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CHUCK LIDDELL
PART 6
The Iceman Addresses
Global Warming  Dana White preparing the crowd for Liddell vs Couture III
Page 2 - Part
6 - 10
© Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges When tickets to Liddell vs Couture III at the MGM went on sale, they sold out in less than a week. Asked if this bout would be the biggest in UFC history thus far, defending Light-Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell replied: "I think it’s going to be – yes." This mad scramble for seats to watch two of the Octagon’s most popular gladiators is also an indication of how rapidly their sport of mixed martial arts is growing. And there are no harder-working advocates for MMA than Chuck and Randy. The pair continue to take their sport to new heights of public awareness and acceptance. And through their efforts there has been a global warming towards mixed martial arts. Liddell says he is happy with the growth in UFC’s popularity. "Yeah, I’m really happy. There’s a much more diverse sector of the community that is now aware of our sport, and aware of who we are. I think it’s great." Perhaps the real seal of approval for any major event is indicated when high-profile celebrities start showing up. And there has been no shortage of celebs at Octagon-side. Some ‘faces’ in the crowd have included Cindy Crawford, Michael-Clarke Duncan, Pamela Anderson, Shaq O’Neill, and Ice-T. At UFC 56, Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones was in attendance. Liddell admits you wouldn’t have seen someone from such rock royalty at a UFC fight, say five years ago. "No. And actually, I got him in there. He had a show the night before, and one of his bodyguards is a friend of mine, and he called me to say Ron wanted to go to the UFC. I hooked him up to go. I talked to him afterwards and we hung out a little bit. It was pretty cool." On February 4, 2006, Chuck and Randy go to war to decide who is the undisputed UFC Light-Heavyweight World Champion. These men are presently one apiece. At UFC 43: Meltdown (June 6, 2003), Couture defeated Liddell by TKO, 2.39 into round three. At Couture vs Liddell II (May 16, 2005), Chuck took revenge against Randy by KO - just 2.06 into round one.
Prior to Chuck’s win over Randy, Liddell told knucklepit (Chuck Liddell Part 1): "The thing Randy has going for him is the fact that he is not afraid to get hit." However, Chuck believes Randy could be more apprehensive at their next meeting. "I think he’s going to be a little gun-shy. I think that could be a problem – unless he got over it in training. But he looked a little gun-shy in his last fight. That was against someone (Mike Van Arsdale) who’s not much of a striker, but more of a wrestler." Couture is an athlete known for his outstanding takedowns and wrestling ability. So it is expected he will want to shoot in and fight Liddell on the ground. And after knocking Couture out in their last match, Liddell believes this will have an effect on Randy in their next battle. "It will do one of two things: It will either make him stay way out, or come in hard. I think I’ll be able to catch him on his way in." Chuck, could fight fans look back on your trilogy with Randy in the same way as, say the Ali vs Frazier fights? "I think so…I mean we’re the biggest names in our sport." Your first and second fights were entirely different. Will Liddell vs Couture III be a completely different chapter again? "I believe it will be. I think he’s going to come out differently, and make it harder for me to catch him. But ultimately, I think it’s going to be the same result as last time. I mean, I’m in great shape, I’m just healthy…" You recently had an acting part in the movie The Death and Life of Bobby Z; was that a big role? "I had a decent part at the beginning…I get killed early, but there are flashbacks to me. I get quite a few lines in it and I’m in a fight scene early on. I play the part of a white supremacist in the pen. It was filmed in Mexico and should be out around the end of August."
On the day of a fight, how long before your bout do you leave for the arena? "I don’t come down till about 6.30pm – after the first couple of fights. If there’s a specific fight I want to see, I’ll come down earlier." Do you have a set routine you go through before your fight? "I watch a few of the fights. I get a little warm-up going, and then I stretch out a bit…" Do you get nerves - or are you past that? "No, I don’t get nerves. I’m relaxed. I worked really hard to get there. My whole thing is - I’ve done all my training, working and stuff. By the time I go out there, there’s nothing left for me to do. And nothing for me to get nervous about. There’s nothing you can change now. Whatever you’ve done, you’ve done. You’re ready to go. You’ve got to go out there and perform – that’s all. "Being nervous, all that does is hinder your performance. So why bother?" This will probably be the loudest crowd ever. When you hear that roar, does it affect you? "It’s loud, and it’s fun when you come out, but when I’m in there, I can hear my corner fine." Do you get a buzz out of it? "Yeah, coming out, I do. I know it’s time to fight, so…" Will John Hackleman be in your corner? "He’s my main corner guy. Scott Adams, John Lewis, and my brother Dan will be there too. You get four corner guys for a championship fight, so my brother gets to come in." Chuck, how are you going to win this fight? "It’ll be by knockout. I’m going to knock him out sooner or later. I’ll catch him sooner or later, toe-to-toe." Is there anything you’d like to add? "I’d like to say hello to my fans and I’ll try to make it an exciting night for them." Your sponsors? "Xyience, Cobb 28, Tap Out, and Sinister Clothing."
For more on Chuck Liddell: www.chuckliddell.com. For more on UFC 57: www.ufc.tv.
CHUCK LIDDELL
It's midday, June 23, 2006,
and the day is just beginning for UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion, Chuck
'The Iceman' Liddell.
You visited Cage
Rage in the UK with Dana White. Was that to help promote ultimate fighting
internationally?
CHUCK
LIDDELL “I
Always Fight Whoever
©
Marc Wickert All
photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC It’s Friday afternoon, and ‘The Iceman’ is in Vegas, chilling out with his friend, Scott Lighty, who will be competing at tomorrow’s K-1 event. Chuck has also been busy training for his own match on August 26, when he defends his title against the highly accomplished Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral at UFC 62. The pair previously clashed at UFC 40: Vendetta, on November 22, 2002, where the fight came to an abrupt halt after Chuck KO’d Babalu with a head kick. At UFC 61, PRIDE’s Wanderlei Silva was in attendance again, as he was at UFC 49 when he challenged Randy Couture. However, Chuck is sceptical of these challenges. “They announce I’m going to fight him maybe in November. It’s all maybe, maybe, maybe. He’s been at the UFCs before, and they talk about it back and forth. But I don’t have any real confidence in it happening until he signs the contract,” says Liddell. “I think Randy would have beaten him anyway. But I don’t think it would have been as exciting a fight as Wanderlei fighting me. I think Randy would have just taken him down and beat him up. Wanderlei and I would be a great fight: We’d stand there and strike. “But honestly, I think it’s just a way for PRIDE to get exposure. Someone said he was Yahoo’s sixth most searched guy the day after that fight because everyone wanted to figure out who he was. MMA hard-core fans know him, but in the US, not everybody knows who he is.” For now, Chuck says he’s just looking forward to the Babalu fight. “Oh, very much so. I can’t wait. I’m ready to go, I’m in shape, and everything’s good.” Although The Iceman defeated Renato before, Sobral has won his last 10 fights since then. And many fight fans are expecting him to be a different opponent this time. Chuck doesn’t entirely agree. “Well I don’t see him as being different. He’s better at different things, but he’s the same guy, same style… He’s not easy to knock out. That was not an easy knockout. Everyone thinks because it was the first round it was easy. But I kick really hard and he’d never been knocked out before, and never since. I don’t think he’s even been hurt since, so… It’s one of those things. He’s got a hard head and he can take a shot. It’s not like one easy shot and he’s out. I’m going to have to wear him down and beat him down - and then knock him out.”
Chuck,
Babalu’s kicking techniques seem to have improved. Do you think his
stand-up game will be a threat to you? “He’s always had a decent stand-up, but I think I’m better at stand-up than he is. The fact that he can strike is what made him a great fighter. He can stand and he has jiu jitsu.” He’s
beaten some respected ground fighters, on the ground (eg. Trevor Prangley,
Mauricio Rua, and Jeremy Horn all on the one night). Is that of concern to
you? “Not really. Not that I intend being down there.” And
if it should go there, you’ve got a ground game that a lot of people
haven’t seen. “I’ve been working it for a long time. I’ve worked really hard on my ground game and I’m decent at it. It’s just not a place where I’m good at finishing fights. That’s why I don’t choose to be there.” Do
you expect to be locking horns with Branden Vera down the track? “Maybe. I don’t know. I mean, I think he’s got a ways to go before he deserves a shot. But if he keeps winning, and fighting on, and training hard…yeah, down the road. He keeps talking about it, but at this point, I think he’s getting a little ahead of himself. At some point, if he keeps training… He’s got some talent. Maybe he could be a fight down the road.” So
you’ll accommodate him then? “I’ll do it tomorrow. If they think it’s something they can sell tomorrow, I’m good to go. I always fight whoever they think deserves a shot.” What
about Tito: Does that look like happening? “It looks like happening. It looks good and I think it’s just a question of whether he’s got the balls. I know he’s afraid of me. Or maybe they’ve got enough money to get him in the ring (laughs). Maybe he thinks he’s gotten that much better… I don’t know.” Also
on this month’s card is the Forrest vs Stephan bout. What does it feel
like knowing everybody’s queuing up for a shot at your belt? “That’s
great. That’s what they should be training for. That’s what we fight
each other for – to determine who’s the best.” How
did you go in the Fox Sports Best Damn Badass Poll? “I
took second. People were complaining; they thought they were using some kind
of box to do the voting. It was kinda funny. If you looked at it on the
beginning of the last day, Cro Cop and I were about even. And then at the
end of the last day, about a hundred thousand more votes were taken, and he
got about ninety thousand of them. All of a sudden, everybody liked him and
not me. “But
it was one of those fun things: It was a poll, it was funny, it was cool…
whatever. But I thought it was cool that MMA names took the top two spots
over football, baseball and hockey players.” Chuck,
is there anything you’d like to add? “Just
like always: Watch the fight. It’s going to be fun.” Your
sponsors? “Xyience, Cobb 28, Tapout, and Sinister Clothing.”
For more on Chuck Liddell: www.iceman.tv, For more on UFC 62: www.ufc.tv.
CHUCK
LIDDELL The New Ice Age
©
Marc Wickert All
photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC On
September 22, 2007, UFC’s most recognizable athlete, Chuck ‘The
Iceman’ Liddell, will be taking his first step towards reclaiming the
light-heavyweight title when he locks horns with another heavy hitter, Keith
Jardine (12-4-1). At
the time of this interview, Chuck is resting at home in San Luis Obispo,
California, with his focus set on this crucial upcoming battle at UFC 76.
“I just got done with my second workout and I have one to go. We did
running and wrestling this morning, and this afternoon we did sparring;
I’ve got conditioning and stuff tonight,” says Liddell. Chuck
won his last seven matches before losing the light-heavyweight title to
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 71, and he now looks forward to
redeeming the belt, saying he doesn’t think any particular part of his
game let him down against Jackson. “No,
I thought everything was going well. I just made a mistake and got caught.
It happens. I was real happy with the job I was doing. I had things I was
going to do, and I was frustrating him early – moving around – and he
just happened to catch me before I got a chance to catch him.” Now
Chuck is looking to run over Keith Jardine like a runaway polar express,
after The Iceman’s long awaited showdown with the former PRIDE
middleweight champion, Wanderlei Silva, was postponed because Silva
announced he needed more time for preparation, which resulted in Jardine
putting his hand up to take on Liddell. Chuck,
what has John Hackleman been saying to you about your bout with Rampage? “
Not much. He’s been going over some things with me, and saying to be real
careful with my technique. But what I did was something he’d been telling
me not to do for a long time.” Will you and John now go back to the drawing board and work out a strategy for you to get your title back? “We
started working at it a week after that fight.” Do you have a strength and fitness coach these days or do you take care of that yourself? “John
takes care of most of that: We do it together.” Have
you been on the David Letterman show yet? “Yes;
it went great and I had a good time.” Your
being on the show would have been good publicity for MMA, wouldn’t it? “Yeah,
it’s good to be taken seriously on those shows, and now days we’re being
covered by everybody – we’re on all the stations.” What
did you think of the Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop fight? “I thought it was a great fight – fun to watch.”
I
know you don’t like to make predictions, but do you think the Randy
Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga match could go either way? “I
think it could and it will be interesting to see how it does go.” Do
you have any interest in the heavyweight category? “Right
now, not really. But if it comes up, it comes up. It depends on what
happens, but I’ve got to get the title back at my weight class. Then we
can talk about the heavyweight.” When you fought Tito at UFC 66, you seemed to start out with a wide, shallow stance. Is that stance part of your strategy to avoid offering a lead leg for the takedown? “Yeah,
it is.” When you seem confident of blasting your opponent away, you then adopt a longer, more dominant stance: Is that the case? “As
I get them backing up more, it allows me to use more power. But as I get
them backing up, they can’t really take a shot while they’re retreating.
And once I remind them that I hit hard, and that they have to watch out for
it, that enables me to step forward and get better shots off.” You’ve lost fights in the past and always come back better than ever; can fans look forward to a new Ice Age coming? “I
hope so – we’re working on it and I’m in great shape and getting down
to business, so things should be good. It’s what you have to do: Either
that or retire, and I’m nowhere near retiring.” Do you believe when a fighter loses his belt that he should have first option to challenge the new titleholder, or do you think it’s good for a former champion to have more time to mount the counter-challenge? “I
think they already had something set, and I’m not arguing – I’m sure
it’s not going to take me long to get a title shot, so I’m not too
worried about it.” Keith
Jardine was happy to stand with Forrest Griffin. Will he be prepared to
stand with you? “I
think he’s planning to stand with me and I’m not going to give him much
choice. I don’t see him as too much of a takedown threat, so I don’t
believe he’ll have too much choice.” Do
you expect him to be a little gun-shy after his match with Houston
Alexander? “I’m
not sure: Everybody reacts differently to things like that.” Sponsors? “Cobb 28, Tapout, and Sinister Clothing.”
For
more on Chuck Liddell: www.iceman.tv
and www.mmajacked.com. For
more on UFC 76: Knockout –
www.ufc.tv.
CHUCK
LIDDELL
©
Marc Wickert All
photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC On December 29, 2007, Chuck ‘Iceman’ Liddell will be going to battle with Wanderlei ‘The Axe Murderer’ Silva. And this war has been a long time coming. For Wanderlei Silva, it will be his first UFC fight since UFC 25, when he lost to Tito Ortiz by unanimous decision on April 14, 2000. But there have been plenty of victories in Wanderlei’s 31-7-1 career, with his most recent bouts fought at Japan’s PRIDE FC. And the Iceman is no stranger to the Octagon, having first competed at UFC 17: Redemption, when he won a decision over Noe Hernandez after competing in a gruelling single round, 12-minute bout on May 15, 1998. With UFC 79: Nemesis being held on the eve of New Year’s Eve, both men will have to take it easy with the eggnog on Christmas day, but Chuck may also have to postpone his 38th birthday celebrations (Dec. 17) until after the fight. And if all goes to plan for Liddell, a win against Wanderlei will just be more icing on the Iceman’s cake. But right now, it’s December 14, and Chuck is resting at home. “I just got back from a workout and I’m hanging out at the house. I did swimming and sparring, and I’m doing wrestling and conditioning later on tonight,” says Liddell. Things seem to be going to plan for Chuck, who admits he’s thus far pleased with his preparation. “Yeah, real happy. I feel a lot sharper than I have in a long time and I’m looking forward to getting back on track - winning. It’s a fight I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.” Chuck,
is there anything you’ll be focusing on specifically for
Wanderlei? “Just the way I train for all opponents. We match up well together and it should be an exciting fight for the fans. I fight the way he likes people to fight and he fights the way I like people to fight. It should be a good clash.” Were
you disappointed that the split decision with Keith Jardine
went against you? “I think I left it too close to really complain about it. I think I was off that night, and with the performance I gave, I don’t think I could complain about the decision.” I
believe there’s been talk from UFC that you’ve been
living the lifestyle of a rock star. Is there any truth to
that? “I don’t know what they’re talking about or what they consider… I’ve been training just as hard for every fight. I stay home for three months when I’m training. I don’t know if there’s a motivation for their saying that, but things happen. I was off that night a little bit, but I don’t think it has anything to do with my training, and they’re always going to make excuses. But when you’re winning, nobody says anything.”
Are
you mainly working with John Hackleman for this upcoming
fight? “Yep.” You
and Wanderlei are both coming off back-to-back losses and
it’s not a title fight. Are you surprised that the fans
are treating it as though it were a title fight? “I think fans have been waiting for this fight for a long time, and obviously it would be nicer for it to happen when we both have titles, but they’ve still been waiting for it to happen between the two fighters for quite a while.” It
should be a great match either way. “Yeah, I think so.” Do
you believe Wanderlei will be out to prove a point for his
UFC return? “I’m sure he will be, and he’ll be going out there to win, as he should. I’ll be trying to prove that same point: that I’m better than he is.” If
you win this fight, will it place you in good standing for a
challenge to recapture your belt? “I think so. The winner of this fight should be right back in the mix.” Apparently
there’s been talk on the net that the tests for illegal
substances are more stringent for UFC fighters than for
fighters at other organizations, and that some of the
athletes coming from other organizations haven’t been up
to expectations when they’ve competed in the UFC. Can you
comment on that? “I don’t think it has anything to do with tests – I think it has more to do with talent, and the best guys should win.” So
you don’t think it has anything to do with other fighters
being on “the juice”? “I don’t know, and I don’t know any of them personally… That’s not my area of expertise either.” You’ve
fought a lot of five 5-minute rounds. Will the three-round
fight suit you against Wanderlei? “I don’t think it’s going to make it through three anyway.”
What
do you expect Wanderlei’s strengths to be? “What they always are: aggressive attitude, heavy hands, and heavy knees. I think they’re his strengths.” You’re
both known as strikers. Can you see a possibility of the
fight being won by a submission, or is that out of the
question? “Nothing’s ever out of the question. He goes after arm bars and I’ll go after a choke if it’s there, but for the most part, I think this is going to end by someone hitting the other one.” What
do you see as being your strengths? “Obviously I have heavy power in both hands and I’m good when people come after me. I like to counterfight.” Chuck
Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, and Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt
Hughes; what do you think of these matches for the UFC to
end the year? “I think it’s a strong one, and I believe Matt Hughes vs. Georges St-Pierre is going to be a better fight than Serra vs. Hughes, because I feel Matt Serra doesn’t match up as well with Matt Hughes, and I think he would have a lot of trouble keeping Hughes from taking him down.” I
read you’ll be having your usual after-fight party for
Iceman fans. Where is it being held? “At Studio 54 in MGM, Las Vegas.” Will
it flow over into the New Year’s Eve celebrations or will
you be having a siesta between parties? “No, I go home for New Year's. There’s less crowd and it’s more relaxed. People go crazy on New Year's.” Sponsors? “Tapout and Sinister Clothing.” Chuck,
is there anything you’d like to add? “Not really, man. Just come on out and watch this fight. It should be a good show.”
For more on Chuck Liddell: www.iceman.tv and www.mmajacked.com To attend the Iceman’s after-fight party call 702 891 7279. For more on UFC 79: Nemesis www.ufc.tv.
Chuck Liddell
Las Vegas (Aug 24, 2006) -
Multi-award winning artist Richard T. Slone has ACCLAIMED
ARTIST PUTS UFC STAR CHUCK LIDDELL ON THE CANVAS
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