The Legacy of Chuck Liddell

A look at the MMA career of Chuck Liddell and at his UFC 115 matchup with Rich Franklin

To anybody who has any knowledge of mixed martial arts pertaining to the UFC, Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell needs no introduction. The first superstar of his sport in America, Liddell paved the way for other fighters to make a name for themselves in an industry commonly thought as ‘barbaric.’

“The Iceman” earned his iconic status the old school way; coming out and putting on great fights. Besides his famous mohawk, Chuck used no gimmicks or tricks to draw fans toward him. Unless somebody starting jawing at him first, he was never one to resort to trash talk either. It was his overhand right that landed him into celebrity status, people enjoyed the way he fights.

Liddell’s first fight was in the UFC and after he had 7 professional fights under his belt, and a knockout of former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randelman in just over a minute started creating some fan fare for the kickboxer. That was in the middle of a 10 fight win streak against top 205 pounders, that earned him a shot at the vacant UFC light heavyweight title against Randy Couture, a bout in which Couture stopped “The Iceman.”

After a couple of wins Chuck was back in title contention and with his rematch with Randy they were also opposing coaches on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. The show gained huge popularity and is attributed to being one of the main factors of moving MMA and the UFC into the spotlight. With the new found success of the sport and the UFC, all that was needed was a star for the new fans of the sport. When Liddell knocked out Couture in the first round of their rematch, he became that star. His aggressive counter-striking style earned him a lot more fans, as more and more people were introduced to MMA.

Chuck went on to defend his title 4 more times before losing it to Quinton Jackson at UFC 71. While his fight career started declining, his superstardom status did no such thing. He wasn’t just popular with followers of the sport but with people all across the country. He has appeared on The Late Show and The Tonight Show, as well as Entourage and most recently Dancing With The Stars. Even with his lack of success recently, no other fighter has gained the popularity he has outside of mixed martial arts.

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Despite his success elsewhere, Liddell wants to continue fighting. While he has lost 4 of his last 5 and only has seemed a shell of his former self in his last few fights, people are still interested to see if he can make a comeback. Set to face off against Rich Franklin atop the UFC 115 fight card in June, it very well could be “The Iceman’s” last chance to prove to fans he’s still relevant in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

Defeating Rich Franklin is no easy task for any fighter, but if Chuck can do so and in devastating fashion like the former champion used too, he could be back in the spotlight of MMA observers again. When someone has the legacy of Liddell, it doesn’t take much to get people back on the bandwagon, and a victory over Franklin could just be the trick to get the wagon rolling.

By Ryan Silva
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer