Chuck Liddell is a renowned kickboxer and MMA fighter. He was the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion from 2005 to 2007 and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in the summer of 2009. At the moment, Liddell has completed his sports career.
The early years of the athlete
Charles David Liddell (better known among MMA fans as Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell) was born in December 1969 in the California city of Santa Barbara. He grew up in a poor family, and from the age of twelve he began to practice the Japanese style of karate Koei-Kan.
Then he mastered the Japanese hand-to-hand combat Nippon Kempo. However, Chuck was also interested in other sports, for example, American football. There is also evidence that in his youth, he sometimes tested his fighting skills in real life, getting involved in fights.
After school, Liddell got the opportunity to continue his education - the Polytechnic University gave him a sports scholarship on the condition that he become the leader of the student wrestling team.
After graduating in 1995 with a bachelor's degree, Chuck continued to grow as a fighter. He became seriously involved in kickboxing under the guidance of his mentor John Hackleman, winner of two American national championships. As a result, Liddell managed to get the WKA and USMPA heavyweight championship titles. His statistics as a kickboxer really commands respect - he has 20 wins (16 of them by knockout) and only 2 losses.
Chuck Liddell's career at UFS
Chuck made his MMA debut in 1998 at the UFC 17. His rival was Noe Hernandez, and Liddell emerged victorious from this fight - the judges decided in his favor. However, in the next fight with Jeremy Horn, held in 1999, Chuck suffered an unfortunate defeat.
In the summer of 2002, Liddell fought the Brazilian Vitor Belfort. The winner of this confrontation was to become a contender for the UFC championship title. In the course of the fight, each of the opponents had chances, but in the end the victory was awarded to Liddell.
This win allowed the talented fighter to start preparing for the fight for the championship belt. Initially, Chuck's rival was supposed to be Tito Ortiz, then the owner of this belt. But Tito, for a number of reasons, refused to enter the octagon and participate in the duel.
After that, it was decided to fight for the title between Liddell and Randy Couture. This fight took place on June 6, 2003. Both athletes were good both on the ground and in the standing position. At some point, Couture was still stronger and won by TKO.
Almost two years later, on April 6, 2005, at the famous MGM GRAND site, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture (at that time they were considered, undoubtedly, the strongest fighters in their weight) again met in the championship match. At the beginning of the fight, Couture was more active, Liddell worked more on defense. In the second minute, Chuck injured Randy's eye, and this situation required the intervention of a doctor - he examined the injuries and still allowed the fight to continue. Couture immediately rushed into the attack, ran into a powerful right punch by Liddell and was knocked out. So Liddell became the light heavyweight champion (from 84 to 93 kilograms) of the UFC.
In August 2005 (this was the first title defense) Liddell knocked out fighter Jeremy Horn, whom he lost several years ago. The denouement in this case came closer to the end of the fourth round. Horn told the referee that he refused to continue the fight, and the title remained with Liddell.
In February 2006, he again met with Randy Couture, who this time was in the title of challenger. And Chuck this time again managed to defend his title.
In August 2006, Liddell entered the octagon against another challenger - Brazilian fighter Renato Sobral. And again he proved that he is the best. Liddell managed to defeat the opponent in the first round.
The last time Liddell defended his title was on December 30 of the same 2016. Tito Ortiz was the challenger this time. This fight was stopped in the third round - Tito was unable to continue it.
But the next championship match was unsuccessful for Chuck. His rival Quinton Jackson, a couple of minutes after the start of the first round, brought Liddell to a technical knockout with his powerful punches and became the new rightful owner of the UFC belt.
In his next fights with various opponents, Chuck was clearly not in the best shape. And in general, during this period, Chuck had only one victory - over the Brazilian Wanderlei Silva. In 2010, the fighter announced that he no longer plans to enter the octagon. But at the same time, he continued his cooperation with the UFC and became one of the functionaries of this organization.
Non-sports activities and personal life
In 2008, Liddell published an autobiographical book entitled Iceman: My Fighting Life. In addition, the former athlete often appeared in popular talk shows and starred in films. The average viewer can see him in such films as "Junkies" (2001), "Substitute" (2006), "Games of Passion" (2010), "Jack Stone" (2015), "Height" (2017), etc. Chuck Liddell also has his own gift shop and several restaurants.
The former athlete's personal life is also all right. In 2010, Chuck Liddell took his wife, Heidi Nordcott, and they still live together. In 2011, the couple had a daughter (her name is Ginevra), and in 2013, a son (his name is Charles David Liddell Jr.).
