What were Sherdog’s thoughts going into Chuck vs Franklin?

[TheSpider]

Was the consensus that the naturally bigger Chuck was gonna KO the smaller Ace? Were there people predicting that Ace was gonna give Chuck his 3rd straight KO loss?

 

[axe wound]

Chuck was already a shadow then and Franklin was fading so nothing was gonna be a surprise really. Tell me you haven't waited 10 years to ask this question?

 

[Reach4theSky]

I remember it was 'Chuck is done, he should retire' type of vibe..

BTW props to Rich for fighting with a broken arm in that fight, and throwing with it.

Fckin warrior..

 

[BabyBlue_Bomber]

I honestly thought Franklin was going to batter Liddell...

I was surprised at how good Liddell looked in the first round.

 

[BabyBlue_Bomber]

I remember it was 'Chuck is done, he should retire' type of vibe..

BTW props to Rich for fighting with a broken arm in that fight, and throwing with it.

Fckin warrior..

He did the same thing against Loiseau...

Broke his left hand in the 2nd round and kept throwing it for 3 more rounds...

 

[SeattleFightFan]

I honestly thought Franklin was going to batter Liddell...

I was surprised at how good Liddell looked in the first round.

I think this was the majority opinion both before and after. Liddell was more well known / had a bigger fan base, but that didn't necessarily mean more people thought he'd win.

Odds were about even though. https://www.bestfightodds.com/events/ufc-115-liddell-vs-franklin-255

 

[J0N0]

That fight was about the best Chuck ever looked, but everyone knew his chin was totally shot and so it proved.

 

[kimocomplex]

I remember alot of people saying stuff like "well they are feeding Franklin to the bigger Chuck so he can get a win"

 

[Adamant]

I considered it a dream fight. Yeah, a number of years too late, but I was still happy to get it.

 

[BabyBlue_Bomber]

I remember alot of people saying stuff like "well they are feeding Franklin to the bigger Chuck so he can get a win"

Franklin was a late replacement, so I can understand why people might have favored Liddell...

But Franklin beat Hammill at 205 and I had him beating Henderson as well.

 

[MCS]

That Chuck was done, but this was still a winnable fight as Franklin doesn't have big KO power and is a (albeit massive) MW. Chuck was a pretty big LHW. IIRC, that is. I picked Chuck. Chuck's chin was way gone.

 

[Uber_Noober]

I thought this was Chuck's last stand and he would win, when Rich threw the death punch I was like


followed by



finally acceptance

 

[Schoolboy Q]

Franklin was a late replacement, so I can understand why people might have favored Liddell...

But Franklin beat Hammill at 205 and I had him beating Henderson as well.

Wasn’t Chuck originally supposed to fight Tito? It’s been a long time.

 

[HereticBD]

I believe people still had faith in Chuck up until he got slept in this fight. His last moment of relevance, you might say.

 

[BabyBlue_Bomber]

Wasn’t Chuck originally supposed to fight Tito? It’s been a long time.

Yup.

It was the Coaches fight for their season of the TUF...

I think Franklin was trying to make another run at 185 before Ortiz had to pull out.

 

[gspieler]

Wasn’t Chuck originally supposed to fight Tito? It’s been a long time.

Yeah, Tito backed out of the trilogy due to a neck injury IIRC.

To answer the OP, everyone knew Chuck's chin was gone, but was also still dangerous. It was known that Rich had seen his best days. I think most, including myself, considered it a coin flip.

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

Plowing towards the door at Chuck vs Reshad in Atlanta, my party looks at another party and we all just agree, “Chuck is done”

 

[cade187]

I feel like most people thought Chuck was washed, but it’s been so long that it’s hard to say.

 

[Pizza Werewolf]

I figured it could go either way based on where they were in their careers at the time.
Didnt expect Franklin to win by straight KO tho.

 

[Sweater of AV]