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Transcript: Live chat with Chuck Liddell

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Administrator4: UFC light-heavyweight champion is here and ready for your questions. Who’s here and ready to take on the Iceman?

topstryker: Here

Lakermark: Chuck, when you faught Quinton Jackson, the punch before the actual punch that knocked you down looked like it did the most damage, was that the case?

Chuck Liddell: No, not at all. It was the right hook that hit me.

Jerry: Does Dana white pay the fighters a fare wage? Particularly the younger guys.

Chuck Liddell: Against what, what do you base it against? That’s a hard one to answer. What are you judging it against? Boxing? 100 dollars a round? If he’s not paying them fair, why don’t they fight somewhere else? It’s a free market, and there’s smaller shows, for younger guys.

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Fred: Fred is here

banger: hi chuck, i was just wondering if you’d be using the same tactic you used on couture, since rashad is also a wrestler?

Chuck Liddell: If you can explain what tactic that is? Yeah, I’ll be defending punches and kicks, yes.

Patrick: Rashad says he’s willing to stand with you which I don’t buy, but his wrestling seems stronger then Tito’s. Are you diong anything different to train for his takedowns for 3 rounds which can be exhausting?

Chuck Liddell: Well, how does someone say his wrerstling is stronger than Tito’s. It didn’t seem like it in their fight. I’m trained to deal with wrestlers better than Rashad.

Carl Winslow: I have a question. How about the match with SHogun. When do you think that might happen?

Chuck Liddell: You know, he’s having knee surgery. I’m willing to do it whenever. But we have to see when he’s ready, and if he wants to fight me then, too.

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Fred: hey chuck! how did you like being on the show Entourage? do you think you might persue acting after the UFC?

Chuck Liddell: Yeah, i’m definitely going to try when I’m done fighting. I enjoyed doing it wile I did. I just hope my fighting career lasts a lot longer.

topstryker: Which fighter do you want to fight the most? And why?

Administrator4: We have a lot of questions and Chuck will get to everyone’s as soon as possible. Please keep asking.

Chuck Liddell: Quinton, because i haven’t beat him. He’s beat me twice. And he took my title from me. Obviously, it’s one of those fights, I think I can win. I match up well with him, but I’ve managed to lose twice.

Carl Winslow: Any talk about a remath between you and Wanderlei? You were Very impressive in your first match.

Chuck Liddell: no one’ talked about it really, but if he wins a couple fights and I get my title back, we’ll fight. That’s the way it should be, like it was supposed to be awhile back.

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Joel H.: When you are not in training, how do you keep yourself close to your fighting weight?

Chuck Liddell: I drift up to about 225, 226. I eat more when I’m not training as much. But I get in the gym, and when I feel my gut, I try to eat healthy, for some of my meals.

banger: who would you rather fight first? jardine or jackson?

Chuck Liddell: Jackson, he’s got the title, then I’d be more than happy to give Jardine a shot back at the title.

Matt_B: Chuck, do you honestly think that Fedor is Overrated? I heard you say that in an interview.

Chuck Liddell: Well, yeah, I actually do. He could be as good as everyone says he is, but I’

Chuck Liddell: Well, yeah, I do. I’d like to see him prove it. His last choices of fights haven’t been the best.

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banger: are you predicting a knockout against evans? if so, whick round?

Chuck Liddell: Well, I’m planning on trying to knock him out, but he has a tendency to be elusive. I have plans to get a knockout somewhere in there...

Patrick: Rashad is a wrestler, but fights almost as a counter fighter, at least he did with Tito. Do you think it’ll be a problem for you to strike against someone who is constantly backing out of the pocket?

Chuck Liddell: I don’t think so. I’ll be coming after him. I’m not going to let him sit there and eke out a win. I plan to put the pressure on him, and make him fight me.

topstryker: Hey Chuck, has anyone ever challenged you on the streets?

Chuck Liddell: Is this a silly question? Since I’m well known? No. I had quite a few fights growing up. But since I’ve become big. There was a fight in London, my buddy was getting hit by three guys, so I ran over and started throwing guys off, took my watch off and started swining. It was like ‘02, when they had the first fight over there. That was the last big street fight I can remember.

Patrick: if Forest Griffin beats Rampage and you beat Rashad, and you end up fighting Forest, would that be hard to do? Not that you’re scared, but you help train and bring him up like an older brother figure.

Chuck Liddell: Not really, not hard at all. He’s a fighter, I’m a fighter. We’re both still competitive. It’s not a hard fight. I’m not an emotional fighter. I don’t need to dislike you to try and take your head off.

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waldo: Hey Chuck, I must say that your Novel is excellent, and I read it in 7 hrs :) Great Job Man!

Fred: Chuck, Tito Ortiz said on The Howard Stern Show, once hes done with his UFC contract he is gonna maybe start his own company for fighters. Would you consider doing the same thing to help out up and coming young fighters?

Chuck Liddell: OK, thank you very much. I’m glad you enjoyed.

Chuck Liddell: As far as helping out, the way I do that is training guys, and have them fight in whatever organization is right for them. The big one you still want to fight in is the UFC. There’s other little ones, and if you want to be involved in that, good luck with it.

waldo: Hey Chuck, are you gonna stay in the LHW division until you get another title shot? Or are thinking about moving up to HW, and taking the title there?

Chuck Liddell: Im going to stay until I get a title shot, and then we’ll talk about heavyweight.

Joel H.: In your two fights with Rampage, it looked like he was able to stand up to your strikes, do you think the way to beat him is by taking him to the ground and try to expose him to submissions?

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Administrator4: Chuck is still answering your questions. He will get to all the ones submitted. And don’t forget to check out his book: “Iceman: My Fighting Life”

Chuck Liddell: Well, that’s probably a good idea. I planned to take him down last time, but never got around to it. But i’ll probably try to end the fight striking.

Patrick: who do you think will win between Sherk and Penn? who are you rooting for?

Chuck Liddell: BJ Penn’s been a friend of mine for a long time, that’s who I’m rooting for.

topstryker: Hey Chuck, what sports other than MMA do you like?

Chuck Liddell: I like most sports, Baseball, football. I play fantasy football every year. I watch most sports. Fantasy team is called the Pit Monsters. It’s me and my brother, sometimes I don’t have the time. Makes it fun, interesting. Good fun.

claresher1: Hi Chuck, how long does it take you to recover after a fight?

Chuck Liddell: I’ve had fights I can fight the next day to fights. Even some long fights. But I had a short fight, where I kicked the guy in the head and knocked him out, but the inside of my foot swelled up and I couldn’t do anything for three weeks. It depends on the fight.

mark: If you win and jardine wins whos next at the title?

Chuck Liddell: That’s up to the UFC. No one’s told me anything.

topstryker: Chuck, which fighter gave you the toughest fight?

Chuck Liddell: I’m not sure how to say that. A lot of fights are tough, for one reason or another.

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topstryker: Chuck, when you’re not training, what is your favorite junk food or fast food stop? And what is your favorite food?

Chuck Liddell: Favorite food: I like good steak, good Italian, good sushi, lots of different stuff. I like rich desserts, and I couldn’t choose just one, trust me. After a fight, I choose two or three and try them all. I do like sweets.

topstryker: Hey Iceman, who is your favorite old school MMA fighter?

Chuck Liddell: I don’t know that I have a favorite from back that far. I just loved watching the fights. It helped me out a lot that I came into the sport being different, with wrestling and striking.

afrogrl: Are you still living and training in vegas?

Chuck Liddell: I’ve never lived in Vegas, maybe two-three weeks at a time, training with John Lewis. But for the last 18 years, I’ve lived and trained in San Luis Obispo. Went there for college, and never left.

Fred: Hey Chuck... How do you rank Tito Ortiz as far as top 10 all time UFC fighters? Does he even make the list?

Chuck Liddell: Umm, it depends on how you’re making your list. As best fighters? No. Making a name for yourself, and being a face of the sport? Then, yeah. I think he’s a tough fighter, but I don’t put him in the top 10. He did do his thing when he was there.

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Joel H.: For the beginners out there trying out MMA, do you think it is better to learn wrestling techniques first before learning how to box?

Chuck Liddell: I don’t think it’s better to learn any of them first. Try to learn them both at the same time. Wrestle, figure out your strengths and weaknesses. Then you know where to concentrate your efforts.

Patrick: what made you pick the DMX song for you intro before a fight? and what does the “X” gesture mean, you do it as you walk to the octagon.

Chuck Liddell: That X was actually something created by one of the kids in Hawaiian Kenpo class. The song, Dana White showed us that. I gave him some suggestions. But never put up a fight about it. I asked about Pantera, or Lars and the Bastards. There were a couple good songs by them. They didn’t say anything about it, and then they picked one. Still, i get fired up when I hear that song. I associate it with me walking out to the cage.

Carl Winslow: If Anderson Silva decided to gain about 20 lbs and fight LHW, A)would you fight him? and B)How would you beat him?

Chuck Liddell: A)yes, I’d fight him. There’s no one in the world I wouln’t fight. B) I’;d have to mix it up, keep him off balanced, off his game, not let him get up.

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ralph : Chuck, any idea why ‘Big John’ the popular UFC ref, retired from UFC officiating?

banger: you think couture can beat fedor?

Chuck Liddell: I haven’t talked to him about it, anything that anyone else hasn’t heard from the internet. I have no insight into that.

Chuck Liddell: Yeah, I think it’s a difficult fight for Fedor. Couture can control if the fight is on his feet or on the ground. If it’s on the ground, fedor would end up on his back. He’s never knocked anyone out with a punch from his feet. Randy’s not an easy man to knock out.

claresher1: Chuck, what would have to happen before you could fight Quinton again? If you do, I hope you freakin’ blow him out of the Octagon. It killed me when you lost to him.

Chuck Liddell: Honestly, I just need to wion this fight, and hope he wins his fight against Forest.

Patrick: you got away from using kicks and clinching to set up the overhand right, but got back to it when you fought Wanderlei. Are you going to continue to use those tools or just wait for the right opening for a knock out punch?

Administrator4: Please keep the questions coming! Chuck is answering as fast as he can!

Chuck Liddell: I got back to doing what I do best, mixing it up. I hope to keep mixing it up with shots, and set my shots up better.

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alex: Wanted to ask Chuck if he’s done anything different with his training regimen for this fight.

Chuck Liddell: It’s similar to my last fight, a few different things because I’m fighting a wrestler. We don’t change our training camp very much from fighter to fighter.

Bean: Chuck, hows your training coming along? do you plan to move up to heavyweight before you retire?

Chuck Liddell: It’s coming along great. I’m healthy. Everything is good. We started ahead of the game, because two of my guys had fights, so I’ve been back in the gym soarring with them. I don’t have any heavyweight plans. We’ll see once I get my title back.

Patrick: does Joe Rogan ever annoy you with his commentating in the UFC? i don’t mind him so much, but my boys think he’s an expert swimmer who’s never been in a pool. haha

Chuck Liddell: He doesn’t bother me at all, but I do have friends who say the same thing. To be honest, that’s what announcers are supposed to do, just educate fans, the more casual fans, who aren’t as knowledgable about the sport.

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banger: do you like watching boxing? what di you think about the marquez and pacquiao fight?

Chuck Liddell: I do like watching boxing, but I was out of town and wasn’t able to catch that fight.

Walter: Chuck, what can a guy like Glover Texiera provide as a training partner and would you say that Glover has a lot better knockout power than Rashad?

Chuck Liddell: Glover’s a great training partner, and a great fighter. I’m guessing he does have better knockout power than Rashad. He’s had a couple big knockouts.

banger: which knockout punch you deliverd was the sweetest and most memorable?

Chuck Liddell: That’s a real hard one to say. I don’t know. Different reasons mean different punches mean different things. Knocking out Randy to get my title. Knocking out Tito after waiting a long time. They’ve all been great to me, for one reason or another.

Matt_B: I’m a big fan of one of your best friends, Antonio Banuelos. He recently faught in February, Is he going to be fighting again soon?

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Chuck Liddell: We hope so, yeah. We’re trying to get him another fight soon. Nothing’s set. He’s back in the gym training.

d: What’s your thoughts on randy couture. do you see him coming back to the UFC.

Chuck Liddell: You know, I dont know enough about the situation to know anything. I know he must have something going on business-wise, but i haven’t been paying attention.

ralph : Chuck, does your workouts include weighlifting?

Chuck Liddell: Yes, they do. I do some weightlifting, a lot of different weight stuff, strength and conditioning stuff, a little bit of everything.

Joel H.: When you have exhausted all your options in the UFC, If Vince McMahon called and offered you a contract, would you consider joining the WWE?

Chuck Liddell: No way, I don’t have any interest in doing professional wrestling. nothing against their shows, but it’s not for me. Doing that many shows, trusting those big guys not to hurt you. It’s not something I’m interested in.

mohawk_trimmer: What is your take on the Roy Jones Jr. vs. Anderson Silva Boxing? will this be good promotion for MMA?

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Administrator4: Chuck will be here for five more minutes. Keep the questions coming.

Chuck Liddell: I don’t know. It’s two different sports. If Anderson thinks he can do it, I’m not saying he can’t. But it’s two different sports, It would be great for MMA, but if he loses, it wouldn’t be bad. Two different sports.

Bean: what did you think of brock lesners debut? do you think kurt angle can make it in mma or do you think he just talk’s a lot?

Chuck Liddell: So far, from what I understand, kurt angle just talks a lot. if he thinks he can come in and win in mma, he’s wrong. Brock just got caught by a good submission artist who’s slick. He just got caught.

mohawk_trimmer: I recently saw a ‘fight science show’ where they measured Bas Ruttens striking force ast 500 PSI, have you ever had your striking force measured, and if so, what is it?

Chuck Liddell: No, I haven’t, never really thought to do it. That was a pretty cool show.

ralph : Chuck, how do you like living in San Louis Obispo?

Chuck Liddell: I love it. I was lucky enough to find a job that allows me to stay there. It’s a beautiful, pretty place, fun place to hang out in. And I travel enough to big cities.

ralph : which car do you enjoy driving more..the Ferarri or the Hummer?

Chuck Liddell: The Ferrari, the hummer is comfortable, but the ferrari is the fun car.

Israel: What is the best wdvice to a 6 year old that wants to become a fighter like your self?

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Chuck Liddell: Just have fun doing it, mixed martial arts is great,. I tell parents, make sure they’re kids are having a good time. there’ll be time to get seriously competitive.

Bean: When you get your lightweight title shot again... would you like to fight in california?

Chuck Liddell: I’ll fight anywhere they give it to me. I just want a shot back.

Chuck Liddell: Thanks everybody, check out my fight in London in June.

Administrator4: Chuck has to go. We will try to schedule another chat down the line. Thanks to everyone who participated. A lot of great questions!

Israel: THanks Chuck

Walter: Best of Luck Iceman

Israel: Hey chuck! when you gonna come out to Orage County to sing some autographs??

ralph : great role model Chuck..

Fred: your welcome Chuck... keep knocking fools out!

Fred: no doubt administrator... thanks....

ralph : You have great heart Chuck

joebob: knock rahsads headoff for us

ralph : When you fight my whole extended family comes together.thanks to you..

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