Remember that article a few days ago on MMA Memories talking about how UFC was about to go on a mega-money run of PPV events? All that needed to happen to set up the table was for Chuck Liddell to beat underdog Rashad Evans in the main event of UFC 88 in Atlanta.

Oops.

Evans, who was as big of an underdog in this main event as Forrest Griffin was two months ago against Quinton Jackson in Las Vegas, dismantled the 38-year old Chuck Liddell and silenced a hostile Atlanta crowd on Saturday night. The big question mark surrounding Liddell going into this fight was whether or not he had fully healed from his torn hamstring injury. Plus, Evans is trained by Greg Jackson, the same man who formulated the game plan for Keith Jardine to beat Chuck Liddell one year ago. In the end, it was great boxing skills and a good game plan that allowed Evans to finish off Liddell with a devastating knockout.

The win was not supposed to be this stunning. Evans was absolutely hated by the Atlanta crowd, which booed him lustily with the kind of ‘you suck’ heat that pro-wrestlers can only dream of getting. Liddell was clearly the main attraction here for these UFC Atlanta fans. What made the underdog status of Evans so unusual is that everyone believed the same thing that Dana White might have believed, which is that Liddell should ‘win’ this fight ‘easy’ and then face Griffin on 12/27 in Las Vegas. Instead, it is now Evans who will headline against Griffin at UFC 91 in Las Vegas for the Light Heavyweight title.

The big question coming out of Saturday’s show is just how much money UFC cost themselves by booking Evans vs. Liddell and imploding any chance of a mega-money fight between UFC’s two hottest stars in Liddell and Griffin (outside of Anderson Silva). The UFC 88 main event is also a painful reminder to UFC management that there are no gimme fights in a shoot environment and you can only control so many factors, especially when a guy you’re interested in seeing winning is an old 38. Evans is only 28 years old.

Lyoto Machida comes out of this scenario as the major loser. Evans jumps right in line for a title shot against Griffin, and Machida meanwhile has no opponent to face. Do you put him against Chuck Liddell? Unlikely. Do you put him against Rampage? Doubtful.

The one guy who UFC could pit Machida against is an old nemesis, Rich Franklin.

Franklin, fighting for the first time at 205 pounds since facing Ken Shamrock several years ago, punished Matt Hamill in a brutal contest. Clearly at 205 pounds, Rich is a force to be reckoned with and adds even more star power to UFC’s glamour division. The win was a big one, as Hamill proved that he didn’t have the talent to keep up with Franklin. The fans treated both men like stars, which was fascinating to watch. A re-match between Franklin and Machida makes sense on paper, as it would give Rich a real tough test and also give him a chance at revenge. The irony in booking such a fight is that Franklin fought Machida on NYE 2003 in Japan and it was that fight that was a bone of contention for UFC with Rich. It took a long time before the Franklin/UFC relationship was restored and repaired. If Machida is offered a re-match with Franklin, he should take it. He can win the fight and it’s a marketable bout.

As for the rest of the UFC card, the less said the better. The only other highlight was Nathan Marquardt giving Martin Kampmann the business by delivering some punishing knees and finishing off his opponent in relatively easy fashion. Kampmann was a sleeper pick that many hardcore fans liked going into this fight, but the difference in the levels of striking between the two men was clearly exposed here. Marquardt needs a couple more wins before he gets a crack at Anderson Silva, who destroyed Marquardt last year in Sacramento.

UFC 88 main card results:

- Rashad Evans def. Chuck Liddell (R2 1′51 KO)
- Rich Franklin def. Matt Hamill (R3 0′39 TKO)
- Dan Henderson def. Rousimar Palhares (unanimous decision)
- Nathan Marquardt def. Martin Kampmann (R1 1′22 TKO)
- Dong Hyun-Kim def. Matt Brown (split decision)
- Kurt Pellegrino def. Thiago Tavares (unanimous decision)