CHUCK LIDDELL VS. RANDY COUTURE
Fight 1: UFC 43 — Couture via TKO (Punches)
Fight 2: UFC 52 — Liddell via KO (Punches)
Fight 3: UFC 57 — Liddell via KO (Punches)
If the trilogies on this list had to be ranked in order, this one would certainly be in the running for the top spot. Not only did it feature two of the most iconic fighters in the UFC to that point, but it also ended up producing a “changing of the guard” in what the light heavyweight ranks, which was the prestige division in the UFC at the time.
Questions about Liddell’s focus after not getting the chance to face Tito Ortiz were being asked alongside those about Couture’s age and whether Father Time was finally catching up to the former heavyweight champion as these two squared off for the interim light heavyweight title at UFC 43.
This was another vintage Couture performance and his approach completely flummoxed Liddell, who seemed hesitant and unsure as Couture marched forward, leading the striking exchanges and getting the better of them. Just as he did with Belfort, Couture took away Liddell’s best weapons and made him expend energy defending takedowns, getting back to his feet, and moving backwards and as time continued to tick off the clock, Liddell’s gas tank ticked closer and closer to empty.
By the time the third round started, it was clear Couture was in complete control and by the middle of the frame, the fight was all but finished, with Couture putting Liddell on his heels and then on the canvas, advancing to mount, and unleashed a barrage of unanswered strikes that forced the stoppage.
The second fight happened a little shy of two years later, after Couture had beaten Ortiz and wrapped up his trilogy with Belfort. Liddell had come up short in his bid to win the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix, beaten Ortiz in their first meeting and added a win over Vernon “Tiger” White to affirm his standing as the No. 1 contender for the light heavyweight title, setting the stage for this rematch.
Liddell was a different fighter at this point, and it was obvious immediately. He was moving more right away, and he had the wide-eyed, “This dude looks a little crazy” stare we’d become used to in full effect right out of the gate. He’d become the dangerous counterpuncher and was ready for Couture’s advances, responded to his offerings in kind and circled into space whenever “The Natural” tried to hem him in.
An inadvertent eye poke paused the fight momentarily and Liddell connected immediately on the restart, stinging Couture with the kind of forcible shot that makes your instincts take over. When Couture tried to land one of his own and trade with Liddell, “The Iceman” floored him with a right hand amidst the chaotic trading of punches, following him to the canvas and quickly bringing the bout to a close.
Liddell was the new light heavyweight champion and a new era was about to begin in the UFC.
The rubber match would happen 10 months later at UFC 57, which was the biggest show in the company’s history to that point, and though it took a little longer, the outcome was ultimately the same. Couture looked to press forward and crowd the champion and Liddell was happy to fire off counters, circle out, and play the matador against the challenger.
Liddell hurt Couture late in the first, prompting “The Natural” to shoot for a takedown while opening him up above the left eye, and after a minute of circling each other to start the second, he cracked the advancing challenger with a counter right hand that spun him to the canvas in a heap. The fight was stopped and the series was over.
