Chuck Liddell to Face Rashad Evans at UFC 88

According to ESPN The Magazine, Chuck Liddell's mystery opponent at UFC 88 will be none other than Rashad Evans.

If you remember, these two were originally supposed to fight at UFC 85, but Liddell ended up pulling himself off the card after sustaining a hamstring injury. This was after Rashad Evans took the place of Mauricio Rua in the main event, who was forced to withdraw himself after being required to undergo knee surgery.

There were some rumors circulating the MMA world that the UFC was hoping to have Anderson "Spider" Silva move up to light heavyweight, to fight Liddell in the UFC 88 main event. The thought process was that the UFC was planning something spectacular because this is the first UFC event that will be held in Atlanta, Georgia. In the end though, Liddell will be taking on Evans, and Silva will likely be fighting on the card as well, possibly against Yushin Okami.

Chuck "Iceman" Liddell currently has a professional MMA record of 21-5-0, with 13 of his victories coming via knockout. After two less-than-stellar performances at UFC 71 (knockout loss to Quinton Jackson) and UFC 76 (split decision loss to Keith Jardine), Liddell re-established himself as a force in the light heavyweight division by slugging his way to a unanimous decision victory against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79 - Nemesis. Liddell has seemingly re-dedicated himself to the sport, and a victory over Evans at UFC 88 would likely put Liddell back into the discussions for a shot at the light heavyweight title.

As mentioned, Rashad "Sugar" Evans is undefeated, sporting a career mixed martial arts record of 11-0-1. The lone "blemish" on his resume was a controversial draw against Tito Ortiz at UFC 73 - Stacked. Other than that, Evans has won every fight in his career, including victories over Michael Bisping, Stephan Bonnar and Jason Lambert. Evans first made a name for himself after defeating Brad Imes in the Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale. "Sugar" has been struggling to win over hardcore MMA fans, but a victory against Liddell at UFC 88 would go a long ways towards earning the respect of these fans.

There is plenty on the line for both Liddell and Evans in this match-up, the very least of which is a likely shot at the light heavyweight title.

Source: ESPN The Magazine