Chuck Liddell
Charles David Liddell (born December 17, 1969) is an American former mixed martial artist who was the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Liddell had 23 fights in the UFC. He is widely credited with helping bring MMA into the mainstream of American sports and entertainment. On July 10, 2009, he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Early life. Liddell was born in Santa Barbara, California, of partial Irish descent. He was raised by his single mother and maternal grandfather, who taught Liddell and his siblings boxing techniques from a very young age. Liddell began studying Koeikan karate  at the age of 12; the tattoo on his scalp reads "Koei-Kan" (幸栄館). Liddell was a four-year starter on the football team at San Marcos High School, playing center and linebacker. He also excelled at wrestling. While growing up in Santa Barbara, he often frequented the infamous Del Playa Drive, the middle of the party scene of the college town of Isla Vista, where he often found himself in fights with drunk college students. He became a Division I wrestler at Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University) in San Luis Obispo California and graduated with a Bachelor of  Arts in Business/Accounting in 1995. He holds an amateur kickboxing record of 20 wins and 2 losses, with 16 of his wins coming by way of knockout. When Liddell started his mixed martial arts career, he began to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Jon Lewis in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mixed martial arts career. UFC. Early success. Liddell made his UFC debut in 1998 during UFC 17 in Mobile, Alabama with a decision victory over Noe Hernandez. In his next bout, he faced Brazilian fighter Jose "Pele" Landi-Johns at an International Vale Tudo Championship event in Sao Paulo , Brazil, which was bare-knuckle. Despite being a heavy underdog in his opponent's home country, Liddell dominated the vale tudo fighter on the feet, and won via decision. After a technical submission loss to top contender Jeremy Horn shortly after, Liddell began establishing his reputation as a top contender with dominant victories over Kevin Randleman, Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort, Amar Suloev, Jeff Monson, Renato Sobral, and Tito Ortiz. Liddell was also the first UFC fighter to fight in Pride, where he represented the organization against fellow kickboxer Guy Mezger, knocking him unconscious. Liddell vs. Couture. By 2002, Liddell was  considered the #1 contender for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, with growing popularity and support from his fans. The UFC tried to arrange a title bout with then-champion Tito Ortiz, but Ortiz cited scheduling conflicts. To force Ortiz's hand, they created an interim light heavyweight championship and matched Liddell with Greco-Roman wrestler and former heavyweight champion "The Natural" Randy Couture at "UFC 43". Couture neutralized Liddell's hooks with straight punches and eventually began taking "The Iceman" down at will. Couture eventually gained full mount and forced a referee stoppage due to a barrage of punches. Pride  Grand Prix Tournament against Overeem/Jackson. After his defeat to Couture, Liddell entered the Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix tournament as the official UFC representative. Liddell defeated Muay Thai specialist Alistair Overeem in the first round of the tournament. In the action-packed bout, Liddell was getting out-landed by the taller, quicker and more technical striking of Overeem; later in the round Liddell landed an overhand punch to the head of Overeem, sending him staggering into the ropes. Liddell then rushed in with knees and straight rights and knocked Overeem out at the end of the first round. In  the next round, Liddell was eliminated by fan-favorite Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. In the first round of his fight with Jackson, Liddell landed shots as he found his distance but Jackson countered with powerful strikes, rocking Liddell numerous times. In the second round, Jackson continued to out-land Liddell with big punches, but could not finish him. Later in the second round a visibly exhausted Liddell was taken down and received a barrage of punches from the ground. His corner threw in the towel, giving Jackson the upset victory. Liddell vs. Ortiz. Returning to the UFC, Liddell was once again  in contention for the light heavyweight title, preparing for a match with former champion Tito Ortiz. Eventually, after Ortiz lost the title to Randy Couture, the two would meet in a highly anticipated bout at "UFC 47" on April 2, 2004, in Las Vegas, Nevada. After most of the first round was spent feeling each other out, Liddell threw a few punches and a kick which was blocked by Ortiz, with Ortiz slapping himself on the head, taunting Liddell. When the round ended Ortiz pushed referee "Big" John McCarthy out of his way, into Liddell, and the pair exchanged words . Shortly after the second round started, Liddell landed a flurry of punches that dropped Ortiz and led to a TKO victory. Ortiz has since stated that Liddell's thumb made contact with his eye, causing him momentarily to see "nothing but black". Since "UFC 47", the bad blood between both fighters remained, with Ortiz repeatedly stating that he wanted "his" title belt back. Despite the tension, Ortiz and Liddell would not fight again for two and a half years. Continued success. Section::::"The Ultimate Fighter". In early 2005, Liddell was a coach on the inaugural season of "The Ultimate Fighter", Spike  TV's reality show which featured fighters competing for a UFC contract. He coached Team Liddell, while then UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture coached Team Couture. The series was a success for both Spike TV and the UFC. Both of the winners of the show, Diego Sanchez and Forrest Griffin, were members of Team Liddell and went on to have very successful careers in the UFC. Liddell vs. Couture II. On April 16, 2005, at "UFC 52", Liddell fought Randy Couture, again for the light heavyweight title. Couture moved in for a punch, Liddell countered with a big right  hand to the temple of Couture, knocking him out cold, making him the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Liddell vs. Horn II. Liddell was scheduled to defend his new title against longtime veteran Jeremy Horn, at "UFC 54", a matchup the UFC claimed was demanded by long-time fans of the sport since Horn had given Liddell his first loss. Throughout the bout, Liddell dominated with aggressive punches, causing knockdowns in several rounds. Liddell's defensive wrestling ability, especially his sprawl, stifled the bulk of Horn's offense, which was centered on grappling and submission wrestling. Liddell eventually won the  fight via TKO in 2:46 minutes of the fourth round after Horn informed the referee that he could not see. He had been hit with a right punch to the eye causing him to bleed from his eye as well as his nose. Liddell had successfully defended his title and, in the process, avenged two of his three career losses. Liddell vs. Couture III. On February 4, 2006, at "UFC 57", Liddell faced Randy Couture in a rubber match, After an action packed first round, Liddell landed a big punch to Couture's face causing him to bleed, Couture bounced  back with a take down of Liddell, but he was able to get up right away. Later in the second round as Couture moved in Liddell countered similar to in the second fight at UFC 52 knocking Couture out, defeating Couture for the second time via knockout in Las Vegas, Nevada, to retain the light heavyweight championship belt. After the fight, Couture announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. Liddell vs. Sobral II. In his next defense, at "UFC 62" on August 26, 2006, Liddell would beat Renato "Babalu" Sobral, who he had defeated nearly three years prior. Seconds after  the fight started Sobral came running forward throwing punches. Liddell, moving backwards, was landing big punches, and a right uppercut ended the fight at 1:35 of the first round. It was announced during "UFC 61" that, were he to defeat Sobral, Liddell would face off against PRIDE Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva. The fight failed to materialize due to the competing promotions' inability to reach an agreement. UFC president Dana White attributed this to Silva's subsequent knockout loss to Mirko Filipović. Liddell vs. Ortiz II. In what was the most financially successful UFC event up to that point, Liddell fought  a rematch with Tito Ortiz at "UFC 66", which took place on December 30, 2006. Liddell's takedown defense neutralized Ortiz's wrestling ability, forcing Ortiz to stand up with a known striker. Although Ortiz did take Liddell down at one point in the fight, Liddell went on to defeat Ortiz via TKO in the third round to defend his light heavyweight championship successfully for a fourth time. It was later revealed that Liddell had torn his MCL prior to the fight. He had also popped the tendon out on the middle finger on his left hand during the fight  itself. Title loss and decline. Liddell vs. Jackson II. In his fifth defense, Liddell would lose the title at "UFC 71" on May 26, 2007, in a rematch with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Liddell was knocked down by a right hook less than two minutes into the first round and was unable to defend himself against Jackson's strikes on the ground, resulting in a knockout victory for Jackson. After the loss, Liddell was widely criticized after reports indicated he had been seen in night clubs the week before the event. He responded that it was not anything he had not  done prior to his other fights in Las Vegas. Liddell vs. Jardine. On July 11, 2007, Dana White confirmed in an interview with Yahoo! Sports that a rumored bout between Wanderlei Silva and Liddell had been canceled indefinitely. Silva and Liddell were supposed to fight in the main event at "UFC 76" in Anaheim, California. Instead, Liddell would face Keith Jardine. In the main event of "UFC 76", Liddell came out landing his signature right hand to the head of Jardine, rocking him backwards, but Jardine stayed in the fight. After a dominant first round for Liddell, Jardine started to  land low leg kicks continuously, while Liddell was unable to time his strikes against the unorthodox southpaw. Liddell lost a close split decision, making it the first time he had suffered consecutive losses in his career. Liddell stated he wanted a rematch and claimed he had never taken Jardine seriously. Liddell vs. Silva. On October 23, 2007, White announced that a matchup between Liddell and Wanderlei Silva would finally take place at UFC 79. Liddell defeated Silva via unanimous decision, out-landing Silva with harder, more efficient punches and getting two takedowns later in the fight. Both fighters were awarded  Fight of the Night honors. This fight was voted 2007's Fight of the Year at the first annual World Mixed Martial Arts Awards and ultimately was Liddell's final victory in MMA. Liddell vs. Evans. On February 1, 2008, Maurício "Shogun" Rua revealed that he had recently signed a contract to fight Liddell, however on March 4 it was announced on UFC.com that Rua was receiving surgery on his knee and had been forced to withdraw from the fight. It was later officially announced that undefeated wrestler "Suga" Rashad Evans would replace Maurício Rua in a bout at UFC  85 in London, England. However, a hamstring injury forced Liddell to withdraw from the fight. On September 6, 2008, Liddell faced Rashad Evans at UFC 88. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round after Evans connected with an overhand right. The loss led to renewed criticism of Liddell over-relying on the same coaches and training partners. Shortly after his knockout loss to Evans, long-time trainer John Hackleman confirmed that Liddell was participating in training sessions with American Top Team to "round out his skills", although he remained officially associated with Hackleman and The Pit fight  team. Liddell vs. Shogun. On January 17, 2009, Dana White confirmed during the UFC 93 post fight press conference that Liddell's next fight would be against the 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Champion Maurício "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97 on April 18 in Montréal, Canada. Liddell was defeated by Rua due to punches late in the first round resulting in a technical knockout. After the fight, White declared that Liddell would retire from fighting. White stated, "I care about him. I care about his health, and it's over, man. It's over." White went further, saying, "At the  end of the day, I care about these guys. I don't want to see anybody stick around too long. You're never going to see Chuck Liddell on the canvas again." In May however, Liddell's trainer, John Hackleman, claimed 'with confidence' that Liddell isn't done yet and that he's "definitely on top of the food chain." In a later interview, White went on to say, "Can I tell him not to fight? Absolutely not. If he still wants to fight, he can fight. I'm not saying, 'It will never happen. It will never happen.' But  he made a deal with me [not to fight]." Hall of Fame and talks of retirement. On July 10, 2009, at the UFC 100 Fan Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, Liddell was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. After UFC 101 in August, Dana White stated that "I don't want him to (fight). He wants to, so we'll see what happens." Two days later, Liddell went on record to say that he was undecided on the matter and that "it's hard for an athlete to quit what he's done his whole life." Liddell went on  to say that he would be "making that decision in the gym, not in the ring" after sparring sessions. Liddell vs. Franklin. It was later announced that Liddell would be coaching against fierce rival Tito Ortiz on the of "The Ultimate Fighter", with the two of them fighting each other on June 12, 2010, at UFC 115. However, in March, it was rumored that Ortiz had pulled out for unknown reasons and would be replaced by former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin. This was denied by UFC president Dana White. On April 7, 2010, White confirmed that Liddell vs. Ortiz  3 would be the main event for the card.<ref name="Liddell/Ortiz 3"></ref> However, on April 12, 2010, the main event was changed to Liddell vs. Rich Franklin. On June 12, 2010, Liddell faced Franklin at UFC 115 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Franklin connected with a counter right hook, knocking Liddell unconscious with five seconds remaining in the first round. Earlier in the fight, Franklin had broken his arm blocking a body kick from Liddell. Only a few hours after the match, UFC President Dana White declared that Chuck Liddell would not fight in the UFC ever again. UFC  retirement. With the opinions and considerations of his family and friends in mind after losing three consecutive fights by knockout, Liddell decided to end his fighting career on December 29, 2010. At the UFC 125 press conference, Liddell announced his retirement and stated he would be taking the position of Vice President of Business Development within the UFC. Liddell was visibly emotional at the announcement, acknowledging his retirement and an end to his fighting with words of farewell: "Most of all I want to thank my fans and my family. I love this sport and I'm excited to go  to this new stage in my life and keep promoting the best sport in the world, the sport I love... now that I'm retired." On September 8, 2013, during an interview on the "Opie and Anthony" show, Liddell stated that there was a possibility of one last comeback, similar to George Foreman. Return and second retirement. Liddell announced on April 14, 2018, that he was coming out of retirement to target a third fight with Tito Ortiz. The fight took place on November 24, 2018 under Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. Liddell lost the fight via  knockout in the first round. On March 3, 2020, Liddell announced in a TMZ interview that he has retired from mixed martial arts again. Legal Trouble. 2021 arrest. On October 11, 2021, Liddell was arrested and booked into a Los Angeles-area jail on a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. He was held at the Malibu Sheriff’s Station on a $20,000 bond. After his bond was met and Liddell was released, he posted a statement on his Instagram page stating he was the victim of domestic violence, but offered to protect his family from legal issues and voluntarily  went into custody instead of his wife. The court hearing for this case was scheduled on October 13, 2021. According to the legal report Liddell and his wife were pushing each other during an argument and Liddell had mark on his face and chest, while his wife did not have any physical marks on her after the incident. The District Attorney’s office opted not to charge against Liddell or his wife. Three days after the alleged domestic incident, Liddell filed for a divorce. Personal life. Liddell is associated with John Hackleman and The Pit fight team. His brother Sean  also competed in MMA and fought in the WEC. He retired in 2007 with a 1–2 record. He has a brother named Dan and a sister named Laura. Liddell continues to train in San Luis Obispo, California, where he attended college along with fellow team member and friend Wyatt Courtney. He has one child with MMA fighter Casey Noland, a daughter named Trista. From a prior relationship he has a son named Cade. Liddell proposed to his girlfriend Heidi Northcott on November 4, 2010. Their daughter Guinevere was born in 2011. Their son, Charles David Liddell Jr., was born in  2013. On October 11, 2021, Liddell was arrested in Los Angeles County, California on charges of domestic battery after an alleged incident with his wife. He was booked into the Lost Hills Sheriff Station on $20,000 bail. Liddell is a former part-owner of two bars in Lincoln, Nebraska: Dillinger's and NZone. In 2010, he opened The Ultimate Iceman, a memorabilia store in San Luis Obispo. This store was closed in 2011 to focus on online sales. Liddell endorsed John McCain in the 2008 United States presidential election. Liddell's moniker 'The Iceman' was coined by his trainer , John Hackleman, of Liddell's calm and relaxed temperament before fights. Section::::"Good Morning Texas" interview. In March 2007, shortly before "UFC 68", he appeared on "Good Morning Texas" (Texan version of Good Morning America) for an interview, and to promote the film 300, but appeared to be very drowsy and fell asleep in mid-interview. The interview ended when Liddell asked the host who he would like to fight. UFC President Dana White, along with Liddell's head coach Scott VanGilder, explained that Liddell had pneumonia and had taken a large dose of sedatives the night before the interview. Print  media. On May 9, 2007, Liddell became the first UFC fighter to be on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. Liddell released his autobiography, "Iceman: My Fighting Life", on January 29, 2008. Television. Liddell was one of 16 people to compete on Season 9 of "Dancing with the Stars". He and professional dance partner, Anna Trebunskaya got 11th place in Week 4. In 2009, Liddell made a guest appearance on The Simpsons in Season 21, Episode 3 The Great Wife Hope. In 2018, Liddell was a houseguest on the first U.S. season of "Celebrity Big Brother", where he was the  first person evicted. On September 26, 2019, ESPN announced that as the inaugural special about mixed martial arts on 30 for 30 will be covering the trilogy and feud between Liddell and Tito Ortiz.