Chuck in a photo by Josh Hedges
Chuck Liddell will face Rich Franklin at the June-12 UFC 115 show, and is one of the featured fighters in this month’s issue of Brazil’s NOCAUTE magazine. At 40 years of age, the “Iceman” shrugged off the retirement proposed by Dana White and, despite his being a striker from a kenpo background, he holds Jiu-Jitsu in high regard. Check out a bit of the conversation Chuck had with our correspondent Nalty Jr.
“The one who mentioned retirement was Dana White. He’s the one who started all that talk. I just gave my body a rest. I’ve been fighting for so many I needed a break. But now the Iceman’s back,” says Liddell.
The former UFC champion is better known for his knockouts. However, he has shown his appreciation for the gentle art and its representatives.
“I while back I would train in the gi. I started Jiu-Jitsu in 1997 and every day I learn something new and try to get better,” says the purple belt.
“I like striking but, if you don’t have good Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling, you won’t be a good striker. I liked Ronaldo Jacaré’s fight against Matt Lindland at Strikeforce. His Jiu-Jitsu is impressive. He’s the kind of fighter I like to watch,” he says in finishing.