Chuck Liddell all the time most popular dealing with his enterprise contained in the cage.
The UFC Corridor of Famer earned a popularity as one of many nastiest knockout artists within the historical past of the game, however he by no means actually discovered the necessity to settle any beefs with previous rivals in a public setting. After sitting only a few ft away from watching Sean Strickland launch himself at Dricus du Plessis at UFC 296, the previous gentle heavyweight champion recounted the closest he got here to a road combat whereas he was nonetheless in the course of his combat profession.
To precisely no person’s shock, Liddell’s grudge was in opposition to Tito Ortiz after the all the time outspoken “Huntington Seashore Dangerous Boy” made some ill-fated feedback throughout a radio interview whereas selling one in all his fights.
“Tito, when he was preventing Vitor Belfort, was doing a radio interview in San Diego and stated, ‘I don’t date white trash b****** like Chuck,’” Liddell relayed on the Road Struggle podcast. “A bunch of fellows known as me up and so they’re like, ‘What’s up with this?’ So I wasn’t actual pleased with him.”
Liddell stated he attended the cardboard the place Ortiz defeated Belfort at UFC 51. The 2 longtime rivals have been then slated to look at a post-fight occasion, the place a run-in between them was virtually inevitable.
The dangerous blood between the UFC legends was so palpable that it regarded as if a full on brawl may get away between the fighters and their buddies. So, in an effort to maintain the peace, Liddell revealed that he was approached about settling his grudge in opposition to Ortiz with a dialog fairly than letting his fists go flying.
That’s when Liddell says he laid down an ultimatum earlier than Ortiz, particularly when it got here to any dialog relating to his private relationships.
“There’s an afterparty and John Huntington was selling it, a pal of ours,” Liddell defined. “He comes as much as me and he’s like, ‘Hey bro, you’ve bought to squash these items with Tito, as a result of your guys are going to combat his guys. I don’t want any bother in right here. I don’t want any issues. Please squash this.’ I stated, ‘Yeah, no drawback.’ I went over, they bought Tito to return over, and truly Vin Diesel was there too, he was negotiating I assume. He got here up and was attempting to get us to speak and be cool.
“I’m like, ‘Tito, first off, that is my girlfriend — apologize. Second, you ever discuss my household and buddies on a radio interview once more, I do know the place you reside and I’ll come beat you in your f****** front room. You perceive that?’”
Previous to their heated rivalry, Liddell counted Ortiz as a coaching associate and pal, which meant they knew one another fairly nicely. In different phrases, Ortiz completely understood that Liddell was critical whereas laying down his problem.
After all, Liddell stated Ortiz’s rationalization about the entire state of affairs was additionally fairly dumb, however that’s a dialog for a unique day.
“[Tito said,] ‘No man, I bought it, I’m sorry, I wasn’t speaking about her, I used to be speaking about Juliette Lewis,’” Liddell stated. “Us Journal had stated I used to be courting Juliette Lewis for some motive. I’m like, ‘She’s not white trash, bro. She performs characters which might be in films, fool.’
“I stated, ‘OK, we’re cool, I’m not going to trigger any bother.’ He knew from after we skilled earlier than, we skilled collectively, he heard tales about me — I’m critical.”
That incident didn’t result in an outside-the-cage altercation, however it definitely didn’t settle the lengthy simmering rivalry between them. They met for the second time within the UFC lower than two years later, with Liddell scoring a third-round knockout over Ortiz to defend his gentle heavyweight title for the fourth consecutive time.
