10 Things UFC Want You To Forget About Chuck Liddell
8. 'Mixed' Martial Artist Credentials
In its current era, the UFC are very eager to market fighters as being well-rounded and proficient in all aspects of MMA. The promotion is extremely eager to promote the balanced nature of fighters like Chris Weidman, Demetrius Johnson and Urijah Faber, all of whom are highly skilled grapplers, wrestlers and strikers. The days where a fighter could just be a specialist in a single martial art like in the very first UFC events are considered to be long gone and the men who fought then arent considered to be in the same league as the athletes competing in the Octagon nowadays. However, Chuck Liddell whose image is still synonymous with the UFC brand certainly doesnt fit into the mould of this balanced mixed martial artist, ready to go toe-to-toe with any opponent in any area. Though an extremely talented fighter, the danger Chuck posed to other fighters came almost exclusively through his striking. Of his 21 professional wins, 13 came through KO/TKO and only one by submission. Even Liddells one submission victory was against Kenneth Williams who only ever fought twice and lost both these bouts by submission, so Chucks ability to choke him out really proves very little. Though he had an impressive finish rate, Chuck Liddell was a fighter who was heavily reliant on his powerful hands to do the work, rather than a well-rounded MMA game.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
