Chuck Liddell
Biofiles | Published March 8th, 2008
 STATUS: Former UFC Light Heavyweight champ.
BORN ON: December. 17, 1969 IN: Santa Barbara, CA
HT: 6-2 WT: 205
CHILDHOOD HEROES: “Dan Gable, Walter Payton and Gale Sayers.”
NICKNAMES: The Ice Man, Chuck, Chaz. (”I used to try to go by Charlie or Charles but it never stuck because everybody just called me Chuck.”)
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: “Other than train…watch movies. I don’t do a whole lot. Hang out. I guess being outdoors, the beach, things like that.”
PRE-FIGHT FEELING: “By the time I’m in the dressing room, I’ve done everything I need to do. I’m ready to go. I do what I have to do to get ready, warm up. I’m just impatient to get in the ring. I know I’ve worked two months getting ready. Even when I get out there, I just want the announcer to get out of the ring! I don’t try to stare people down. I’m not big on that. If they try to stare me down, I just smile.”
FAVORITE MOVIES: “The first five minutes of Way of the Gun. The first 20 minutes of Full Metal Jacket. I like funny goofy movies like Old School, Tommy Boy, Joe Dirt and Dumb & Dumber.”
MUSICAL TASTES: “Real varied. I listen to everything from Slayer to country to rap. Clint Black, George Strait, Travis Tripp, Randy Travis, Hank Williams Jr., Dr. Dre, Snoop, Tupac, Cypress Hill, Pantera, Suicidal Tendencies.”
ALL-TIME FAVORITE TV SHOWS: “The Master - a ninja show when I was a kid. I started karate when I was 12. I watched that show religiously every week. I gotta ask my brother (Dan), he knows me better than I do…News Radio I like a lot.”
EARLY FIGHTING MEMORY: “I remember one time going to watch some friends box in Nipomo. And the heavyweight didn’t show up for the main event fight. So we had just got done eating at Jocko’s - a nice steak restaurant - I was stuffed, almost ready to puke. So, they asked me to do them a favor and fight the main event. I said OK. We were laughing at how stuffed we all were. I started boxing…the guy wasn’t too good. In a clinch, I accidentally swept him…tossed him on his head. All the boxing fans were booing. I didn’t mean to do it on purpose, just an instinct from kickboxing.”
FAVORITE MEAL: “Toss-up between stuffed manicotti, good ravioli, tortellini and sushi.”
FAVORITE BREAKFAST CEREAL: “Fruity Pebbles, actually.”
FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR: “Chocolate brownie.”
CHILDHOOD DREAM: “I really wanted to be a baseball player. After that, I wanted to open and run a karate school. Now I have a kickboxing school (called SLO Kickboxing School in San Luis Obispo, CA).”
GREATEST SPORTS MOMENT: “It’s hard to pick one as a fighter. I guess my last few fights, getting the chance to go out there and prove what I knew all along…that I can beat some of the best fighters in the world.”
MOST PAINFUL MOMENT: “The loss to Jeremy Horn (UFC 19). I got caught (in an arm triangle). It happens. I made a mistake. He capitalized on it. I didn’t think he had it in him. And he did. He’s a very tough guy. I was waiting for time to run out. I didn’t think he’d be able to finish.”
FIRST JOB: “I had a paper route delivering newspapers (Santa Barbara News Press) after school (age 12).”
FIRST CAR: “A white Ford Fairmont station wagon. I had a name for it…’The Chuck Wagon [smiles].’”
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT: “Considering I rarely go on vacation, let’s see. I went to Hawaii last year. I liked that. Or Las Vegas.”
PEOPLE MOST ADMIRED: “I like for people to be honest. Mental toughness. That’s something you can’t teach, so.”
LAST HALLOWEEN COSTUME: “I’ve worked as a bartender for a long time, so usually I’m working that night.”
FUNNY FIGHTING MOMENT: “One of my friends (Eric Schwartz), a guy that I train with, took a kickboxing fight on short notice in Las Vegas. He was beating the tar out of this guy, chasing him all around the ring, throwing non-stop punches. Suddenly, he decided to throw a spinning back kick. But it took him like four seconds and five steps to throw it! We were all laughing at how long it took him to throw it. Slowest spinning back kick I ever saw [smiles].”
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