Ten Fights to Remember Chuck Liddell By

It’s a shame that newer fans of the sport will have their first memories of Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell be comprised of his recent stretch of fights, in which he’s experienced three losses by KO/TKO and hasn’t been able to have one of his signature knockout victories.  The number of fights that take place each month in MMA nowadays has made it a “what have you done for me lately?” sport, which is a shame for fighters such as Liddell, as well as the Pride vets who have struggled in the United States.  It seems that many fans don’t understand that their greatness was earned, not simply bestowed upon them.

With that in mind, here are ten fights to show anyone who wants to know what made Liddell such a special fighter, presented in chronological order.

Vs. Kevin Randleman, UFC 31

It’s important to remember the context in which fights originally happened.  The Randleman that Liddell faced at UFC 31 was not the Randleman who lost 7 of 9 from 2003 to 2006.  Instead, he was 9-4 and coming off of a Heavyweight Title reign, ended in a three-round battle with Randy Couture.  Pundits wondered whether Liddell would be able to match with the wrestling (Randleman’s pedigree being much more impressive than Liddell’s) and athleticism of Randleman.  They should have been wondering whether Randleman could stand up to the concussive power of the Iceman’s punches.

Vs. Guy Mezger, Pride 14

A lot of fans may not know that the 2003 Grand Prix was not Liddell’s first foray into Pride, or perhaps they know that, but haven’t seen this fight.  That’s a shame, because Liddell landed one of his nastiest knockouts on a fighter who never reached the top of the sport, but was always respected for his quality striking abilities.

Vs. Vitor Belfort, UFC 37.5

Many people remember Randy Couture playing spoiler when Chuck Liddell was “supposed” to win the interim Light Heavyweight Championship and face his nemesis, Tito Ortiz into a showdown.  However, many don’t remember that Liddell has played the spoiler himself, as he defeated Vitor Belfort when he was primed for a long-awaited title shot against Tito Ortiz.  While this fight doesn’t feature an explosive knockout, it does showcase Liddell’s skills at a time when he was just getting to the top of his game.

Vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral, UFC 40

This fight is memorable for a couple of reasons.  First of all, it’s a nice reminder of Liddell’s “fight anyone, anytime” mentality, as he took this fight against the fearsome Babalu Sobral even though he was already the number one contender for the Light Heavyweight title.  And, of course, it’s memorable for the brutal kick to Sobral’s head, which was made worse because Babalu leaned into it.  One of Liddell’s best knockouts, and likely the reason Ortiz declined to face him for so long.

Vs. Alistair Overeem, Pride Total Elimination 2003

At the time, Liddell’s victory over Overeem was seen as a step in the right direction, but nothing much more.  Liddell had just had one of the biggest setbacks of his career, a TKO loss to Randy Couture to keep him waiting even longer to face his rival, Tito Ortiz.  Now, Liddell’s devastating knockout of Overeem is even more impressive, as Overeem has continued to meet his potential and is having success at heavyweight.  Of course, Overeem was no slouch at the time, either, having won 12 fights in a row, and testing Liddell with some harsh knees to the body early in the fight.  The Iceman was even enticed to shoot for a takedown due to Overeem’s striking.

Vs. Tito Ortiz, UFC 47

For hardcore Liddell fans, this is probably one of their favorite moments.  At UFC 47, Liddell and Ortiz had both been beaten by Randy Couture, and had little choice but to face one another to see who would get a shot at redemption against the new champ.  Liddell looked relaxed and had a smile on his face as he came to the cage, and proceeded to easily avoid Tito’s takedown attempts before finally pouring it on and overwhelming Ortiz with strikes in the second round.

Vs. Randy Couture, UFC 52

Many had a hard time envisioning a scenario where Liddell would beat Couture in their rematch, after seeing Couture dismantle the Iceman at UFC 43.  In that fight, Couture had beaten Liddell to the punch early and often, using combinations of straight punches against Liddell’s looping overhand rights and hooks.  Meanwhile, Couture had worn Liddell down before taking him down and putting him away for good.  In the rematch, though, Liddell was more patient, and Couture made the mistake of pursuing the challenger, which ended up being the wrong choice.  Liddell put Couture on the mat and finally ascended to the top of his division, where he would stay for two years.

Vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral, UFC 62

The rubber match between Chuck and Randy was a good scrap, but it was similar to their second fight, and Liddell’s rematch with Babalu showcased better elements of Liddell’s game.  This fight showed why Liddell is so dangerous, especially against aggressive fighters who come straight at him.  Thinking he had stunned the champion, Babalu rushed in to capitalize, only to be knocked out by an uppercut that Liddell threw *while moving backward*.  Now that’s power.

Vs. Tito Ortiz, UFC 66

This fight is mostly notable because it will likely remain as Liddell’s last victory by KO/TKO in the UFC.  Ortiz hadn’t exactly been on a tear, but he entered the cage with renewed confidence and put on a better performance this time around.  Still, it wasn’t good enough, as Liddell was able to show his dominance once again in the end.  This put an end to one of the best rivalries in MMA, as well as signaling the end of Liddell’s dominance in the division.

Vs. Wanderlei Silva, UFC 79

It’s really unfortunate that this fight didn’t happen years before, when the two were on top of their respective divisions.  Still, it’s great that it happened, at least.  Coming off of a KO loss to Rampage Jackson and a decision loss to Keith Jardine, Chuck Liddell beat the “Axe Murderer” (who had been coming off of some losses of his own) in a three round war that ended up being one of the best fights of the year.  Looking back, this would have been a great way for Liddell to end his career.

 by Jon Hartley for Fightmania.com

Tags: Alistair Overeem, Chuck Liddell, Keith Jardine, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, UFC, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva