Chuck Liddell
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Charles David 'Chuck' Liddell (born December 17, 1969), also known as "The Iceman" is an American mixed martial artist who fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A former UFC light heavyweight champion, Liddell has an extensive background in kickboxing and collegiate wrestling. He is generally regarded as a stand-up fighter, relying primarily on his background in Kempo karate and Koei-Kan karate, while using his wrestling skills to defend against takedowns. He is also regarded as an unorthodox striker due to his relaxed hands down stance and the angles at which he throws punches.
Liddell holds notable wins over Guy Mezger, Kevin Randleman, Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz (twice), Renato Sobral (twice), Jeremy Horn, Murilo Bustamante, Alistair Overeem, Wanderlei Silva and Randy Couture (twice).
He is noted within the MMA community for his exceptional takedown defense and knockout ability.[1]
Liddell made his UFC debut in 1998 with a decision victory over Noe Hernandez. Despite a submission loss to Jeremy Horn shortly after, Liddell began establishing his reputation as a devastating striker with victories over Kevin Randleman, Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort, and Renato Sobral over the next few years.[3]
By 2002, Liddell was considered the number one contender for the UFC light heavyweight title, with growing popularity and support from fans. The UFC tried to arrange a title bout with then-champion Tito Ortiz, but Ortiz kept citing scheduling conflicts which frustrated the UFC brass.[citation needed] To force Ortiz's hand, they created an interim light heavyweight championship and matched Liddell with experienced wrestler and former heavyweight champion Randy Couture at UFC 43. Couture neutralized Liddell's hooks with straight punches and eventually began taking him down at will. Couture eventually gained full mount and forced a referee stoppage due to strikes.
After this defeat, Liddell entered the PRIDE 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix tournament as the official UFC representative. After defeating Alistair Overeem in the first round of the tournament, Liddell was eliminated in the next round by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, losing by technical knockout.
Returning to the UFC, Chuck was, once again, put in contention for the light heavyweight title, preparing for a match with former champion Tito Ortiz. The men had once trained together at the Pitfight Club and experienced a falling out that escalated as Ortiz taunted Liddell.[citation needed] The falling out stemmed from Ortiz's unwillingness to give Liddell a title fight, despite Liddell's status as a top contender in the UFC. Eventually, after Ortiz lost the title to Randy Couture, the two would meet in a highly anticipated fight at UFC 47 on April 2, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada. After most of the first round was spent feeling each other out, Liddell threw a few punches and a kick which was blocked by Ortiz, with Ortiz slapping himself on the head, taunting Liddell. When the round ended Ortiz pushed referee "Big" John McCarthy out of his way into Liddell and yelled while Liddell exchanged some words. Shortly after the second round started, Liddell threw a flurry of punches which knocked Ortiz down and led to a TKO victory. Tito has stated that Chuck's thumb made contact with one of his eyes, causing him to momentarily see "nothing but black".[citation needed] Since UFC 47, the bad blood between both fighters remained, with Ortiz repeatedly stating that he wanted "his" belt back. Despite the tension, Ortiz and Liddell would not fight.
Liddell next faced Vernon White at UFC 49 and won by knockout at 4:05 of the very first round.
Winning the Title
In a very much hyped-up battle for the second time, Liddell faced Randy Couture for the UFC light-heavyweight title next at at UFC 52 and won by knockout at 2:06 of the first round. He successfully undertook his first title defense and avenged his first loss all in the same fight when he defeated Jeremy Horn at UFC 54. Liddell faced Randy Couture for the third and final time in a rubber match at UFC 57, this time defending his title, and won by knockout at 1:38 of the first round.
Liddell fought Renato Sobral for the second time at UFC 62 and defeated 'Babalu' by TKO at 1:35 of the first round. Liddell faced Tito Ortiz -- also for the second time, incidentally -- at UFC 66 to defend his title. He defeated Ortiz by TKO at 3:59 of the third round.
Losing the Title: Beginning of the End
Chuck Liddell faced Quinton Jackson for the second time at UFC 71, looking to avenge his earlier brutal TKO loss in 2003. Instead, Jackson defeated Liddell by TKO at 1:53 of the first round and started the downfall that would eventually end in Liddell's retirement from mixed martial arts.
A discouraged Liddell faced The Ultimate Fighter alumni Keith Jardine at UFC 76 and was brutalized by Jardine's leg kicks. Liddell lost the unanimous decision to Jardine and sank still lower.
One of the most hyped-up matches in UFC history occurred at UFC 79 as Liddell and 'The Axe Murderer' Wanderlei Silva faced off. After an exciting matchup in which both men drew blood, Liddell won the unanimous decision. Things were looking up for Liddell.
The loss to Evans
Liddell faced The Ultimate Fighter alumni and up-and-coming striker Rashad Evans for the light-heavyweight number-one contendership at UFC 88. Evans pulled off the upset victory by defeating Liddell by knockout at 1:51 of the first round.
Liddell's last MMA fight was against famed Mauricio Rua also known as Shogun at UFC 97. Rua defeated Liddell by TKO at 4:28 of the first round and Dana White forced Liddell to subsequently retire 'for his own safety'.
MMA record
| 28 matches | 21 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 15 | 5 |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| By decision | 7 | 1 |
| Draws | 0 | |
Gallery
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