To say that the headlining rematch in the Ultimate Fighting Championship 57 is huge would be a grotesque understatement.
Gargantuan, monumental, legendary would inch a little closer to the truth of what is coming to Las Vegas. Without boxing gloves and almost barehanded, Chuck Liddell propelled to the light heavyweight championship last April with a right hook to the jaw, becoming the first man ever to knock out legendary fighter Randy Couture.
Just a year before, it was "The Natural" Couture who put down the TKO, pulling the plug on "The Iceman" Liddell in the third round of UFC 47. Now, arguably, the sport's two premier fighters square off for the third, and likely the last, time in The Octagon.
The sold-out bout has the dramatic story lines of professional wrestling without the soap opera backdrop and with the physical legitimacy of a top-notch street fight. Liddell has knocked out his last four opponents, which include Couture, a two-time heavyweight champion and a two-time light heavyweight champion who is the only fighter to have held both belts.
In a city that is synonymous with boxing as its signature sport, the UFC has stormed in with the same rage that it has inside the ring. The sport has distinguished itself from other fighting competitions by combining brutality with the tact of mixed martial arts, blending jujitsu, judo, karate, boxing, kickboxing and wrestling in aggressive, strategic attacks.
All questions are answered and all scores settled as these two unsurpassed pugilists shake the no-holds-barred slugfest.