Kicking Chuck Liddell While He's Down
by Kid Nate on Apr 19, 2009 2:44 PM EDT
in MMA News
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I was never a fan of Chuck Liddell.
Not from the time he won a boring decision against Noe Hernandez at UFC 17. I booed and hissed when he decisioned a vastly undersized Pele Landi-Jons at IVC 6. I went wild when Jeremy Horn choked him out at the bell at UFC 19.
I almost fell out of my seat when Guy Mezger knocked him down in the first round of their PRIDE 14 fight. I booed all the way through his stall and brawl snoozer against Murilo Bustamante -- and I blamed Chuck for that, as many are blaming Anderson Silva for his fight last night.
I rooted for Vitor Belfort, Babalu Sobral (twice), even Kevin Randleman against Chuck. Chuck's first fight against, and total drubbing by, Randy Couture is probabaly my favorite ever Chuck Liddell fight. Randy out thought, out fought and beat down the Ice Man and oooo was I satisfied!
When I heard that Rampage Jackson had beat him down at PRIDE Final Conflict 2003, I could not wait to get the DVD to see for myself. I watched that fight over and over again, reveling in the brutal shots Quinton planted in Chuck's tubby gut.
I even rooted for Tito against Chuck, that's how much I was NOT a fan of Chuck's counter-fighting, sprawlNstall style of fighting.
His biggest wins came against grapplers who had no chance against him on the feet but who kept charging in regardless. His only wins against dangerous strikers in his hey day came against the undersized (Pele, Mezger), the underconditioned (Overeem) and a Vitor Belfort who played into Chuck's game by charging in behind straight punches.
But don't get me wrong. As much as I hated his fighting style and his life style...the whole California biker redneck, porn-star dating, trailer trash vibe eeked me out. the Aryan Brotherhood types who his biggest fans didn't help any either...all of that being said, I respected the guy.
He was clearly a top athlete, a game, even fearless fighter who took the sport seriously and trained in all aspects even if his conservative style strictly kept the fight in his preferred standing at a distance range.
Well now its seemingly all over and I'm not sure I'm ready for it. Over the last two years, each knock out loss Chuck suffered thrilled me less and less. And his wonderful war with Wanderlei was a win even I couldn't begrudge him.
Sadly, I have to admit the dude is an all-time great. A legend. A sure-fire guaranteed first ballot Hall of Famer. The man who did more to get MMA over with the American public than any other figure in the history of the sport. The face of MMA during its first boom in the States. A fighter whose highlight reel KOs and bouts against Randy Couture and Wanderlei Silva will be watched as long as the sport has fans.
Sure I rooted for Shogun last night, but today I'm feeling a little sad since I won't have fearsome, invincible, KO machine Chuck Liddell to root against anymore.
Thanks for the memories Chuck, take care and I hope you can look back with pride and satisfaction at your amazing career.
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And for the love of God, don’t do another fight with Tito.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 19, 2009 2:33 PM EDT reply actions
has BE jumped the shark?
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Lots of people only read headlines, most just have the good sense not to comment.
by Chris Nelson on Apr 19, 2009 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
And well said, by the way. I, too, have never liked Chuck (and I was/am a huge fan of Shogun) but even I felt for the guy last night.
by Chris Nelson on Apr 19, 2009 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Same here
Never liked Chuck, and had missed the Shogun of old, but it’s pretty tough to see him fall so hard.
I poop rainbows.
Yeah...cause he probably should have said something like:
Thanks for the memories Chuck, take care and I hope you can look back with pride and satisfaction at your amazing career.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 19, 2009 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed
Although it will be hard for some to the see the UFC superman go down while hating the other UFC superman at the moment, Anderson Silva and BJ Penn. GSP and Brock are their only hope?
Well, and the other fifty or so top ten fighters on their roster.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 19, 2009 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Including Shogun Rua.
Seriously they signed Rua for a reason I’m sure they are happy that that is finally starting to pay off. It was a fight that was going to be bad for one of the two fighters but lets face it the UFC wins either way, heck having a 27 year old Shogun get superstar exposure in a UFC cage(finally) is probably better for them in the long run anyway. Even if Chuck had won he was still 39 years old and closing in on the end of his career. There comes a time in every sport where the young guys come in and push the old guys out.
I’s a shame to see Chuck go out like that but I am looking forward to Shogun vs Forrest 2 and Shogun vs Rampage 2 in the future.
by who me on Apr 19, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Rec'd.
I was cheering for Shogun partially because he has more long term potential.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Apr 19, 2009 9:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree with every point.
I hated Chuck. What I hate even more is how he went out. It’s kind of weird how sad I am to see him go when this was all I wanted at one point in time.
Yikes. I can live without the mother of all freak shows.
by ununkvadrium on Apr 19, 2009 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions
For sure, man. No implication for anything in that – just who’s better between two fighters who are only going into the sunset. So… pointless.
by ununkvadrium on Apr 20, 2009 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions
I was always a fan of Chuck and always will be. Just like I’ll always be a fan of Hulk Hogan. Too bad he was given notice via a right by Shogun..and Evans..and ’Page.
LOL!
That about sums up my feelings as well.
I was beaming when Evans dropped him like a bag of potatos. I thought that it was a great and honorable way for Lidell to leave the fight game. Last night’s KO was depressing. I was shocked at how little respect Shogun showed for Chuck’s power. Shogun showed absolutely no fear of being hit by Chuck. It was embarassing to watch.
"Stop smiling you are about to be punched in the face !"
i wouldnt call that embarrasing to watch in any way shape or form. Did you watch the main event.
by JaTinkles on Apr 19, 2009 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
the underconditioned (Overeem)
I understand the hyperbole you were using in this article but I’d just like to point out (anyways) that as bad as Overeem’s gas tank has been, he doesn’t gas out in ~2 mins, which is basically how long that fight was.
yeah I was probably stretching there
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
I never had any strong feelings one way or the other about Chuck. I pulled for him at times and pulled against him at others. He had his failings at times, but he has always seemed to go out and do right by the fans when it came time to fight.
I am however puzzled by the criticisms of his fighting style.
Now, it seems that you’re citing his “conservative” style as a reason for not liking Chuck. Yet, keeping opponents at a distance with limited ability to inflict damage pretty much nails Machida’s style. I’m pretty sure you’re a fan of Machida as I am. Obviously, the two are much different fighters, and I’m not trying to be an ass. I was just wondering what, particularly you didn’t like about Chuck’s style.
I like Machida because he uses techniques I've never seen work
and he’s always fighting for the win — constantly scoring points and grinding down his opponent. Chuck just retreated and retreated, waiting to land the big overhand.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Truth.
My first Chuck fights were first Tito and second Horn. I was impressed my his beatdown of blondie, but the Horn fight pissed me off. When I see a striker constantly let a grappler get up, it’s no different than seeing a grappler flop to the ground – a refusal to engage. I get not playing to your opponents’ strengths, but Horn II was absurd.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 19, 2009 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
true
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
by lovingmma25 on Apr 19, 2009 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions
"and he’s always fighting for the win"
I do not understand how you think Chuck was not looking for the finish or the win? How many of his fights actually went the distance? I would say the epitomy of his style is either he catches them or he gets caught.
Arguing on the internet is like being in the special olympics, even when you win you are still retarded.
its not that he's not looking for the win
its that he’s looking for the win via the one shot KO rather than by landing a barrage of damaging strikes.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Alright, I guess that I can partially agree with that.
But what fighter, if possible, does not wish for a one punch KO shot to end a fight? I see your point about stylistically not liking Chuck, but I would just say that he really brought MMA/UFC up tremendously by providing those big one punch KO’s that got a lot of people talking about & watching MMA mainstream. As a Chuck fan, I always wished he would have become much more diversed as a fighter but that is just not in the cards for some guys I guess unfortunately. He was, for me, always exciting to watch even in defeat & I will remember some of his wars with Randy (whom you mentioned defeated Chuck badly but left out that Chuck KO’d the Natural the subsequent two meetings) that will always be some of my favorites.
Arguing on the internet is like being in the special olympics, even when you win you are still retarded.
Hey I'm all about what Chuck did for the sport
I just personally never dug his style.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Rec'd
Great write up.
I was also never a big fan of Chucks but I never hated him. I wonder if he’ll get…the itch sometime down the road. o_O
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
Backhanded.
This is a nice backhanded writeup. You clearly have some sort of weird hate for the guy (did he take a shot at you?).
I had a chance to meet and talk to Chuck a few times when I lived in SLO in the mid/late 90’s when I was going to college at Cal Poly, and the guy was nothing but nice each time (when he had no reason to be nice). He lived on the backside of a home my cousin lived in, and worked at a bar (the Library), and each time I ever saw or talked to him at both places he was a good guy.
My point is to hate him for a real reason is one thing, but to say his fights sucked, or for rumors you hear on the internet are another story. His fights have always been interesting (win or lose) and he never put on any crappy fight after he got some time in the cage. As for all the other comments (red necks loving him (not all, I have a good job and finished college), Porn-stars, and the reasons other fighters didn’t beat him (Overeem, Vitor, Pele etc), “ok”, sounds like hate, just to hate. I never liked Tito (as a fighter) but I never take joy in someone getting beat (like you mentioned in the first Jackson fight).
You seem to have issues, and tossing out a brief statement like he was a good figther at the end of your column doesn’t cover up the fact you might just be jealous of what the guy has done with his life, but I beat you won’t admit that, will ya. Sadly you will have to move along and find someone else to hate, just to hate, hey maybe I can be that guy, you know someone you don’t know at all, like Chuck.
lol
talk about missing the point.
I didn’t like watching Chuck as a fan. pure and simple. He always seemed like a nice enough guy even if I didn’t like his style.
But to imply some kind of freudian agenda because I didn’t like watching the guy fight is a bit much.
And if you think he never put on a crappy fight, you never saw Liddell vs Bustamante. That shit was dreadful.
The guy is a counter-fighter who can sprawl and won’t fight on the ground much. That fight was almost exactly like Anderson Silva vs Thales Leites. Boring!
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
I like the write up and agree but I didn’t begin to like Chuck until after his fight with Keith Jardine – I had assumed before that he was winning b/c he was mostly fighting wrestlers/grapplers that had not real chance against him.
The only reason I thought there was a glimmer of hope for him to win agains Shogun (even though I like Shogun) was based on Chuck not losing to a Brazilian in his previous fights – oh well!
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
The worst thing about Chuck losing is seeing all the haters come out and disrespect him, regardless his legacy and career will always be set in stone as the greatest LHW of all time. The man put MMA on the mainstream map and when he was at the top of his game was as close to unbeatable as they come, i wish him nothing but the best regardless of what he wants to do after UFC 97 it was a hell of a run.
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