6 days Ago By Jordan Ellis, Bloody Elbow
Chuck Liddell knocked out his biggest rival with a massive barrage of punches in April 2004. ‘The Iceman’ is fondly remembered as one of the best light heavyweight fighters in MMA history. Famous wins over Vitor Belfort, Alistair Overeem , Randy Couture , and Wanderlei Silva helped earn the 55-year-old his Hall of Fame spot.
However, Chuck Liddell will always be remembered for his bitter three-fight rivalry with Tito Ortiz . Chuck Liddell KO’d Tito Ortiz with 20-punch barrage Liddell and Ortiz were coming off recent losses to Couture when they first fought at UFC 47. A shot at light heavyweight gold appeared to be on the line for whoever won their main event matchup.
The first round was mostly a feeling-out process, which burst into life when the horn sounded to end it. Ortiz pushed the referee out of the way to exchange angry words with Liddell before the 205lb rivals went back to their respective corners. When round two began, ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ was quickly made to pay for getting mouthy.
Liddell trapped him against the fence and finished their fight just 38 seconds into the second round. Ortiz tried to cover up as a 20-punch combination came flying his way, but he was ultimately knocked out by the man he would face twice more before their legendary MMA careers were over. #OnThisDay in 2004.
.. The Liddell and Ortiz rivalry began! pic.
twitter.com/H7vfNSEony Chuck Liddell names his favorite current UFC fighter Earlier this year, Liddell named an active UFC champion the fighter he likes the most right now. “I like [Alex] Pereira,” the MMA icon said.
“I really like him, man, he’s so relaxed, so calm – and he’s a good dude. “I like his attitude, and I like how he fights. He’s a nice guy.
” A few weeks later, Pereira lost his light heavyweight title when he fought Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. Dana White suggested an immediate rematch will be next during his post-fight press conference. The UFC boss is yet to make Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 official, it’s rumored that fight will headline a pay-per-view event in August.
For now, Liddell will just have to wait and see if his favorite fighter gets his rematch with Ankalaev. This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission..
