-LIDDELL: TITO SHOULD FIGHT ME IF HE RETURNS
Thursday, May 27, 2010 - by Jeff Cain - MMAWeekly.com
We’ve known since the announcement that Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin headlines UFC 115 in Vancouver on June 12 that the third bout between Liddell a Tito Ortiz was off, but we didn’t know Liddell’s side of the story.
The former UFC light heavyweight titleholder was opposed to a third bout with his rival and against doing “The Ultimate Fighter 11: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz.”
“I was completely against it,” Liddell told MMAWeekly.com. “I told Dana (White) I don’t mind doing it if you think it’s going to be good for us or a good way for me to come back after some time off, but it made no sense for me to fight him.
“And I never thought he planned on fighting me anyway,” added the 40-year-old athlete. “I didn‘t think he would end up fighting me. I thought it would be what it ended up being.”
Even after the decision was made for him to coach the eleventh season of the Spike TV reality show, Liddell had his reservations and thought Forrest Griffin would have been a more suitable opponent and coach.
“My final argument with Dana was at least make it the winner of Forrest and Tito,” said Liddell. “I would have much rather done it with Forrest.
“They felt they could push something with Tito and they thought there might be more TV magic or chemistry on the show because we don’t like each other.”
He saw the signs that the two rivals wouldn’t end up fighting early in the filming of the show.
“The first week he started saying, ‘I’m not going to fight Chuck unless I’m 100 percent.’ I actually made a phone call to Dana and said it sounds like he’s already back peddling about fighting me. Is he going to fight me?
“He said, ’Oh we’ve got a signed contract. Don’t worry about it.’ Then a week later I hear from some of his guys on his team that he’s going to have surgery. Before he fights me he’s got to have neck surgery of something. I was like you’re kidding me. He’s already talking that he’s too hurt to fight me,” explained Liddell.
“I called Dana again and he assured me, no, it’s set. The fight is going to happen. Don’t worry about it.”
Liddell feels Tito owes him a fight. He thinks if Tito comes back from his injuries that he should have to fight him.
“I think because of the way it went down and what he did, I think if he wants to come back he should have to fight me,” stated the former champion. “If he comes back Dana should make him fight me his first fight back.
“I’ve put in my time on the show. I had to deal with him for that long. I had to put up with him, so now I should actually get the reward and get to actually punch him in the face.”
(article by mma weekly from mmmmmaweekly.com)
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