Chuck Liddell Interview (Our Second)

Just a few short weeks before his super fight against Wanderlei Silva, Ben Zeidler caught up with former UFC light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell this past week to get his story on the Keith Jardine loss, ask him about his training, and discuss his future in MMA. Originally conducted for MMA Madness

Ben Zeidler: Are you looking forward to the Wanderlei fight in order to show everyone that you’re back?

Chuck Liddell: Yeah, I can’t wait. I’ve been waiting for a long time for this fight and it’s what I need. It’s a big fight and it’s helping me to get excited. Hopefully, it’ll get me back into the picture, too.

BZ: How do you think that you'll do against Wanderlei?

CL: It’s going to be exciting. He likes to come after guys and I like it when people come after me. I think I’ll knock him out and I don’t expect it to go a long time, but when it’s going, it should be a good one.

BZ: Wanderlei hasn't fought in a cage in seven years. Do you think that he'll be able to adapt to the cage immediately, or will it take him some time?

CL: He’s been training in the cage for a while so I’m sure he’ll adapt. It’s really not a whole lot different from fighting in a ring. It’s a little harder to cut the ring off when you’re in a cage, but that’s about it. Other than that, there’s not too much difference.

BZ: What are you going to do differently from the Jardine and Rampage fights?

CL: You know, I’m just going to try to execute my game plan a little better. I’m not changing styles or doing anything crazy. I’m still the same fighter as I was before.

BZ: Is it true that you called Tony Robbins, known as the Success Guru, for help?

CL: I wouldn’t say that I called him.

BZ: Oh, he called you?

CL: He called. John [Hackleman] had used him before for training purposes. He’s just a really knowledgeable guy with a lot to say.

BZ: Can you tell us a little bit about the way your training regimen has changed with age?

CL: You definitely can’t do what you did when you were younger. You can’t just go right into full training. I used to start training hard six weeks before a fight but now it takes closer to 3 months to get fully ready. I try to stay in shape year round though, but the training is much harder.

BZ: Have you thought about life after fighting?

CL: You know, I’ve always said that I’ll cross that bridge once we get to it. As long as I keep getting fights, I’ll keep fighting.

BZ: Do you think you can ever be champion again? And if you beat Wanderlei, do you believe that you deserve a title shot?

CL: Of course I’d like a title shot, but we’ll see what happens after the fight.

BZ: Is there anyone in your sights after Wanderlei?

CL: No one in particular. They tell me who to fight and I just go out and fight.

BZ: What happened against Jardine?

CL: I didn’t perform as well as I should have. I kept the fight too close so I really can’t complain about the decision. I should’ve done lots of stuff differently, you know? It just wasn’t my fight.

BZ: But you do think that you won the fight, right?

CL: I left it [too] close to complain. I think that they counted some things against me that they shouldn’t have. They counted some things more than they should have. You know, I got in there and I thought that one of the judges looked at me weird, but I can’t complain. I left it too close.

BZ: Do you think you match up better against strikers or against grapplers?

CL: Honestly, I don’t care. I’m just happy to fight and I think I match up equally against both.

BZ: What's your opinion on Rampage Jackson and Forrest Griffin as coaches for TUF?

CL: It should be really entertaining. They’re both really funny guys.

BZ: Let’s do a few predictions for your UFC 79 event. How about Georges St. Pierre-Matt Hughes III?

CL: Matt is a buddy of mine. He’s going to put it together and win.

BZ: How about Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Lyoto Machida?

CL: You know, one of my guys knocked out Sokoudjou.

BZ: So you have him losing?

CL: No, I have him winning.

BZ: Who was it that beat him?

CL: Glover Teixeira.

BZ: Right.

CL: Anyway, he’s been out of the game a little with his contract problems but I think he’ll be fine.

BZ: Does the death of Sammy Vasquez affect you? For all the talk about fighters knowing the risks when they step in the ring, the risks really did not include death until now. Any thoughts?

CL: Does it affect me in that way? No. You know the risks in any sport when you go out there. Look at boxing -- it’s just one of those things. I had a buddy of mine teaching private boxing and he dropped dead in the ring. Another one of my buddies almost died on the mat. They had to defib[rillate] him right there and he isn’t like he used to be. These things happen and people do the best they can. The commission does everything they can. Sometimes, you just can’t avoid these things.