It was perhaps Chuck Liddell’s toughest opponent yet, but not even Jeremy Horn—his credentials well-promoted—could escape the stabbing right hand of Chuck Liddell. After being rocked from a knockdown in round one and then again in round two and failing to get Liddell off his feet, a punch in round four caused him to lose clear vision and he told referee John McCarthy that he could fight no longer.
The main event of UFC 54 from the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas ended at two minutes and 46 seconds into the fourth round. Liddell’s record became 17-3. Two of his three losses, against Horn and Randy Couture, have since been avenged. After his victory, he asked UFC to grant him a match against the only other fighter to have defeated him, Quinton Jackson. Jackson, whose contract with PRIDE Fighting Championships will not be renewed, becomes a free agent next month. Gate and attendance numbers are not yet available but the arena was full.
The vast majority of Horn’s 17 minutes and 46 seconds in the octagon, in the main event of UFC 54, were a triumph of will, if not physical capability. He was rocked by a punch by Liddell in the first round. Horn defended himself well and was able to survive the onslaught. The same happened in round two and he was able to have such a successful third round that Eddie Bravo, at ringside, scored the round for Horn. What he was unable to do was take down Liddell, who kept the fight standing, and Horn was not able to execute his game plan of neutralizing Liddell with a submission, as was the finish of their first match, in 1999. Liddell’s conditioning, which was also thought to be a factor that would affect the outcome of the match, was never greatly tested, even with a match longer than three rounds.
Couture was also positioned as an underdog in his match with Mike Van Arsdale. Van Arsdale was slightly younger, a wrestler of similar caliber, and whose strengths seemed to be a combination for success against Couture. Instead, Couture submitted him in the third round.
Similarly, the most interesting match on the card was the fight between Georges St. Pierre vs. Frank Trigg. Both are very good fighters and have notable losses against Matt Hughes. Pierre scored an impressive victory by attacking Trigg aggressively on the offense and applied a rear naked choke for the submission.
Diego Sanchez, from the first season of the Ultimate Fighter series, made his PPV debut defeating Brian Gassaway with strikes.
1. James Irvin defeated Terry Martin by KO with a flying knee after nine seconds of round two (5:09).
2. Trevor Prangley defeated Travis Lutter by unanimous decision in three rounds (15:00).
3. Matt Lindland defeated Joe Doerksen by unanimous decision in three rounds (15:00).
4. Georges St. Pierre defeated Frank Trigg with a rear naked choke submission in 4:09 of the first round.
5. Diego Sanchez defeated Brian Gassaway by submission with strikes in 1:56 of the second round (6:56).
6. Randy Couture defeated Mike Van Arsdale by submission with a choke in 52 seconds of the third round (10:52).
7. Tim Sylvia defeated Tra Telligman with a kick to the head in 4:59 of the second round.
8. Chuck Liddell defeated Jeremy Horn by TKO in 2:46 of the fourth round (17:46).
