MMA
Time (and Tito Ortiz) will soon tell whether Chuck Liddell should have stayed retired
Chuck Liddell is 48 years senior and he knows perfectly well that many of us raised our eyebrows when we heard that he wanted to get off the couch, return to training and fight in the cage again.
48 is simply not the optimal age for what he’s trying to do – get his brain and body back in shape where he can beat a younger man. The younger man in this case is Tito Ortiz, who is not a adolescent and willing pup himself. Ortiz himself is 43 years senior, and no, we’re not here to say that either man is even close to the top of the sport. This is not the case with even the best and brightest specimens, and the Bernard Hopkinses, who are able to retain more of their skills in senior age than anyone else could expect in senior age, are the uncontrolled exceptions.
But because this is America, we don’t put 40-year-olds out to pasture. If you pass the medical examination, in most jurisdictions your age will not be a liability for you. You’ll have the opportunity to try to silence all the critics (and yes, there are many of them) who think Chuck’s mission to defeat Tito on November 24 is stupid.
Tito Ortiz
No pulling the punch – the deck is stacked against Chuck. Let’s be annoying and refer to the era. The best sports result for most of us is 27; from that point on, muscles, tendons and cartilage, and the whole package is in a state of decay. 48 is it. That’s a massive hurdle, and I won’t pretend – it made me place Tito as the favorite to fight the legend who re-popularized Mohawk and helped push UFC Dana White out of a niche and into a more mainstream niche that was able to reach a place beyond combat sports and in some way enter the realm of all sports.
But here’s the bottom line: Liddell has lost his last three fights in decisive fashion. He was stopped by Rashad Evans in 2008, Mauricio Rua in 2009 and then Luxurious Franklin in 2010. He was dropped and stopped by Rampage Jackson in 2007 before losing to Keith Jardine, fortunately not by KO. The record speaks for itself and tells most readers that this task of beating Ortiz for pay-per-view is a ridiculously towering order.
Chuck knows it… And he doesn’t give up because that’s who he is. I employ the word “soldier” loosely. Knowing full well the difference between someone who goes into combat knowing that he may not leave the battlefield alive, and knowing how I employ the term in this context, Liddell is a soldier. Because his soul demands that he prove himself in battle. It is innate and something that no one can understand except those like him. That’s why I’m inclined to look at Liddell vs. Ortiz, not with contempt or surprise, but with polite and respectful resignation, and actually with a certain level of curiosity. No, I don’t think Liddell will beat fellow UFC Hall of Famer Ortiz, who, although recently “retired,” has been relatively lively.
But I’ll join in because I CAN.
Maybe Liddell can do what almost no one thinks he can.
“When I left the sport, I simply changed my training. I did things differently. I started fixing everything. I made some mistakes and got pushed out. So I didn’t finish. I can’t think of a single thing in the fight that I didn’t miss. I miss everything about it. I like training. I love going to the gym every day. I like to cut weight and prepare for a fight. When I make weight, it means I can fight the next day. I love going to the ring and I love fighting,” Liddell recently said when asked WHY he does it.
“This time my lifestyle has completely changed [compared to when I was fighting]. I changed the people around me and the environment around me. Everyone is working towards the same goal. I have my family. I’m with them all the time. For the purposes of this camp, I will step back and focus on this fight. I will be in Tito’s hometown, Huntington Beach, California. I’m doing this to prepare for this fight. I will miss my children, but I will make it in this fight on November 24.”
So you get the feeling that maybe he’s smarter at this point, that he’s not fooling around or partying too much or whatever. Hey, I don’t think this will be enough to appease Father Time, but stranger things have happened in a fighting game.
Oscar De La Hoya tests the possibilities of MMA, checking what is the appetite for the legend-versus-legend fight, which will take place at the Forum in Inglewood (about 40 km from Huntington Beach). The delicate heavyweight scrapper tops the card, which starts at 9 p.m. EST. He thinks the recognition factor, as Ortiz and Liddell are two of the top ten or five martial artists of this era, will allow him to gain marketing traction and make the event a revenue-generating success. Part of his calculation is knowing that Chuck and Tito have a history.
(left to right) Chuck Liddell, Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Tito Ortiz
In 2004, they struggled, with Liddell earning a stoppage victory on strikes. His barrage, mostly jackhammering as Ortiz got to his feet and tried in vain to block, crushed the loser. In 2006, there was a rematch, and Liddell once again used his punching power to put Ortiz to sleep. This time, Tito fell to the mat, spun up, and the thunder crashed down on his XXL head, forcing the referee to save him. And that’s when Chuck’s slide began; he’s gone 1-5 in his last six.
“I don’t hate Tito,” Liddell said. “I don’t care about him enough to hate him. I do not like him. I don’t like the person he is. I don’t like the way he treats people. Since our fight, I’ve heard different stories about what he’s done to people. Ridiculing training partners. Ridiculing business partners. It’s the way he treats people. He has no class. You saw him at the press conference. He kept talking when I tried to talk. It’s classless. If he’s trying to sell the fight, great. But it is not everything. He really is like that. Tito is Tito. This is not an act. It’s a donkey.
So we have other subplots here. De La Hoya believes he can gain some market share if he allows the boxing paradigm to give MMA fighters more leverage, power and influence to advance. Oh, and probably a better slice of the revenue pie. This line is a constant slap in the face to the UFC’s Dana White during the Fertitta era and today. Sharing revenue with athletes is not like boxing, especially with true A-team players who can move PPVs and pack buildings. Perhaps De La Hoya can set a precedent in this event and show other athletes that the grass is greener at Golden Boy, and so are the revenue-sharing policies.
But these points are secondary to the main plot: on November 24, can Chuck Liddell, who turns 49 on December 17, give himself an early birthday present and a Christmas bonus in one, once again ditching and holding off his rival? forever? Time, which waits for no one, but sometimes can be stopped long enough to accomplish an incredible feat, will show.
Even with 10 consecutive wins inside the Octagon, UFC interim featherweight champion Max “Blessed” Holloway never had the opportunity to fight for the undisputed championship.
That will all change on Saturday when Holloway faces UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in a unification fight at UFC 212 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This will be only the second time in his career that Holloway will headline a pay-per-view card, but he is extremely confident of entering enemy territory in pursuit of his lifelong dream.
“I’ve been in the spotlight in my career, I’ve had a five-round fight outside the UFC and I’m ready for anything,” Holloway said during a recent conference call.
“I’m just ready to show the world what I’m about and why I’m the best fighter in this division.”
“Blessed” has finished seven opponents in his 10-fight winning streak, including a TKO over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis to become interim champion.
Holloway and Aldo are two of the best all-around strikers in MMA today, but there aren’t many other similarities both inside and outside the Octagon. What they have in common, however, is that their last defeat came against UFC’s most recognizable star, “Notorious” Conor McGregor.
For Holloway, losing to McGregor four years ago was a good thing. He regrouped, became a more complete fighter and put together one of the greatest winning streaks in UFC history.
However, despite his incredible success at the championship level over the past few years, the UFC has been reluctant to put its hype machine behind Holloway, much to the surprise of many in the media and fans.
Even with this lack of pressure, Holloway is very excited to reign supreme in a division that has only had two undisputed champions in its compact history.
“I just can’t wait to do the damn thing; get in there and fight one of the best of all time,” Holloway said. “He is one of the greatest in our sport, but it is time for a up-to-date era.”
“I have been an underdog my whole life. I do not care. I shouldn’t be here. Max Holloway shouldn’t be talking to any of you. I shouldn’t be here. It is what it is. “Actions speak louder than words, and I have done many things.”
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