ULTIMATE FIGHTING: LIDDELL HAS SPOTLIGHT HYPE STRONG FOR MMA REMATCH.

Byline: JAMES MELROY

Staff Writer

Turn to any form of sports media during the past week and it's likely you've seen Chuck Liddell.

Television? Check.

Radio? Check.

Magazines and newspapers? Check.

Liddell's rematch against Jackson has become, arguably, the most hyped mixed martial arts match, considering the amount of national coverage the sport has received. With that, Liddell not only has become the face of the organization for which he fights, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but the sport of mixed martial arts as a whole.

"Chuck Liddell can be the best MMA fighter ever," UFC president Dana White said. "Look at his record. He has fought everybody. He has fought people in Pride and UFC and is close to cleaning out the (205-pound, light heavyweight) division. ... He is a rare breed. Chuck Liddell is the fighter you think of when you think MMA."

Meanwhile, Jackson has been relegated to a supporting role.

He's mentioned in all the interviews as the man who last defeated Liddell, with snippets of their fight from November 2003 shown in the background.

Sure, the pundits have mentioned Jackson defeated Liddell in their first bout, but very few details are given. No mention that Jackson outpunched the man considered the most ferocious puncher in MMA. No mention of the vicious body shots Jackson buried deep into the ribs of Liddell, who was prone on his back as the final bell rang, signaling a technical knockout for the man known as "Rampage."

The most-talked-about angle for tonight's light heavyweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas is Liddell's quest to avenge the last of his three losses. Earlier setbacks to Randy Couture and Jeremy Horn already have been answered by Liddell with knockouts.

A poll on ESPN.com showed that, after more than 55,000 votes had been cast, 83 percent believe Liddell will emerge from the Octagon victorious.

Why such a disparity?

Two potential answers stand out immediately.

First, many of the new fans to MMA likely have seen just one Jackson fight, his UFC debut earlier this year against Marvin Eastman. Jackson won the bout via second-round knockout. Before that, Jackson had made his name with the Pride FC organization, which was based in Japan. His 26-6 record is hard to ignore, as is his charisma and confidence. After the Eastman fight, Jackson seemed to win a lot of new fans in the arena with his sense of humor and his respect for the sport. In fact, it seemed there were more cheers for Jackson during the interview than during the actual fight.

Second, it's hard to pick against a fighter on as hot of a streak as Liddell is on right now. He has won his past seven fights, all by knockout, and is the current light heavyweight champion. His last fight, on Dec. 30, 2006 against Tito Ortiz, set UFC pay-per-view (1.2 million buys) and live gate (just more than $5 million) records.

Both fighters appeared in top condition for Friday's weigh-ins. While the common prediction is a Liddell victory, another one is starting to gain steam: tonight's fight will not resemble the recent Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. boxing match, which left many feeling underwhelmed.

"I think these are the two fighters everybody wants to see," White said.

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Photo:

Chuck Liddell, right, was with Randy Couture at Spike TV's 2005 Video Game awards show.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Box:

UFC 71