by John Morgan on Jan 26, 2010 at 12:00 am ET
LAS VEGAS – Former UFC champion and MMA legend Chuck Liddell (21-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) understands that his back is against the wall.
After a stretch of four losses in five fights, Liddell's longtime friend and current boss, UFC president Dana White, doesn't want to see the "Iceman" in the cage again.
But with a rematch with fellow "The Ultimate Fighter 11" coach Tito Ortiz on the horizon, Liddell has his sights set on one more run at the title. And along the way, he hopes to prove all of his doubters – including White – wrong about what he's got left in the tank.
"I don't think I have anything to prove, but I would like to prove [White] wrong," Liddell told MMAjunkie.com at Monday's "TUF 11" media day. "I'm not too old. I can still fight."
"It is what it is. I'll keep arguing, and [White] will keep arguing with me. It doesn't matter. I've just got to show him I can perform. If I perform, he'll keep letting me fight."
"It's hard when you dominated for so long"
White's concerns are understandable. Three of Liddell's four recent losses came via brutal knockouts or TKO's. Even Liddell said he understands why everyone seems to want to discuss his remaining viability as a fighter.
But Liddell also believes the will of the fans is an ever-changing opinion.
"I understand," Liddell said. "It's hard when you dominated for so long. I lost four of my last five.
"The funny thing with fans is I lost two, then I fought Wanderlei (Silva). Great fight, and everybody was like, 'Oh, you're back.' Then if that punch is one more inch off, and Rashad (Evans) doesn't beat me, I probably win that fight easy, and I probably would have got a title shot."
The 40-year-old said he believes his current position is really no different than when Randy Couture elected to retire after suffering the second of two knockouts in a three-fight span – both of which were issued by Liddell, himself.
"Randy, they were glad he retired after I knocked him out twice," Liddell said. "He had never been knocked out in his career. I knocked him dead the second time, and everyone went, 'Oh, it's over. He's done. He's too old now.'
"He came back, and he's still fighting. He won the heavyweight title. I just needed some time off."
Liddell has taken that time off and remained on the sidelines since an April 2009 TKO loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. The near-12-year-veteran said during the break he has stopped partying, focused on conditioning and avoided any contact to his head.
"I'm doing a lot of training," Liddell said. "I still go out sometimes and hang out, but I haven't been drinking. I'm watching what I eat more and training more consistent. I'm going to be training from now until whenever [Ortiz and I] fight.
"I miss fighting. I miss competing. I miss sparring, too. I was giving my head a rest for a year, and I wouldn't let people hit me. I might not make it all the way to a year. I might have to spar with some of these [contestants on 'TUF 11']. But I feel good. I just felt I was getting hurt by stuff that normally wouldn't hurt me."
Back to basics
In addition to the rest Liddell has enjoyed for the past nine months, he said he's also focused himself on refining the techniques that contributed to his recent failures.
"After I lost to Rashad, people acted like I went out there and got my ass kicked for 10 minutes and got knocked out," Liddell said. "I was winning the fight when I got caught. It happens. Now I'm working on some stuff and cleaning up some holes that maybe over the years have gotten bigger – just not paying attention to details.
"I've cleaned up some stuff, so hopefully there won't be as many openings for people. This style of fighting, there's always something that can happen. But I've made a lot of those holes a lot smaller and harder to get into."
Liddell said the losses have been disappointing, but he refuses to let it affect his aggressive style in the cage. Instead, Liddell believes he simply needs to go back to the approach that worked best for him before.
"It always bugs me when I lose, but you have to bounce back," Liddell said. "You can't worry about it. If you're worried about it, it's just going to cause you problems. You're going to start fighting not to lose and fighting real conservative, and that's not my style of fighting. I'm not going to sit there and just try and eek out a win. I'm going to go out there and try to finish the guy.
"I plan on getting back to mixing [striking and wrestling] together a little more, keeping people off-balance so they can't just relax and not worry about me hitting a double."
"I'm going to be really ready to put my fist in his mouth"
As for an upcoming fight with Ortiz, Liddell said he has little to gain by defeating a man whom he's already soundly beaten on two separate occasions. That said, he believes the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" is the perfect foe.
"I knocked him out twice already, so in that way, it's not a big deal," Liddell said. "But [the trash talk] has already started. I have no problem getting up to fight him. He's starting to jaw a little bit, and it's already started going. By the time this season's over, I'm going to be really ready to put my fist in his mouth – if I don't do it before the end of the season.
"I never have to get motivated to fight. I love fighting. But training is always where you need the extra help to get motivated. We did one interview together today, and I'm already getting pumped up about punching him in the mouth."
White has openly admitted he didn't really want to give Liddell another fight. But the UFC exec laid out a plan for Liddell to follow, and when the aging fighter did, White had little choice but to live up to his end of the bargain.
But while White has said he hopes Liddell's comeback is a one-and-done affair, the man ultimately responsible for making the decision has a far different idea.
"At this point, I'd like another fight after (Ortiz)," Liddell said. "Hopefully Dana's happy with me if I get two wins, and I'd like a shot at a contender and then a shot at the the title. That's four fights.
"That's about as far forward as I've thought. But that's what I'd like to do."
"I have to go out on my own"
Ultimately, the potential for Liddell to regain the title he once defended in four-consecutive outings is highly debatable. But for Liddell, one of the most popular and well-respected fighters mixed martial arts has ever seen, it's important for him to answer the bell for the final time on his own terms.
"For me, as a fighter, I have to go out on my own – the way I want to go out," Liddell said. "It has to be my decision. I can't let somebody make that decision for me.
"I'm not going to let fans or people that aren't that close to me – don't watch me train, don't see what I can still do – I'm not going to let them make that decision for me."
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Chuck Liddell is one of Kekai MMA's favorite MMA legends. Why? Well, we're from San Luis Obispo, so there's that, but because he's a pioneer in the sport and one of the most humble, nice guys that did not let fame and money change him. Plus....he'll punch you one time in the dome and you'll wake up thinking your mom is your girlfriend. Visit Chuck Liddell's website here.
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After a stretch of four losses in five fights, Liddell's longtime friend and current boss, UFC president Dana White, doesn't want to see the "Iceman" in the cage again.
But with a rematch with fellow "The Ultimate Fighter 11" coach Tito Ortiz on the horizon, Liddell has his sights set on one more run at the title. And along the way, he hopes to prove all of his doubters – including White – wrong about what he's got left in the tank.
"I don't think I have anything to prove, but I would like to prove [White] wrong," Liddell told MMAjunkie.com at Monday's "TUF 11" media day. "I'm not too old. I can still fight."
"It is what it is. I'll keep arguing, and [White] will keep arguing with me. It doesn't matter. I've just got to show him I can perform. If I perform, he'll keep letting me fight."
"It's hard when you dominated for so long"
White's concerns are understandable. Three of Liddell's four recent losses came via brutal knockouts or TKO's. Even Liddell said he understands why everyone seems to want to discuss his remaining viability as a fighter.
But Liddell also believes the will of the fans is an ever-changing opinion.
"I understand," Liddell said. "It's hard when you dominated for so long. I lost four of my last five.
"The funny thing with fans is I lost two, then I fought Wanderlei (Silva). Great fight, and everybody was like, 'Oh, you're back.' Then if that punch is one more inch off, and Rashad (Evans) doesn't beat me, I probably win that fight easy, and I probably would have got a title shot."
The 40-year-old said he believes his current position is really no different than when Randy Couture elected to retire after suffering the second of two knockouts in a three-fight span – both of which were issued by Liddell, himself.
"Randy, they were glad he retired after I knocked him out twice," Liddell said. "He had never been knocked out in his career. I knocked him dead the second time, and everyone went, 'Oh, it's over. He's done. He's too old now.'
"He came back, and he's still fighting. He won the heavyweight title. I just needed some time off."
Liddell has taken that time off and remained on the sidelines since an April 2009 TKO loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. The near-12-year-veteran said during the break he has stopped partying, focused on conditioning and avoided any contact to his head.
"I'm doing a lot of training," Liddell said. "I still go out sometimes and hang out, but I haven't been drinking. I'm watching what I eat more and training more consistent. I'm going to be training from now until whenever [Ortiz and I] fight.
"I miss fighting. I miss competing. I miss sparring, too. I was giving my head a rest for a year, and I wouldn't let people hit me. I might not make it all the way to a year. I might have to spar with some of these [contestants on 'TUF 11']. But I feel good. I just felt I was getting hurt by stuff that normally wouldn't hurt me."
Back to basics
In addition to the rest Liddell has enjoyed for the past nine months, he said he's also focused himself on refining the techniques that contributed to his recent failures.
"After I lost to Rashad, people acted like I went out there and got my ass kicked for 10 minutes and got knocked out," Liddell said. "I was winning the fight when I got caught. It happens. Now I'm working on some stuff and cleaning up some holes that maybe over the years have gotten bigger – just not paying attention to details.
"I've cleaned up some stuff, so hopefully there won't be as many openings for people. This style of fighting, there's always something that can happen. But I've made a lot of those holes a lot smaller and harder to get into."
Liddell said the losses have been disappointing, but he refuses to let it affect his aggressive style in the cage. Instead, Liddell believes he simply needs to go back to the approach that worked best for him before.
"It always bugs me when I lose, but you have to bounce back," Liddell said. "You can't worry about it. If you're worried about it, it's just going to cause you problems. You're going to start fighting not to lose and fighting real conservative, and that's not my style of fighting. I'm not going to sit there and just try and eek out a win. I'm going to go out there and try to finish the guy.
"I plan on getting back to mixing [striking and wrestling] together a little more, keeping people off-balance so they can't just relax and not worry about me hitting a double."
"I'm going to be really ready to put my fist in his mouth"
As for an upcoming fight with Ortiz, Liddell said he has little to gain by defeating a man whom he's already soundly beaten on two separate occasions. That said, he believes the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" is the perfect foe.
"I knocked him out twice already, so in that way, it's not a big deal," Liddell said. "But [the trash talk] has already started. I have no problem getting up to fight him. He's starting to jaw a little bit, and it's already started going. By the time this season's over, I'm going to be really ready to put my fist in his mouth – if I don't do it before the end of the season.
"I never have to get motivated to fight. I love fighting. But training is always where you need the extra help to get motivated. We did one interview together today, and I'm already getting pumped up about punching him in the mouth."
White has openly admitted he didn't really want to give Liddell another fight. But the UFC exec laid out a plan for Liddell to follow, and when the aging fighter did, White had little choice but to live up to his end of the bargain.
But while White has said he hopes Liddell's comeback is a one-and-done affair, the man ultimately responsible for making the decision has a far different idea.
"At this point, I'd like another fight after (Ortiz)," Liddell said. "Hopefully Dana's happy with me if I get two wins, and I'd like a shot at a contender and then a shot at the the title. That's four fights.
"That's about as far forward as I've thought. But that's what I'd like to do."
"I have to go out on my own"
Ultimately, the potential for Liddell to regain the title he once defended in four-consecutive outings is highly debatable. But for Liddell, one of the most popular and well-respected fighters mixed martial arts has ever seen, it's important for him to answer the bell for the final time on his own terms.
"For me, as a fighter, I have to go out on my own – the way I want to go out," Liddell said. "It has to be my decision. I can't let somebody make that decision for me.
"I'm not going to let fans or people that aren't that close to me – don't watch me train, don't see what I can still do – I'm not going to let them make that decision for me."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Liddell is one of Kekai MMA's favorite MMA legends. Why? Well, we're from San Luis Obispo, so there's that, but because he's a pioneer in the sport and one of the most humble, nice guys that did not let fame and money change him. Plus....he'll punch you one time in the dome and you'll wake up thinking your mom is your girlfriend. Visit Chuck Liddell's website here.
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(p.s. we loved this article. well written by john morgan from mmajunkie.com. good job bro. you're our hero....John Morgan is the lead staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com and an MMA contributor for The Dallas Morning News. good for him.)
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