It's the morning after Quinton "Rampage" Jackson knocked out Chuck Liddell, the Ultimate Fighting Championship's biggest star, and it's time to ask: What does UFC do now?Is there another star UFC can build marketing campaigns around? Can UFC go forward with Liddell as its marquee attraction, even though he turns 38 this year and is now 0-2 against Jackson? Did the first-time fans who bought last night's pay per view think they got their money's worth?
Liddell can't be the main man anymore. He's well past his athletic prime, and he lost some credibility with the fans last night. The key for UFC will be finding a fighter who captures the public's imagination. The winner of the Jackson-Dan Henderson fight will have a chance to be that fighter, but it's more likely to be Karo Parisyan, who won a unanimous decision on last night's undercard.
More likely still is a fighter no one is expecting will burst onto the scene and take UFC by storm. I don't think there will be another UFC fight in 2007 that matches the hype for last night's, but if UFC finds a major attraction and plays its cards right, it could get even bigger in 2008.
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