The on again, off again dream match up between former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and former PRIDE FC middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva could be on again at UFC 79 on December 29, according to John Hackleman via FightNetwork.com.
Here's the snip:
"We thought [the next fight for Chuck] was going to be Shogun, but now instead of saying ‘no' to Wanderlei [Silva], they're saying maybe.... We've wanted Wanderlei all along. When I told Chuck [it was still a possibility], he was almost as excited about it as when he found out he was fighting Tito [Ortiz]."
Hackleman -- the long-time trainer for the "Iceman" -- mentioned that Liddell has already resumed training less than two weeks after his upset split-decision loss to Keith Jardine at UFC 76: "Knockout." It was an outcome that seemed to derail the 205-pound clash between him and "The Axe Murderer" once and for all.
Fortunately that's not the case now that Shogun is on the shelf because of surgery to a knee that he injured prior to his losing performance against Forrest Griffin.
In addition, Silva expressed an interest in fighting Griffin after he dismantled his friend and former ChuteBox training partner. However, Griffin sustained a serious facial gash from a well-placed Shogun elbow during the fight that will most likely not be healed in time for the New Year's Eve weekend event.
And even if Shogun and Griffin were healthy this is most likely the last opportunity to pit Liddell and Silva against one another. Why mess that up ... again?
Even though it may have lost its luster a bit with both Liddell and Silva coming of back-to-back losses it is still an extremely marketable fight. Especially in Las Vegas.
Put simply, most fans have waited years to see it and still want to see it.
It would be a fine addition to card that is shaping up nicely with two title fights and a number one contender heavyweight eliminator bout.
Let's just hope that if Liddell-Silva does happen that it makes the pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast (sarcasm).
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