Chuck Liddell
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Chuck Liddell, born December 17, 1969, also known as "The Iceman," is a Mixed Martial Artist with a background in Kickboxing, fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Although he is primarily a striker, Liddell prides himself on his wrestling skills which he learned during his years at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he also earned a degree in business and accounting. He is nonetheless a fearsome opponent both as a ground and fist fighter, and has endeared himself as one of the UFC's favorites to watch.
Liddell's mixed martial arts journey began in UFC 17, when he beat Noe Hernandez in 1998. From there, he went on to vanquish such greats as Guy Metzger, Kevin Randleman, and Murilo Bustamante. But it wasn't until he beat Vitor Belfort that he was considered a force to be reckoned with in the UFC.
Immediately following a loss to Randy Couture at UFC 43, Liddell readied himself for a match against his controversial rival, Tito Ortiz. Both men had trained at the Pit Fight Club and experienced a falling out that culminated with Ortiz's taunts against Liddell. However, Liddell defeated Ortiz at UFC 47. Since then, the tension between both fighters has been felt throughout the MMA world.
Recently, Liddell was seen on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TV's breakthrough reality show featuring fighters new to the UFC competing for a UFC contract. Liddell served as coach of Team Liddell, while fellow fighter and then-current UFC light heavyweight champ Randy Couture coached Team Couture. The series was a runaway success for both Spike TV and the UFC. Both of the winners of TUF, Diego Sanchez and Forrest Griffin, were members of Team Liddell.
Liddell's highly anticipated rematch with Couture on April 16, 2005 at UFC 52 ended in victory for Liddell, who now possesses the UFC light heavyweight title. Liddell won in the first round via knockout. The fight was almost stopped at one point after Liddell's hand made contact with Couture's eye, but the doctors allowed the fight to go on.
