimes.” (To say nothing about his shaky verb conjugation.) Also, I’m not sure what to take away from “it helps a good cause as many of these go to charity.” I wouldn’t assume that the profits go to charity — maybe the dolls that Chuck can’t move get dropped off at the Salvation Army? Better than nothing, I suppose.

In a follow-up bulletin to remind his e-pals to buy his doll, he tries to clarify the “price fixed” thing: “This means the price will never be below $49.99, ever unless someone want to lose money.”

You’d think I was screwing up the subject/verb agreements and misplacing the commas myself to make Chuck look stupid. Let me just say for the record — there’s a little something called “journalistic integrity,” and I have too much of it to stoop to such depths. I will, however, advise you against purchasing a Chuck Liddell action figure on mmajacked.com when “price fixed” is defined as it is above. I wouldn’t want to enter my credit card information and hit “complete order,” only to find that I’ve been charged $649.99 because I’ve caught the dolls on a day when the prices are up. You see, Chuck’s established a minimum price ($49.99, unless someone want to lose money), but says nothing about a maximum price. Buyer beware, that’s all I’m saying.

By CagePotato contributor Kipp Tribble

In a literary achievement that will surely rival Ulysses, A Confederacy of Dunces, and How to Make Love Like a Porn Star, Penguin Group has announced that it will release Chuck Liddell’s autobiography Iceman: My Fighting Life on January 29th. We’re just as shocked as you are. Chad Millman co-authored the 320-page tome — and by “co-authored,” we’re guessing they mean “authored” — as he did with Vincent Papale for Invincible. Enjoy a piece of Chuck’s eloquence from the book jacket:

“I learned how to fight at a very young age. Now I’m 6’2″, 220 pounds, and a trained lethal weapon, but I’m also fiercely loyal, maybe even a bit sensitive, and unexpectedly romantic. In raw detail, and with total honesty, I’m going to tell you the story of my fighting life—both inside and outside the Octagon—including my childhood in the poor section of Santa Barbara…”

Um, Iceman, we haven’t been punched in the head as many times as you, so don’t try to con us into thinking Santa Barbara has any poor sections. We haven’t seen the chapter list for MFL yet, but we’re pretty sure we can guess:

Chapter 1: Mommy, Why Don’t We Have a Dishwasher?

Chapter 2: In Which I Learn How to Party

Chapter 3: The Mohawk — A DIY Manual

Chapter 4: Cough Syrup, My Cruel Mistress

Chapter 5: Dana White Gives Good Back Rubs

Chapter 6: Models and Bottles — The Good Years

Chapter 7: Did You See Me on Entourage?

Chapter 8: Rampage Gets Lucky

Chapter 9: Unexpected Romance — A Guide to Strippers and Fight-Groupie Skanks

Chapter 10: Rampage Gets Luckier

Chapter 11: Yep, Still Partying

Chapter 12: Wisdom I’ve Acquired By Talking to Anthony Robbins and Getting Incredibly Fucking Drunk

Right now, as you go about the normal activities of your day, Quinton Jackson is praying his ass off that Chuck Liddell beats Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79. Because if Silva wins, he’ll probably be next in line after Forrest Griffin to challenge Rampage for the light-heavyweight title, and if that happens, there might be a repeat of the brutality that befell the current UFC light-heavy champ at the Pride “Final Conflict” Grand Prix in November 2003. If you have the stomach for it, watch the video below (and turn down your speakers now, because the soundtrack is dreadful):

Their re-match a year later ended the exact same way. Now we know why Rampage occasionally sounds developmentally disabled…

— Chuck Liddell asked motivational guru Tony Robbins to help him regain his success drive (Top of page 2). Robbins refused, saying “I am not a slut, or a prostitute.” Kidding, unfortunately…

— Effective immediately, the California State Athletic Commission will include MDMA (Ecstasy) and Oxycodone in its testing for drugs of abuse. Which is completely ridiculous, if you ask me. If anything, ecstasy is a drug of love and caring.

— Speaking of controlled substances, Sean Sherk’s steroid appeal hearing is scheduled for tomorrow. If it’s postponed again, Sherk will surely fly into a ‘roid rage that won’t end until all the tables in his house are broken in half and all the walls have holes punched in them. I mean, allegedly.

— Xyience has fired most of its sales staff due to financial setbacks, and may soon file for bankruptcy. Let’s hope that Quinton Jackson needs some good reps to move his energy drink.

— Drunk jackasses fail to recognize Aleksander Emelianenko, at their own peril!

(The Iceman, seen here training hard for his upcoming bout against that guy who knocked out Quinton Jackson twice.)

In Chuck’s defense, this is exactly the way Wanderlei’s going to come at him.

From an interview with undefeated WEC middleweight champ Paulo Filho on Tatame.com.br, run through a translator by Five Ounces O’Pain:

You received proposal to train Chuck Liddell. Did you accept the proposal?
I would never train with an American to fight with a Brazilian. I am not a slut, or a prostitute. We are we against the foreigners.

To see how Filho responds to such insightful questions as “What the Chael Sonnen finds of?” and “How the weight is?”, read on…

If you were avoiding computers and televisions as much as I was since Wednesday, you may also be unaware of the following:

— Josh Koscheck has been scheduled to fight at UFC 82 (which, as previously reported, will be headlined by a championship match between Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson). Koscheck’s last fight was a unanimous decision loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 74 in August. Though follow welterweight contender/American Kickboxing Academy teammate Jon Fitch is also scheduled to be on the UFC 82 card, the two are not expected to face each other.

— Matt Arroyo and George Sotiropoulos advanced to the semi-finals on The Ultimate Fighter, sending home Troy Mandaloniz and Richie Hightower, both via armbar. Matt Serra’s retarded logic principles prevented him from cornering his fighters during the matches, but he showed up to beat Hughes in the coaches’ challenge, out-bowling his rival in the final frame. In a heartbreaking display, Mandaloniz broke down in tears before his fight, then marched out to the ring wearing a t-shirt that said “I CAN”; unfortunately, he couldn’t. Richie shaved off his stupid mall-punk hair, and looked surprisingly tough in his match with George; instead of sobbing in his bunk bed a la John Kolosci, Richie actually looked encouraged after his loss. On the next episode, Ben Saunders takes on Tommy Speer, and a prank goes too far!

— Four bouts were made official for the TUF finale’s undercard.

— The IFL World Grand Prix Finals on 12/29 will air live on HDNet, as part of a new agreement that will have HDNet broadcasting IFL events starting next year.

— Chuck Liddell filmed this ridiculous/brilliant commercial for Dell:

The drug abuse continues at CagePotato…

This went down back in March, so apologies if you’ve seen it already, but I just came across the clip of Chuck Liddell’s disastrous appearance on Good Morning Texas, where he was promoting, of all things, the movie 300. Liddell slurs like a stroke victim through the entire excruciating segment, calls out boxer Tommy Morrison for a fight, and at one point falls asleep. Live television, people:

Afterwards, Liddell claimed he was suffering through a sinus infection and had taken a large amount of cough syrup the night before. (In Texas, they call that purp or drank.)

Host Gary Cogill gives his post-interview thoughts here. “What a day in television…what a day.”

Hey, you remember how Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin always used to appear in Xyience commericals, and now they don’t so much anymore? Well, as Adam Swift reports on Sherdog, the two UFC stars terminated their endorsement deals due to Xyience’s non-payment. Forrest Griffin, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick and Cung Le were also short-changed by the nutritional supplement company, though all the fighters (including Liddell and Franklin) report that they’ve now been paid in full.

The Xyience website continues to feature fighters who have left the company, including Matt Hughes (who wasn’t happy with Xyience’s performance and now shills for Nutritox*) and Sean Sherk, who blames Xyience’s Xtreme Joint Formula for his positive test for the anabolic steroid 1-androstendione. Interestingly, no fighter has blamed their split with the company on the fact that the Cran Razz energy drink tastes like rotten piss.

Despite everything, Xyience has managed to sign a three-year extension on its exclusive partnership with the UFC. Says Dana White: “We look forward to our future endeavors together as both of our companies continue their explosive growth.” Anyway, read the article for all the details.

* Special to Matt Hughes: I’m not sure I’d trust a nutritional line with the suffix “tox” in its name. You know how Botox is short for “Botulinum toxin”? It’s basically a paralytic poison. Which works for wrinkles, apparently, but I’m not sure how a toxin would benefit your muscular/cardiovascular systems. Anyway, you’d better do some more homework on the stuff, because Matt Serra just signed a contract with Vitideath and he’s looking HUGE.