UFC Fights

When ESPN.com competes their “who’s now” series – pitting sports stars against each other in some sort of cultural relevance that apparently only appeals to the US Weekly mindset, Chuck Liddell figures to be somewhere in the bottom of the field of sixty-four against the likes of Peyton Manning (too many commercials), Tiger Woods (too many golf players) and Maria Sharapova (too many…well, she’s hot). If you were making a “who’s now” list of MMA fighters amongst those who know, unfortunately the Iceman would probably not fair much better.

After Chuck’s devastating loss to Quintin “Rampage” Jackson – where he lost his belt and most people would say his reputation as the toughest SOB around – it looks like he has been passed to the old guard of fighters, still respectable but not nearly as exciting as some of the up and comers.

This shouldn’t be entirely unexpected. From the moment the camera went back and forth between Jackson and Liddell it was easy to see that Ultimate Fighting had changed hands. Here was Chuck, stoic as ever, pasty-assed, with his gut hanging distended like some orphan from Ethiopia. Standing across from him was the single scariest man in fighting. Jackson looked mean. Just mean. When he came on camera I’ll admit, a little bit of pee came out. Rampage was jacked, focused and intimidating. Chuck looked like that guy who got thrown out of high school for tearing up the front grass in his 87 Mustang.

Still though, at the bar where I watched UFC 71, the audience seemed pretty evenly split in its loyalty, if not slightly in favor of Liddell. Then again, many of his supporters were chicks – girlfriends who profess to love the sport so their boyfriend will be happy – and we all know chicks don’t know shit about fighting. People who religiously know mixed martial arts, and more specifically the Ultimate Fighting Championship, were divided amongst the old school – who worship the “legends”; Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin, Randy Couture and those who see the emergence of the newer class; Rashad Evans, Anderson Silva, Quintin Jackson.

With the emergence of this newer class, one-sided fighters like Liddell are in a tentative position. The Iceman was known as the meanest, toughest badass around. He appeared on Punk’d and scared Johnnie Drama to snot on Entourage. Still, when you’re known as the toughest guy around and someone beats you, not beats you in a technical fight-sense, but straight up whoops your ass, what are you?

If you’re Chuck Liddell, who let’s face it has never been accused of being brilliant or even shrewd in his career like say a Tito Ortiz, you’re basically yesterday’s news. The fight against Wanderlei Silva would have given Liddell a chance to reclaim some of his cred, to possibly work his way back to a title shot, but Silva’s camp pulled out of that, leaving him to face a lesser opponent like possibly Keith Jardine (who himself was whooped by Houston Alexander).

If Liddell is able to run the table on his next new fights and steal some headlines, he could be back on top, promoting sports drinks and terrible tasting protein bars. If he loses again though? It could well spell the end of the Ice Age.

Chuck in his prime:

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